Why is the U.S. in Afghanistan? An American Discourse Investigation

The 9/11 terror attacks sparked a war where the United States of America began to occupy Afghanistan. Ten years later, the U.S. is still in the Middle East, and I pose the question: Why is the U.S. still there- according to Americans- and how is the public influenced from the media it consumes? This thesis covers relative topics of an anthropological nature like the global influence of American mass media as well as current media anthropology discussions. Interviews have been conducted strictly with Hoosiers from the state of Indiana. I underline how mass media influences the American public’s opinion of the war. The methodology is based on media theory from George Marcus and his notion of multi-sited research. The theory is primarily centered upon Edward Said’s Orientalism, where such concepts as “Othering” and hegemony are often mentioned to describe the behavior of U.S. citizens. The research is analyzed utilizing Philipp Mayring’s method of qualitative content analysis. Lastly, I propose a new concept of how the United States reacts to a crisis and offer people a way to gain a better understanding of the conflict outside the realm of prominent American media outlets.