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Byline: Anna Wintour
In the weeks before the Republican convention, America is obsessed with color-specifically the spectrum of vibrant shades that our government employs to indicate the level of potential peril to our security posed by Al Qaeda and its affiliates. When the current administration changed the threat index from yellow to orange in New York City, the effect of this decision was immediate and profound: attendance dropped at museums, store traffic slowed down (customers preferring to buy by telephone), and many residents stopped enjoying the city and its myriad charms.
I feel very strongly that this decision and its repercussions are a misstep, and that the policy of measuring "terror" through this color system sends the wrong message to the American people. The fact is that post-9/11 we live in different times, and though we must all be mindful of this, we must also go about our business. We don't need the government to give us color-
coded warnings to remind us to be scared and defensive; we need a government that gives us strategies for how to live with confidence and care, given what is known (and, even more, what is unknown).
One of the many inspiring legacies of the attacks on the World Trade Center is that New York City was ...