I tell my kids all the time — You have no idea what this country was like before 2000. Completely different country, in so many ways.
It’s not all about the terrorism. But the US government did discover that there are advantages to having a population live in fear. We are now supposed to live in fear all the time. Viruses, vaccines, weather, terrorism, crime, you name it.
After 9/11 we should not have changed a single thing in this country. Should have just kept calm and carried on. And possibly considered nuking Tehran or other big city that supported terrorism as a weapon.
I think it goes back further than that.
I’m old enough to remember flying before all the hijackings and the 1970’s flight “security”.
Note that 1970’s “security” didn’t prevent 911.
Yes, there was a time when leaving the house armed with a five shot snubbie would be considered sufficiently armed. Feel naked now carrying that.