Track this topic | Email this topic | Print this topic

I would like to take a few minutes to reflect on the way I felt 2 years ago today. I remember waking up like nothing at all had happened at about 8 AM, taking a shower, getting my books and stuff ready, and heading down to the cafeteria to get breakfast. It was a warm sunny morning, a perfect day for a nice morning bike ride to class. I got my food and sat down, only to see something very strange going on on the TV... The world trade center towers were on fire. I sat down and watched in amazement at what was happening. The reporters seemed to be in shock as well, and everyone sitting around the TV was pretty much silent except for the occasional newcomer who would ask, "Why are those buildings on fire?" I remember not being able to eat much of anything, and finally realizing I was going to be late for class when they announced the pentagon was on fire. I rode my bike to my first class wondering just what the hell was going on. I got to the building to see on another TV the first tower collapsing. I immediately called my mom at work to make sure everything was OK, and she sounded nervous but okay, until she told me she had to go because they were sending everyone down to the bomb shelter (my mom works in a large office building). In fear and amazement, I stumbled to class and sat down. The professor tried to maintain order and teach, but I was way too distracted to listen to what was going on. I went back early and watched CNN for almost the rest of the day, until I heard marching band practice was cancelled, and I went to a candlelight vigil on campus. It was really a sad experience. I returned to see both houses of congress singing "God Bless America" on the steps of the Capitol Building. My throat tensed up and I shed a few tears.

In remembrance, I don't think I can say it any better than George S. Patton did:

"It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived."

If you would like to reflect as well, that is what this thread is for.


I will never forget.

Moderator Edit

I strongly suggest that everyone that reads this topic follow Tiddles' advice, several posts below. If you don't have any reflection on the actual event and its effect on you, don't bother posting. Warnings will be issued. -R51

This post has been edited by Rangers51 on 12th September 2003 23:53

--------------------

"Hit hard, hit first, hit often."

--Adm. William "Bull" Halsey, USN

I was still asleep when the first plane hit. I woke up to the news from my friend in the dorm next door to mine, and remember it being so alarming, that I needed to get up and figure out what was going on. I went into his room and watched for a few minutes. No one was suspecting terrorism at that point, I don't think, I thought it was just a sad accident. I went to class anyway (before the second plane hit) and in class we all sat and talked about what was happening before the teacher got there. Someone had heard on the radio that another plane had hit, and we were a little confused, so we were relieved when the teacher never showed up (this wasn't unusual for him) so we could go find out what was going on. I got back to my dorm right about the time the second tower fell, and watched the news until it was time to go to practice. We ran anyway (since downtown Chicago was evacuated, it was strange to run around the streets of Chicago in midday and be the only people around.) UIC, being one of the more incompetent schools in existence, never even cancelled class.

--------------------

Hip-Hop QOTW:

"Yeah, where I'ma start it at, look I'ma part of that
Downtown Philly where it's realer than a heart attack
It wasn't really that ill until the start of crack
Now it's a body caught every night on the Almanac"

"Game Theory"
The Roots

I was at a library in Paris, studying for some exams, when I heard two students talking about cars exploding in front of the white house. When I got home, I saw my mother and my two sisters in front on the TV, whitout talking a word. My mom asked "Do you know?". I was about to answer, when I saw the first building collapsing. I remember hearing someone talking about terrorism, planes, while I was looking at the video being played on and on. We watched the TV all afternoon, and then again after dinner. It was a dreadful evening, since this day was at first schedulded to be my parents' 25th wedding anniversary, and there was going to eat at the Montparnasse tower, the highest tower in Paris. I remember thinking this could have happen to them, if they hadn't cancelled.
Empathy is a part of being human : today, my thoughts go to the people who lost someone, in the acts of inhuman people.

This post has been edited by Mr Thou on 11th September 2003 17:19

Being the unfortunate southerner, I thought it was the Empire state building, the angle was only showing one building. I was awake the moment it hit, all of the sudden the news stations threw it into live coverage so fast the automated "news first" bulletin didn't play. I watched in shock as planes destroyed two symbols of peaceful negotiation. It was a terreble incident, one that should not be taken lightly.

Just the other day ABC news shipped depleted uranium into the US with no problem from a spot in Indoneisia known for Al Quada activity. Why, dispite all the bragging about better homeland security, why do we continue to not productivly improve?

--------------------

At times one remains faithful to a cause only because its opponents do not cease to be insipid.
Friedrich Nietzsche (1844 - 1900)

I was in Halifax (Canada), and was getting ready in the morning to go to work when Rich called me. He told me that America was under attack, and that I should turn on the TV. I was very confused, and surprised when I saw that all the news channels were showing footage of a building on fire, and slowly crumbling (Rich explained to me what else had happened, so far).

A short while later, I had to go to work at Canadian Tire, but I couldn't handle it. I kept breaking down, and a lot of people around me were too. It was mostly people working that were in the store, and the ones who didn't have anything immediate to do were staring at the television that was playing the news channel. It was really quiet, in there.

Eventually, I just started crying, and my boss said that I could go home. I walked home a bit dazed, and watched the news some more. I was pretty worried, since at the time Rich was living at a place within about 50 miles of Washington (it wasn't unreasonable to think there may be a bomb or something else aimed for the city), and I have friends in New York state.

--------------------

I had an old signature. Now I've changed it.

I was camping with my mum,sister and good friend Beka. where we were staying was in the middle of nowhere. That morning we all got up early and got ready to leave for a day of hiking and a picnic. As we were leaveing and camp groud the owner was walking her dog. she flaged us down and told us the US was under attact the two towers had just been hit. My heart stopped at that very monent....everything seemed fake. We turned on the radio and just listened ,no one spoke.
My father was away on a business trip and we were all worried about him. I found my self saying "Dear God Please let him be ok" along with my friend who was a firefighter.
The rest of the day I spent in shock..everyone was. People in the market and everywhere else just stood in front of the Tv's...not saying anything. The next few days were overwellming, I had to stop watching TV or the radio..because it made me cry. Lucky my father made it home ok safe and sound...though I felt sorrow for the people who had lost loved ones.


I had heard my parents and grandparents talk of the day they walked on the moon,the day Kenedy was shoot..and pearl harbor. But I never thought something like 9-11 would happen in my life time. If anything it deepend my respect for how fragile life is...and to treasure the moments God gives us.

--------------------

Things have not changed
You have changed

Henery David Thoreau

I was sitting in High school in my second period when the principal came on the PA to tell all the teachers to turn the TV's on to the news because New York was bombed. My History teacher turned the TV on and we saw the single building smoking. Looking at it, I didn't feel anything. It just didn't seem real, like it was just a bad movie or something. As if it was all going to be the same tomorrow.
We all went to third period, and instead of listening to the math lecture my teacher spent no time on, I played video games on my calculator. Mid-way through class. The guy next to me yelled, "Whoa! Did you see that!? Another plane crashed into the other one!" I looked up for a few seconds to see two smoking towers, and then went back to my game.
In fourth period, my teacher actually spent some time talking about it. One of the buildings had already collapsed. We all watched while my teacher was still talking as the second one collapsed.
History in the making.

--------------------

"I had to write four novels before they let me write comic books."
-Brad Meltzer

I was in English class during my sophomore year of high school. And I had one of those cool english teachers. Well, the vice principal came in and was like "A plane crashed in the World Trade Center. It's on CNN. It should be a good learning experience" (driectly quoted, might i add) And our teacher was like "Well, this is a little more important than Julius Caeser." Which of course, all us students were like "Woooooooo...", because we didn't know the real severity of how bad it actually was. And we went into the library to look at it. I think DP hit it right in saying that it looked like a bad movie or something. We watched it until the end of the block, then after lunch, watched CNN in 3rd block.. with no real extra developments. The towers had already crumbled. A lot of the people in my physical science class were real teary-eyed. One of my friends was seriously traumatized to the point where she had to go home in fourth block. And after school, it still didn't really set into mind that it actually happened. It was just too unreal to think about. I was in a real state of unemotion or disbelief for the rest of the week.

--------------------

"When I turn the page
The corner bends into the perfect dog ear
As if the words knew I'd need them again
But at the time, I didn't see it."

~"This Ain't a Surfin' Movie" - Minus the Bear

like dp and sabin, when i first saw the buildings on fire (the first one i actually saw was the pentagon), it simply didn't seem real; the severity of the incident had not yet weighed in on me. this is most likely because of the distance between new york and houston (if the planes had hit, say, gb intercontinental, i'm sure it would have set in much faster).

I was asleep at first (sleeping in because I didn't have World Civ. that morning), and my roommate's mom called him and asked him, "So, do you think it was bin Laden?" He replied, "What?" She told him to turn on the TV, and so he did. I just couldn't believe what was happening. Somewhere in the back of my mind, it felt like I was watching a movie. We just watched CNN for 2 hours, and I called friends to either tell them to watch TV, or talk to them about what had happened. Later that day, a group of my friends, my boyfriend at the time, and I sat in one of our rooms and watched CNN some more for a couple of hours. No one in my group of friends went to class that day.

--------------------

"I sat alone and I didn't care,
I sat two years in the same old chair,
I saw three roads but didn't know,
Which way to go-go-go"
My Coco, stellastarr*

A girl arrived late to my math class. The teacher started to ask where she'd been, but she interrupted him: "I was just on the phone with my mom at work. The United States just got bombed. It's, like, World War III."

Of course, nobody believed her (she isn't really the most trustworthy person), and in spite of more talk from her, we continued with the lesson.

A few minutes later, the vice principal announced that there had been a terrorist attack in the US and that the World Trade Center had collapsed. He advised us all to remain calm and continue with classes until lunch break, at which time we could go to another teacher's room that contained several TV sets.

Nobody really seemed especially upset at any point during the rest of the day, from what I remember. I didn't really feel anything at all (with a few exceptions, nothing bothers me; I consider it a major personal flaw). We didn't have access to any new information because classes were continuing, so some of my friends were a bit frightened that it could have been an act of war from another nation. I, like most people at that time I guess, felt that this was totally impossible because no country would dare touch the mighty, invincible United States.

I suppose that is the only real lasting effect it has had on me. I used to feel absolutely safe as a Canadian living behind the 'impenetrable shield of the US,' but I don't (as much) anymore.


--------------------

Always hopeful, yet discontent; he knows changes aren't permanent --
But change is!

Yesterday I person I know complained that some channel, I forgot which, was showing footage of the disaster. That and some posts I've read on various forums have shown me that many people don't care what happens as long as it happens to someone else. Perhaps I misjudged what I've read , but I know that to be true for some people. I hope that it's just because 3000 people is too many to get a grasp on.

--------------------

What would Zorro do?-Homer Simpson

You know what else happened on September 11?
24,000 people died of hunger or hunger-related diseases.
3,000 people died of malaria.
5,000 people died of complications related to AIDS.
6,000 children died of diarrhea.

But none of them were Americans, right? So they don't matter? They weren't even Europeans--not most of them, anyway. Most of them are Africans, Asians, and Pacific Islanders about whom we don't give a flying fig newton.

It's amazing how the same people who chastise me for "not caring" about the Americans who died in the Twin Towers never cared about terrorism before. Sure, we all know intellectually that terrorism isn't a new thing, but how many of these brand-new "patriots" shed a tear over Israeli deaths? Chinese deaths? Palestinian deaths?

I think this new-found "patriotism" is disgusting. Everyone's talking about how tragic it was, what they remember, blah blah blah just for show. I'm absolutely appalled by the way our society has turned a tragedy into a marketable moment. I can't stand the people who use September 11 as justification for sentiments like "America: Love It or Leave It" or to defend against criticism of our president, our attorney general, and things like the Patriot Act and the war in Iraq. I'm absolutely sickened by the people who try to pretend that they feel anything more than fear, but still act like they give a shit just to impress the people around them.

And, yeah, I think that's most of the people with a tear-jerker to tell about that day who didn't personally lose someone or something. Especially the people who want to come up with a reply like "we all lost something."



--------------------

Veni, vidi, dormivi.

Here's from an LJ comment I made:

"I was in U.S. Government and Economics, and we were all sitting around, waiting for class to start, when the phone rang and the teach picked it and talked a bit. Not like many of us noticed. He was on the phone with another teacher, Ms. Newnum (I loved her classes. n_n ), who had seen it on CNN. So he gets up and turns it on right quick, and there we saw it. I think we watched the first tower burn, then the impact on tower two...we saw the whole thing through the whole day, Pentagon, the Pennsylvania crash, Bush's speeches...classes pretty much just, suspended..."

Now for a reflection...

I suppose it left me a little...numb, or something. I didn't really feel anything that day, but just last night there was some special on TV about 9/11 and all through the thing I had bouts of nearly bursting into tears. All those people... ._.

Edit

I have banished my bashing comment into nothingness.

This post has been edited by Zephir on 12th September 2003 19:44

--------------------

~Status Report~

* Completed... Dragon's Head
* Completed... Soldiers of the Empire: Disciples (release pending)
* In Progress/Undecided... Of Love and Betrayal
* Planning/Assembly... Where it all Began

Quote (Zephir @ 12th September 2003 13:18)

* Slaps the ever-loving mess out of karasuman. u.u

Ooh, I'm sorry! I was a bad American, wasn't I? I refuse to be more concerned with something that was sad, but over, than with the hypocrisy and false "patriotism" that are ruining the country right now. There are way more important things going on than selectively mourning something sad that happened to a bunch of Americans. Sad and special aren't the same thing.

--------------------

Veni, vidi, dormivi.

unfortunately you fail to note that none of those other deaths, while tragic, were not cold-blooded murders, and thus don't carry the same weight. there really isn't anything we could have done, in that instant, on that day, to prevent those deaths. we are quite blessed in america to not have to deal with those problems on a widespread basis on our homefront -- other countries are much less fortunate, and although those deaths were irreplaceable losses of lives, they were not so tragic in the sense that they were not unusual. the victims had certainly already been living hard lives with no hope of liberation from their troubles. the deaths in the trade center towers, on the other hand, were unexpected and ruined many promising lives and families. from your post i will assume that you are coming from the left end of the spectrum, and let me tell you as someone coming from the opposite end, i too am just as disgusted at the newfound patriotism of just about every american who hadn't even heard of bin laden before 9/11. there are those of us, however, who have always been patriotic and greatful for the opportunities and freedoms our country protects for us -- so don't single all patriotism out as a fad. some of us have been following international terrorism since long before the u.s.s. cole. yes, i have always very closely followed the middle east. yes, i DO certainly mourn israeli deaths. i have even lost a (distant: 3rd cousin, no it didn't affect me on a personal level and i'm not looking for sob story points but just to show my experience) family member in a random act of terrorism in israel. of course, 1/2 of my family is jewish (from poland, but as i understand it a large portion of the distant family including the mentioned 3rd cousin migrated to isreal when it was formed). so i can't say i'm impartial in my views on terrorism. i don't want to get into a plo-israel debate here; just want to let you know that i agree with you completely: the pseudo-patriotism has got to stop. yeah, you can show support for your country, but don't act like you're some kind of uber-patriot just because something very tragic happened and all of the sudden you decided to start caring about things you didn't give a damn about in the past.

As a Scot, i have never been affected by Terroism, and neither has my area.
But, on the 12th in 2001, when three fully-armed Tornadoes landed at Glasgow Airport, then lifted off soon after, it was the first time ever any terrorist event had visibly caused some change. Now, the RAF will stop to refuel at Glasgow and Prestwick all the time. But these three armed figthers were the only aircraft landing that day.

I am proud of my nation, and proud of its stance in the war on terror, while the other EU states seem to cower- the French (no offence mr Thou) , Italians and Germans seem to hate the US as much as they love putting stupid laws in palce.

Im proud that my Nation stood with the US, and still does, upon the issue of Terroism.

Im ashamed that my nations so-called allies in the EU have done little since then, excpet dump more of the Aylum seekers (who should have claimed asylum in the first nation they came to) upon the UK, sparking unneeded hatred toward them, and all because Jaques Chiraq and Gerhard Schroder didnt want the asylum seekers to stay on their soil.

Edit

Karasuman, i'd just like to say your comments here make me sick. This isn't the time or the place.

This post has been edited by Del S on 12th September 2003 18:59

--------------------

"Only the dead have seen the end of their quotes being misattributed to Plato."
-George Santayana

"The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here..."
-Abraham Lincoln, prior to the discovery of Irony.

Quote (karasuman @ 12th September 2003 13:30)

Quote (Zephir @ 12th September 2003 13:18)

* Slaps the ever-loving mess out of karasuman. u.u

Ooh, I'm sorry! I was a bad American, wasn't I? I refuse to be more concerned with something that was sad, but over, than with the hypocrisy and false "patriotism" that are ruining the country right now.

I wasn't talking about that. People come in here to talk about what they felt on that day and you come right in here n' bash 'em. Shame, shame. u.u

Though, technically, you did express your feelings on the subject, so...I'll shut up now. :x

Quote (Del S @ 12th September 2003 13:55)

Edit

Karasuman, i'd just like to say your comments here make me sick. This isn't the time or the place.

What he said. You go, Del! ^^;

This post has been edited by Zephir on 12th September 2003 19:14

--------------------

~Status Report~

* Completed... Dragon's Head
* Completed... Soldiers of the Empire: Disciples (release pending)
* In Progress/Undecided... Of Love and Betrayal
* Planning/Assembly... Where it all Began

Quote (Del S @ 12th September 2003 13:55)

Edit

Karasuman, i'd just like to say your comments here make me sick. This isn't the time or the place.

Freedom of speech, right? Right. Freedom to dissent, eh? You betcha!

Thank you for falling in line! You're a good American now! You heard someone criticize hypocrisy in our citizenry and in our government and you called them a bad person. Why not run for president some day?

And as for deaths due to starvation and disease not being "cold-blooded"... Do you really believe that? Do you actually think that it would not be within our power to help those people if we chose to do so, if they mattered to us? Famine and disease are political weapons just as much as terrorism is. We choose who to fight for, and the people who we're too busy to bother about suffer and die in far greater numbers than the people who died two years ago.

Let's hear it for the sheep!



--------------------

Veni, vidi, dormivi.

Awful things happen to an awful lot of people every day, it's true, and while there's an interesting (though potentially flame-laden) debate that could be held on how the events of 11 September 2001 compare with tragedy around the world, I don't think this topic is for that.

I also don't think it's supposed to be about how you feel about your country, be it the USA or anywhere else, or President Bush, or the war on Iraq, or any other tangentially related issues.

I'm sure some members do know people who were killed or injured in the incident, or could have been. Even those that didn't, some of them had a fair shock to their system that day, for whatever reason. I don't think anyone has the right to criticise that and, once again, if they do, this really isn't the place to air it.

Look at the topic title: reflection and remembrance. The topic post indicates that this is reflection and remembrance of the events in America on 11 Sept. 2001. While there are undoubtedly very tragic events occuring elsewhere, anything which doesn't relate should really go in a different topic.

Moderator Edit

I strongly suggest that everyone that reads this topic follow Tiddles' advice. If you don't have any reflection on the actual event and its effect on you, don't bother posting. Warnings will be issued. -R51

This post has been edited by Rangers51 on 12th September 2003 19:22

I was a junior in high school the day it happened. It started out as a normal day, until suddenly rumors were spreading around school that the US was under attack. My chemistry teacher was the first to break the news, but he didn't let us watch TV or give any information other than the fact that the twin towers had been hit. During lunch, our principal spoke about what happened, but he neither dismissed us or let us watch the news channels. I remember at the time I was very angry because I knew this was a serious event, and because a good friend of my father's, whom I've known since I was very little and have grown to respect, worked at one of the towers. I remember I wanted to call my father to ask if his friend is alright, but I was not allowed to call outside of school.

After this, I skipped the rest of the school day and went home to find my father there. I was afraid to ask him about his friend, but I had to know. By what I am convinced is an act of God, my father's friend was running very late to work and thus, was not there at the time. I spent the entire day watching CNN, and I remember I shed many tears about the event, because it just felt so personal since I'm a New Yorker.

I will remember 9/11 forever.

Some people just like trying to get a rise out of you. They try to make you look hypocritical, when often times they need to examine themselves first. Nothing to get too worked up about.

I remember that it was block day. I was in my electronics class and we were doing something on the computers. Our teacher got off the phone with somebody and turned on the TV. I flipped around to either see the 2nd plane just hit, or a replay of it, I can't remember. I didn't know what the deal was, really. I figured it was going to be another plane accident, like the TWA Flight 800 a couple years before. When classes changed, I went into class and everyone just kind of sat down and watched. One guy in my class started, a big intelectual/military type, started coming up with theories on who or what could have actually happened. I was in shock myself. My dad had just gotten back from a business trip to New York a couple weeks prior.

After that, my classes didn't have TV's, and the thing was nobody was even talking about it. I think that maybe people were just trying to pretend nothing had happened. Everything just felt so weird. When I got home, I just watched coverage of it all day. The next day, my Hon. World History teacher Mr. Guth explained the whole situation in detail and talked about Bin Laden etc. I'm glad I had him as my teacher because he kept us well informed in everything that developed over that year.

This post has been edited by Tidu-who on 12th September 2003 23:47

--------------------

The clouds ran away, opened up the sky
And one by one I watched every constellation die
And there I was frozen, standing in my backyard
Face to face, eye to eye, staring at the last star
I should've known, walked all the way home
To find that she wasn't here, I'm still all alone

-Atmosphere "Always Coming Back Home to You"

I was in Government class when I heard about it. After the bell rang, our teacher came in, he told us he didn't have any plans for our class ready beforehand. But he had something he wanted us to hear. So he took his little dinky radio with the clothes hanger for an antena (not kidding) and turned it on to a chat station. After a few seconds the DJ mentioned the towers being bombed. Everyone in the class just started looking at each other and mummering. We listened to the radio the entire period. (This was at about... I'd say 10 in the morning.)

From what I saw, it didn't look like anyone in my class was particularly concerned. I myself thought it was a joke at first. During the next period however, the entire school was in a state of almost pure chaos. There was a long line at the pay phones. The intercom would come on every two seconds calling for someone to come down to the office. It was nuts.

Eventually they just let us out early for the day since everyone was getting picked up by their parents anyway. My mom had the news turned on when I got home and I sat down and watched. Eventually, reality sunk in, and I was a mess.

Nowadays I can't watch the footage without numbing up. The same numb feeling I got when I visited Pearl Harbor a few years ago. I have to wonder, if I just felt numb visiting Pearl Harbor, the site of a tragedy that occured years before I was born, and wasn't televised. How would I have felt if I was actually near the towers when the planes hit?

Unfortunatly, that was the day the entire country became paranoid about terrorism. *sighs*

I'll shut up now.

This post has been edited by S. Charon on 13th September 2003 01:16

--------------------

Two wrongs don't make a right, but three lefts do.

Money can't buy you happiness.  But it sure can buy a much more tolerable form of misery.

If I were a woman with gills, I would be a fish.

Forget all those Daryl theories, Gogo is Kefka from another dimension!  Don't laugh!  It's true! I even got facts to support it!

Nu save!

First, a quick note - everybody on this board lives in privileged, developed nations. It is easy for us to argue one way or the other about this and related issues, and it's easy for us to examine in retrospect what this all means. It is possible, I think, to have been deeply affected by the 9/11 events while keeping a leftist view on society and politics. If you were to ask me, I frankly would have similar views as Karasuman. However, those views, and posts responding to those views, all belong in another thread.

That said... on the morning of 9/11 I was sitting on my bed, getting the weather report off the internet. It was freshman year of college, and my roommate had just left for work. My friend came in and told me the Pentagon and one of the Twin Towers had been bombed. For some reason, I thought she said "Twin Cities" and didn't think much of it. I thought she meant hand grenades or something, and didn't think much of it. A few minutes later I went to her room, where the radio was on. As I walked in, the newscaster reported that the second tower was falling. This was when 9/11 actually started for me. Classes weren't cancelled, but we used the time to talk about the incident. Obviously at this time no one knew much, but there were already debates about what this would mean for Middle Eastern students, who was responsible, and the impact on our futures. The phone lines were completely jammed as parents tried to call in and students tried to call out. People were lining up by pay phones. Later that week our school held a memorial service. Several students had lost parents, relatives, or friends to the incident.

"I will never forget 9/11" is such a loaded phrase that I won't even use it. This post is as neutral as I can be on the subject.

--------------------

"Turd-cookies!...they're hot and soft, though..."

Rose leaves, when the rose is dead, Are heaped for the beloved's bed; And so thy thoughts, when thou art gone, Love itself shall slumber on.  - Percy Bysshe Shelley

Quote (Hsiu @ 16th September 2003 18:58)

If you were to ask me, I frankly would have similar views as Karasuman. However, those views, and posts responding to those views, all belong in another thread.

Even the moderators agreed that my original post belonged in this thread. The point was to describe our "reflections and rememberances"--what we thought, felt, etc., on that day. Well, what I posted was a decent portion of what I felt. Sorry if it's not in line enough.

One of my roommates and I were on the way out the door for Japanese about ten minutes after my other roommate had already left. We found her standing in the doorway to the room next door with about half of our floor, watching the news report on the television. Tiff and I stood there for a minute, too, but we had to get to class (which proceeded as usual for about fifteen minutes, until the professor was informed by a runner that the university was closed for the day in light of reports of our city being targeted by terrorists). When we got back, we watched Dogma and briefly talked about how this might get the United States to finally care about terrorism, since we never had before, except when it happened to American citizens. We were sad, but we were also practical--it really sucked that a couple thousand people died, and, yeah, I did cry about it a little at first (mostly after reading personal accounts from survivors, not after watching the television), but I didn't pretend that it was anything new or particularly unique. It didn't take me a whole year to come to the conclusion that the big deal was politically influenced, and it didn't even take me a whole day to agree with Tiff and other floormates that this was going to be used as a huge marketing tool for years to come.

There. That's my little story of September 11. Happy?

--------------------

Veni, vidi, dormivi.

I can keep silent no longer. I talked to a number of people who went to MSU that held this same detatched view of the situation. Your reaction to what happened that day was what I was hoping to draw out in this topic, not what you felt about the foriegn policy of the United States pre-or-post 9/11. If you don't like the way things in this country are being run that is your own opinion, but I don't see why you have to inject your personal opinions on those matters into this thread, for that was not the reason it was created.

I am very disturbed that your reaction to such a horrifying event is that "well, that'll teach us not to ignore terrorists anymore." It seems that your reaction is quite callous and detatched from what actually happened. I am 100% positive that if you lived in lower Manhattan, had a family member or close friend who worked in/around the WTC or Pentagon, or who were on an airplane that fateful day, you would have had a much more different reaction to the event.

This post has been edited by Gerad on 17th September 2003 14:12

--------------------

"Hit hard, hit first, hit often."

--Adm. William "Bull" Halsey, USN

I remember being mostly upset (at first) because I know a few Americans, and I was worried that some of them were hurt, or would be targeted next. There was also a worry that Canada would be hit, too.

Think about it for a moment, though. All the footage we saw, all the facts that we knew...if they gave that sort of thing, for example, for a bombing in Bosnia that killed a few thousand, people would be upset, too. Unfortunately, events that don't happen in first world nations don't get that kind of coverage, and you rarely see it unless you're in an Anthropology class or something.

In Canada, about a month before I came here, there was a huge news report about some Canadian troops who were protecting Bosnian land, and a lot of people were, for lack of a better term, chopped up and slaughtered. I found that really upsetting, though admitedly it did not hit me quite as hard 5s September 11th.

I think an added thing here is that ifuit's happening in Your Own ountry,1for the first time in quite a while, then you're certainly going to be upset. What if it hits you, or a friend, or family? I think anyone has a right to be upset about this, because it's suddenly come to the4attention of Americans that they don't have an airtight security.

That doesn't mean that it's right to ignore other 'ountries and their pain. But you all have to remember, we are humans, and we're not perfecto Our reactions are flawed that way, but that's how it is.

I don't think1that any of us here want senseless killing, or terrorism, anywhere in the world. The sad truth is, there's probably bombings and fires and murders going ondright now, and nobody (in the American wontinent and Europe) knows about it.

And of course, as Karasuman said, anyones opinions are welcome. Just don't trash others. Keep in mind, ehough, 5hat Gerad started this topic in rememberance of the thousands of people that died on American soil. They're still people, and were innocent.

--------------------

I had an old signature. Now I've changed it.

Quote (Elena99 @ 17th September 2003 10:34)

And of course, as Karasuman said, anyones opinions are welcome. Just don't trash others. Keep in mind, though, that Gerad started this topic in rememberance of the thousands of people that died on American soil. They're still people, and were innocent.

Apparently, my opinions are extremely unwelcome. Basically, I've been told by several people that if I can't say anything nice, I'd better not say anything at all. "Nice" is, of course, defined as "toeing the party line and never daring to say anything critical of the United States." Pointing out that what happened on September 11 wasn't unique isn't failing to honor the dead--it's trying to honor the dead who we as Americans don't care about along with the people who died in New York. Those of you who want to pretend that you're special are perfectly willing to go right ahead, but you're wrong, and you're also missing the point. If you treat something like that tragedy as a singular event directed solely against Americans, you're never going to make a dent in terrorism. I have yet to hear anyone say anything about the people who died on September 11 not mattering--those are words that other people have put in my mouth because they utterly fail to comprehend how someone can disagree with them and still not be Al Qaeda.

There's nothing at all invalid or inappropriate about the way I feel. I'm refusing to be pressured into displaying false patriotism or emotion, and to me, September 11 really did comprise a wake-up call to the United States. I felt that then, and I felt that now. So, I'm really sorry that so many of you think that my feelings are invalid. That, however, is what makes you close-minded and intolerant. Not me.

--------------------

Veni, vidi, dormivi.

I am of the belief that this topic has become based upon critiquing others' opinions rather than really articulating your own. I can completely understand that, because it's an issue rife with emotion, and therefore people are very willing to defend opinions on which they are passionate.

I can't allow it to continue for that very reason, though. The more we discuss others' views instead of our own, the more likely we are to degenerate into a flame war. That's not what we're about here. I don't care to police it, either, and given the explosive subject matter, I don't think people in general will police it themselves.

--------------------

"To create something great, you need the means to make a lot of really bad crap." - Kevin Kelly

Why aren't you shopping AmaCoN?