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Post by kds on Sept 12, 2022 13:28:44 GMT
Yesterday was the 21st anniversary of 9/11, unquestionably the darkest day this Country has seen in my lifetime.
I notice that people deal with the anniversary in different ways. Some people completely immerse themselves in it, and rewatch all the recaps and documentaries of that terrible day. Others just go about their business as if it's just another day. And everything in between.
I really don't think there's a right or wrong approach to it, within reason anyway. But, the one thing I object to is people telling other people how they should spend the day.
I happened upon a Facebook post from an old school mate who said "You'd never know it was 9/11, all anyone is talking about is football." I mean, yesterday was the first Sunday of the 2022 NFL season, soooo, was that not expected? It's more than possible to take some joy in an escapist activity while still remembering what happened that day.
The one thing that I do feel like we've lost is that feeling of unity in the days, weeks, and months immediately following September 11. When I see just how divisive this country has gotten in the last decade or more, I can't help feeling that we had a shot to truly be a united people in the wake of the Country's darkest hours, and to a certain degree, I think we blew it.
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Post by Kapitan on Sept 12, 2022 13:52:05 GMT
I'm sure as time goes on, it's going to become recognized less and less. Think of how we remember Pearl Harbor, or Victory Day, or V-E Day, or Armistice Day, etc. Eventually they are forgotten or lumped into the more general minor holidays like Veteran's Day, on which many people just go to work like any other day.
We're at the point where you need to be (probably several years) older than college-aged to even remember 9/11. For a lot of people, I'm sure it's just another thing they have to memorize for a quiz in school, but not something with any particular meaning.
It did turn out to be an important day for many reasons, though. Of course, first of all is the tragedy. But also the way American culture changed--turning more pro-military, for sure--and there was very, very little pushback to the government massively increasing domestic surveillance that remains with us today, two decades later.
The unity was nice, but I didn't like how it was also largely a joint desire for revenge/war. Unfortunately that is historically what brings people together: a fight against somebody else.
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Post by kds on Sept 12, 2022 14:05:21 GMT
I'm sure as time goes on, it's going to become recognized less and less. Think of how we remember Pearl Harbor, or Victory Day, or V-E Day, or Armistice Day, etc. Eventually they are forgotten or lumped into the more general minor holidays like Veteran's Day, on which many people just go to work like any other day.
We're at the point where you need to be (probably several years) older than college-aged to even remember 9/11. For a lot of people, I'm sure it's just another thing they have to memorize for a quiz in school, but not something with any particular meaning.
It did turn out to be an important day for many reasons, though. Of course, first of all is the tragedy. But also the way American culture changed--turning more pro-military, for sure--and there was very, very little pushback to the government massively increasing domestic surveillance that remains with us today, two decades later.
The unity was nice, but I didn't like how it was also largely a joint desire for revenge/war. Unfortunately that is historically what brings people together: a fight against somebody else.
I agree, but I think it's much preferable than what we've become, fighting amongst ourselves.
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Post by Kapitan on Sept 12, 2022 14:16:37 GMT
I get your point, but don't think I can quite agree: I don't think internal discord is better than actual war. But if we continue devolving into more actual violence, I think that becomes more something I'd agree with.
But of course I really, really don't like our internal discord, either. I don't mean to minimize that at all. I just wish people could find ways to be more tolerant of one another without needing to band together against an enemy. However, I think it is, if not human nature, at least common throughout human history, to mostly come together for purposes of opposing some enemy.
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Post by kds on Sept 12, 2022 14:33:42 GMT
And, I'll just add that I don't believe that the feeling of unity on September 12, 2001 was 100% fueled by revenge. I will not deny those feeling weren't there. But, I also feel like, maybe for the only time in my lifetime, we weren't black or white, Democrat or Republican, or whatever. We were Americans. That feeling was very short lived.
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Post by Kapitan on Sept 12, 2022 14:43:07 GMT
And, I'll just add that I don't believe that the feeling of unity on September 12, 2001 was 100% fueled by revenge. I will not deny those feeling weren't there. But, I also feel like, maybe for the only time in my lifetime, we weren't black or white, Democrat or Republican, or whatever. We were Americans. That feeling was very short lived. I agree completely! I did say "largely," and admittedly there is no way I could quantify the percentage that was that. Clearly a lot was shared grief for the catastrophic losses. And a lot was shared admiration for the first responders, etc. And a lot was a feeling of anger or desire for justice (which is like revenge). Patriotism and nationalism increased, and some of that was reflected in "we're going to get them." But not all, absolutely. I could have phrased my post better.
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Post by kds on Sept 12, 2022 14:46:34 GMT
And, I'll just add that I don't believe that the feeling of unity on September 12, 2001 was 100% fueled by revenge. I will not deny those feeling weren't there. But, I also feel like, maybe for the only time in my lifetime, we weren't black or white, Democrat or Republican, or whatever. We were Americans. That feeling was very short lived. I agree completely! I did say "largely," and admittedly there is no way I could quantify the percentage that was that. Clearly a lot was shared grief for the catastrophic losses. And a lot was shared admiration for the first responders, etc. And a lot was a feeling of anger or desire for justice (which is like revenge). Patriotism and nationalism increased, and some of that was reflected in "we're going to get them." But not all, absolutely. I could have phrased my post better. No worries.
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Post by Kapitan on Sept 12, 2022 15:03:53 GMT
Anyway, while I wouldn't try to tell people how to spend the anniversary (which is also what you were saying), I would wish more people took a few moments to reflect on it all. And I mean ALL. The incident itself, and what that means. How it came to be. How it made us feel (those of us old enough to remember having a reaction). How we and others acted afterward. How life changed for better and worse. All of it. I think it's a shame when we take deep things and turn them into superficial things like slogans or whatever. From my perspective, that cheapens them.
But that's not to say people should sit in a dark room at home alone ruminating all day, either. I'm talking about moments, not hours. By all means, I say when it falls on NFL opening day, watch football!
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Post by kds on Sept 12, 2022 15:19:03 GMT
Anyway, while I wouldn't try to tell people how to spend the anniversary (which is also what you were saying), I would wish more people took a few moments to reflect on it all. And I mean ALL. The incident itself, and what that means. How it came to be. How it made us feel (those of us old enough to remember having a reaction). How we and others acted afterward. How life changed for better and worse. All of it. I think it's a shame when we take deep things and turn them into superficial things like slogans or whatever. From my perspective, that cheapens them.
But that's not to say people should sit in a dark room at home alone ruminating all day, either. I'm talking about moments, not hours. By all means, I say when it falls on NFL opening day, watch football!
I agree, I think there's a healthy middle ground between sitting around and reliving the day with a box of tissues and just totally ignoring it. I feel the same about the anniversary of any tragedy. I mentioned before that a friend and I used to go on vacation in September, and the anniversary of 9/11 always occurred during that week. We always took a few moments to stop of the Fireman Memorial in Ocean City, and reflect a bit on the day.
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Post by Kapitan on Sept 11, 2023 12:35:27 GMT
22 years later now. And I have to be honest, it didn't occur to me (even looking at the date) until an NPR story mentioned it.
Making that fact more embarrassing, yesterday I was reading a novel published in 2002 in which a college professor character referenced to his students the explosion of the Challenger, asking how many students recalled it. He said while their hands all went up, he realized it wouldn't be long before that was no longer true, and he wondered when the next such "do you remember where you were?" moment--obviously written to reference the unspoken reality that by this time, 9/11 had indeed happened. So I thought of 9/11 yesterday, without making the connection that 9/11 would be today.
The thing about students resonates, too, though. Saturday I was talking to a friend of mine who teaches middle school. Not only would his students not remember it, but they weren't born for another decade. 9/11 is increasingly the same as Pearl Harbor. It's a thing that happened, but it's less a thing that was experienced. Heck, probably the only reason people remember the date is that it's the popular name given to the event! I wonder how many people could name the date if it were remembered in the popular consciousness as "the Twin Towers" or something.
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Post by Kapitan on Sept 11, 2023 18:55:28 GMT
Updating the above post: a colleague of mine mentioned today in a meeting that she was in 1st grade on 9/11. She remembered that her teacher became suddenly upset and left the room. That's literally all she remembered. I asked whether they sent her class home, since I know a lot of schools did. She didn't recall.
It's funny, because I remember so much of it. But hey, I was 25, not six.
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Post by carllove on Sept 12, 2023 10:52:40 GMT
My daughter’s Kindergarten picture day was September 11, 2001, so I had taken the first part of the morning off to do my daughter’s hair and drive her to school instead of her taking the bus. First thing I always do when I get up, is turn on the TV and watch the morning news. I was watching the coverage after the first plane hit and saw the second plane hit. As I was driving to work, the South Tower collapsed. One of the managers bought a TV and put it in our break room, so we could watch the coverage. I worked for a small company, and the Friday before Labor Day that year, they had announced that a big conglomerate had purchased us, and we knew most of us would not be offered jobs. I knew it was coming, because I had signed my severance package months before. The events of September 11, put everything in perspective for me. Somehow, the layoff didn’t seem like much in comparison. I felt lucky to have my life and the live’s of my loved one’s, and that was all that mattered.
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Post by The Cincinnati Kid on Sept 12, 2023 13:49:48 GMT
I'm at the tail end of the generation that remembers 9/11. I was five, soon to be six and getting ready for late morning kindergarten. I remember being in our living room with the news on our floor swivel TV. The only thing I really remember is a helicopter shot with the Empire State Building in the foreground with the towers on fire in the background. I think I remember at least one of the towers coming down but can't recall for sure. I don't even remember for sure at this point if I went to school, I'll have to ask my mom. The only other thing I remember from that day is my dad came home early, which I thought was really cool. For a while after, I guess I felt the need to tell people it was a bad year; Dale Earnhardt Sr. died, my great grandma died, and September 11th happened.
A few times throughout grade school and high school when teachers would ask who remembered 9/11, maybe 75% of kids raised their hands. It was asked at least once in college and that dropped to probably 50%. For people around my age, whether or not you remember probably depends on if you were in school and if the teacher thought you should see what is happening or if the TV happened to be on while getting ready for school. Otherwise, it would have been like any other day.
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Post by carllove on Sept 12, 2023 14:36:30 GMT
I'm at the tail end of the generation that remembers 9/11. I was five, soon to be six and getting ready for late morning kindergarten. I remember being in our living room with the news on our floor swivel TV. The only thing I really remember is a helicopter shot with the Empire State Building in the foreground with the towers on fire in the background. I think I remember at least one of the towers coming down but can't recall for sure. I don't even remember for sure at this point if I went to school, I'll have to ask my mom. The only other thing I remember from that day is my dad came home early, which I thought was really cool. For a while after, I guess I felt the need to tell people it was a bad year; Dale Earnhardt Sr. died, my great grandma died, and September 11th happened. A few times throughout grade school and high school when teachers would ask who remembered 9/11, maybe 75% of kids raised their hands. It was asked at least once in college and that dropped to probably 50%. For people around my age, whether or not you remember probably depends on if you were in school and if the teacher thought you should see what is happening or if the TV happened to be on while getting ready for school. Otherwise, it would have been like any other day. I didn't realize that you were my Daughter's age! I am having lunch with her tomorrow, so I will ask her what she remembers, if anything.
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Post by The Cincinnati Kid on Sept 12, 2023 18:19:30 GMT
I'm at the tail end of the generation that remembers 9/11. I was five, soon to be six and getting ready for late morning kindergarten. I remember being in our living room with the news on our floor swivel TV. The only thing I really remember is a helicopter shot with the Empire State Building in the foreground with the towers on fire in the background. I think I remember at least one of the towers coming down but can't recall for sure. I don't even remember for sure at this point if I went to school, I'll have to ask my mom. The only other thing I remember from that day is my dad came home early, which I thought was really cool. For a while after, I guess I felt the need to tell people it was a bad year; Dale Earnhardt Sr. died, my great grandma died, and September 11th happened. A few times throughout grade school and high school when teachers would ask who remembered 9/11, maybe 75% of kids raised their hands. It was asked at least once in college and that dropped to probably 50%. For people around my age, whether or not you remember probably depends on if you were in school and if the teacher thought you should see what is happening or if the TV happened to be on while getting ready for school. Otherwise, it would have been like any other day. I didn't realize that you were my Daughter's age! I am having lunch with her tomorrow, so I will ask her what she remembers, if anything. Yes, it has been a common occurrence over the years for people online to think I'm older than I really am haha.
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