America’s 36/9

A number is merely a number until it’s put together in a way that conjures up human emotions. Nine-hundred eleven is just a number before nine-hundred ten and nine-hundred twelve. However, when it’s put in a numerical format of 911, it means totally different. Furthermore, when a mere ‘/’ is placed in-between to make it 9/11, it suddenly turns into an emotion, evoking dark memories. Just the way 9/11 means more than a number or a date to Americans, 26/11 has the same emotional response among Indians. 26/11 was the day when terrorists from Pakistan attacked the city of Mumbai at various locations, killing many. Just do a Google search, and you’ll find hundreds of articles on this.

So, what is 36/9? Well, if you are a cricket fan like me, it’s a number of infamies, an argument-ender, a number that is etched in every cricket fan in India and all over the world. It’s when the beloved Indian cricket team got all-out for a dismal total of 36. It’s when Indian cricket experienced a humiliating defeat by Australia. Many rival countries gloated when this happened. The social media was inundated with vicious comments, mostly by archrival Pakistan.

So, what does it have to do with America? A lot. When rebels attacked the Capitol, America lost its high moral ground. The terrorists, yes, they were terrorists and not patriots, showed the world how vulnerable American democracy is. It turned into a laughingstock of the world with its mighty military that boasted of the latest technology and a budget touching 700 billion dollars, which was more than the total budget of the next ten countries combined. With all this, it was unable to defend its own democracy, let alone defending the world from tyrants.

Hence, this dark incident has become America’s 36/10, an argument stopper. American has come down from its high moral ground of democracy. From now on, whenever America tries to lecture another country of democracy, it’ll sound hollow, filled with hypocrisy.