This story is presented as part of The Stranger’s Back to School 2018 issue.
Conservatives have always been afraid of dissent. From the Red Scare to the Vietnam War to the first (and second) invasion of Iraq, it doesn’t take much for conservatives to rally around a cause, no matter how immoral, and crank up the inquisition. In the immediate aftermath of 9/11—when you were in diapers and the rest of us were waiting for our internet to dial up—conservatives became suspicious of Arabs, Muslims, Sikhs, strangers, airports, books, Bill Maher, french fries (which were briefly and shamefully renamed “freedom fries”), and country music stars who dared to question the wars.
White House press secretary Ari Fleischer told Americans they needed to “watch what they say, watch what they do,” and Congress passed or amended dozens of laws to limit our civil rights. To this, star spangled conservatives stood up and said, “HELL YES.” There were also no iPhones back then, and if you wanted a cab, you actually had to hail one. Be glad that you napped through these dark years.
