After a decade defined by aimlessness and triviality, 9/11 once gave the United States a new national purpose that resonated throughout pop culture: summer blockbusters offered unnuanced patriotic affirmation and clamped down on the violence and destruction embraced by
Independence Day (1996) and
Armageddon (1998), the shiny futuristic Y2K aesthetic of the late 1990s disappeared as realism became the watchword, and a subgenre of post-9/11 country anthems sprung up. But by 2008, Americans symbolically rejected the War on Terror by electing anti-war presidential candidate Barack Obama in the largest electoral and popular vote victory of the 21st century. According to Pew Research Center:
"While Americans had a shared sense of anguish after Sept. 11, the months that followed also were marked by rare spirit of public unity.
Patriotic sentiment surged in the aftermath of 9/11. After the U.S. and its allies launched airstrikes against Taliban and al-Qaida forces in early October 2001, 79% of adults said they had displayed an American flag. A year later, a 62% majority said they had often felt patriotic as a result of the 9/11 attacks.
Moreover, the public largely set aside political differences and rallied in support of the nation’s major institutions, as well as its political leadership. In October 2001, 60% of adults expressed trust in the federal government – a level not reached in the previous three decades, nor approached in the two decades since then.
George W. Bush, who had become president nine months earlier after a fiercely contested election, saw his job approval rise 35 percentage points in the space of three weeks. In late September 2001, 86% of adults – including nearly all Republicans (96%) and a sizable majority of Democrats (78%) – approved of the way Bush was handling his job as president.
Americans also turned to religion and faith in large numbers. In the days and weeks after 9/11, most Americans said they were praying more often. In November 2001, 78% said religion’s influence in American life was increasing, more than double the share who said that eight months earlier and – like public trust in the federal government – the highest level in four decades.
Public esteem rose even for some institutions that usually are not that popular with Americans. For example, in November 2001, news organizations received record-high ratings for professionalism. Around seven-in-ten adults (69%) said they “stand up for America,” while 60% said they protected democracy."
When exactly did the rabid post-9/11 nationalistic pandemonium subside?
Source:
https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2021/09/02/two-decades-later-the-enduring-legacy-of-9-11/
