4. Zero sum thinking
This category suggests that many people’s identity is tied to a divided world with basic
antagonisms of Us versus Them, Insiders versus Outsiders, and sacred versus profane. This is
evidenced by what is unknown to us as threatening and "intends us evil" (Keene, 1986, p. 18),
presented as a morality play.
During the first few weeks following September 11 whenever Bush referred to enemies he
insisted that they were neither Afghans nor even Muslims but rather people he called ’evildoers’
or ’the evil ones’ " (Pipes, 2002, p. 21). This lack of precision was a useful tool designed not to
point out any particular group yet, but to lump many events under one rubric--the evil doers. In
the October 7, 2001 address to the nation, Bush referred to, "Destroying camps and disrupting
communications," making it "more difficult for the terror network to train new recruits and
coordinate their evil plans." In his January 29, 2002 address, he stated that, "We have seen the
depth of our enemies’ hatred" and that it is "equaled by the madness of the destruction they
design.