Post-attack reality changed lives of Californians subtly

Probe a little, though, and the 54-year-old Newport Beach woman admits to arriving at airports hours earlier than she did before, jumping at loud noises, paying attention to news events, keeping up with the government's terror alerts.

"I guess there have been changes, quite a few changes. I try not to dwell on it. But it's always there, isn't it?" said Lurie as she submitted to security screening recently at Orange County's John Wayne Airport.

As it has for people across the country, the ongoing threat of more terrorist attacks has changed the way many Californians approach daily life. It's meant waiting longer in airports, submitting to searches at amusement parks and museums, thinking twice about going to ballgames, concerts or other crowded public events, paying closer attention to fellow airline passengers.

They are more cautious, more suspicious and more worried than ever about their children's future, said Stuart Fischoff, professor of media psychology at California State University, Los Angeles.

"You're really talking about a non-conscious adjustment to a new world order," he said. "It happens rather slowly, rather subtly, and you are not aware you are there."

Oscar Garcia, 32, of San Jose, admits taking stock of who's boarded a plane with him, who's standing next to him in line.

"We have a war going on. We have to be careful," he said while checking his luggage at John Wayne Airport.

For people of Middle Eastern descent, post-Sept. 11 changes often have meant something different. After a wave of hate crimes in the attacks' immediate aftermath, many immigrants are trying to keep a low profile.

Raj Parekh, 30, of Irvine, said he understands the "eye-balling" he gets at airports and other places. He pulls out his driver's license and jokes: "Don't I look like a terrorist. Brown skin, brown eyes, dark hair."

Shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks, Parekh, whose family came from India, said he was called names after he had a motorcycle accident on the freeway.

"Somebody drove by and yelled 'Serves you right, you stinking Arab,"' Parekh said.

Months later, Parekh and his 28-year-old wife, Purvi, say they have taken steps not to draw attention to themselves.

"I don't want anybody to think I'm involved in any of that," said Purvi Parekh.

She has shied away from wearing any Indian-style clothing in favor of a more American appearance.

"I'm more worried about what people think I look like," she said.

Fischoff said California's immigrant communities have been less likely to speak out or express opinions in the post-Sept. 11 world.

"I had a graduate student who was literally afraid to tell us he was from Egypt," he said. "People are afraid they will be viewed differently, so some people just won't discuss it."

Californians have reason to be edgy. The state has a high number of potential targets - from Navy ships in San Diego to the Golden Gate Bridge. In July, authorities in Spain seized videos of the Golden Gate Bridge, Disneyland and Universal Studios from suspected al-Qaida terrorists.

Spanish officials say the tapes, made during a 1997 visit, recorded images of buildings, installations and monuments "that have been or are al-Qaida targets."

At Disneyland, employees check backpacks, bags and purses for weapons. Many hotels have security guards searching vehicles for suspicious items.

"I have no problem opening my bag or purse and letting them look," said Heidi Wolfrum, a 40year-old from Kingston, Mass., standing a few feet from security check tables at Disney's California Adventure theme park. "That's life now."

Americans across the country are making such adjustments, a sign of the population's resiliency, said Ann Kring, an associate professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley.

"Yes, our daily lives are different now: airport security, terror alerts. Those are things we come to expect now," she said. "But it doesn't mean life has to stop. It's a sign of a tremendous amount of resilience on the part of adults and children. That's a good thing."

The widely reported threats against state landmarks such as Disneyland weren't enough to keep 28-year-old Wayne Bridges away from the Anaheim park. Pushing a baby stroller, he wondered whether his year-old son, Noah, would know only a world with security cameras on every building and security guards and soldiers carrying guns.

For now, the biggest change to his life has been through his church, Calvary Chapel in Chino Hills. His faith, he said, has become much stronger.

"I believe God will get us through," he said.

Uploaded September 8, 2002