On Sept. 11, the skyline of New York City was altered forever. The change of the landscape that day was apparent, but at the same time a shift in the ideology and outlooks of the American people also began, initiating an even bigger change in the landscape of the American consciousness.

“On 9/11, I was here at the university,” said Dr. Tim Collins, associate professor of political science at UNA. “As I came out of class, I saw a clip of the first plane hitting the tower. I got back to my office, and a co-worker told me the second plane had hit. He told me it was the next Pearl Harbor.”

The reactions of American citizens were immediate and almost singular. For many, terrorism hit the country in an undeniable way, and it suddenly became real for many people.

“There’s been movies since the 70s about the terrorist attacks,” said Mike Walker, a police investigator for the Tennessee Valley Authority. “Chuck Norris films. Steven Seagal. Air Force One. Then, we had a culture shock. Everyone wanted to do something. People tried to do something.”

According to Collins, much of America felt the same way, and even if they didn’t join the military, they were willing to sacrifice something to protect themselves.

“A poll was taken some time after (the attack) and found 60-70 percent of people would sacrifice their civil liberties for safety,” he said. “Now, only 25 percent answer that.”

One of the results Walker saw from the attacks is that, in the view of many American citizens, the act of terrorism changed from just a criminal act, like it was with the original Trade Center bombing, to an act of war.

Along with a change in the public view of terrorism came a change in America’s military that, according to Collins, still exists today.

“Our military looks like it is moving in a tempo that is more like being in a war,” Collins said. “A significant part of the population still believes we are in a war on terror.”

According to Collins, instead of the National Guard’s original tendency to be auxiliary, someone in the guard can expect to now launch every two to three years.

In the aftermath of 9/11, the media gained a new sensitivity towards imagery involving New York, which included cutting scenes involving the Twin Towers from the first Spider-Man movie.

The entertainment industry also felt a push towards fighting terrorism, which is shown in great detail by shows like “24,” according to Dr. Janet McMullen, an associate professor at UNA who has a research background in media influence.

“A certain success of that series was that we could relate to terrorism in the world,” McMullen said. She also said that it was able to portray roles like good guys and bad guys in ways that the public could understand, but from that came concerns with how Muslims were portrayed in the media.

Because of America’s intense response to 9/11, especially the War on Terror, many American citizens believe that the world opinion of the U.S. drastically decreased, but, according to Collins, it too is different than it was in the 90s.

“I think a sober assessment is that the world still sees us as a cowboy, or at a least a world power,” Collins said.