Public reaction to the Boston Marathon bombings and the identity of the perpetrators reveals a very different nation from the one reflected in the traumatized and occasionally hysterical responses to the terror attacks of September 11, 2001. The magnitude of the two attacks was, of course, very different – thousands were killed and major national landmarks destroyed in 2001, whereas the Boston bombing killed three people and injured roughly 260.
普林斯顿—美国成长了。公众对波士顿马拉松爆炸案和犯案者身份的反应表明，这个国家与因2001年9月11日恐怖袭击而受到心理创伤、偶尔歇斯底里的国家大不相同了。当然，两起袭击的程度大相径庭——2001年数千人被杀，国家标志也被摧毁，而波士顿的爆炸案致三人死，约260人伤。但是，此乃2001年后第一次在美国发生的重大袭击，此时与彼时的对比颇具说明性。