K. I guess I'm not done with 9/11 yet

[hkellick]

I was going to sleep, but my mind is whirring too fast and I do actually really want to post this.

To everyone who felt the need to commemorate yesterday. Especially to those of you who weren't there and didn't lose (or even nearly lose) anyone:

Has the accident with the Columbia destroyed your birthday? How about the Challenger?
Do you weep on the anniversary of Waco?
Do you NEVER FORGET the lessons of Oklahoma City?
Do you hug your children a little closer on the anniversary of Columbine?
Do you consider staying home on the anniversary of the Olympic Park Bombing?
Do you care whatsoever for the innocent lives lost the day George Bush declared war on Iraq?
How about Flight 800? The Unabomber? The Washington DC Sniper?

These are things in your lifetime that you don't even give a moments notice to.
What makes 9/11 so different? What makes 9/11 so special?

Comments

[lite.livejournal.com]

I do agree and HOPE that one day 9/11 will fade. I guess what surprises me the most is how strongly it's still celebrated after two years.
Two years after Oklahoma City, I don't recall "Oklahoma CIty: Two Years Later. What have we learned?"
To be honest, between the two, I find Oklahoma City more ghastly than 9/11. We should have seen 9/11 coming. It may turn out that we DID see 9/11 coming. Oklahoma City came out of nowhere. A madman with a homemade bomb who parked his bomb right in front of a child care center.

I think, to be honest, what's really driving 9/11 is the media and the administration. The administration doesn't want to let it fade because we're justifying our entire war on terrorism because of it.
I guess what kills me the most is that the people still gnashing their teeth the most are the people least affected. I don't know too many New Yorkers, but among them, none of them wrote a soppy LJ story. None of them want to talk about it or think about it because they're still inwardly grieving.

[cheshire23.livejournal.com]

I have a friend from college who was one mile away from the WTC when it blew up.

Yesterday, his only post on the topic was to link back to his original post about what it was like to actually be that close to ground zero, about what people were thinking at the time, etc and to say "I am going to say no more about this."

I believe the post is public. The LJ is lwoodbloo, if you're curious.

And you're right. It INFURIATES me that so often those who do the most "isn't it terrible?" about any of the above are those who were least affected. Especially when they do so to grandstand politically.

I don't remember the Oklahoma City bombing very clearly because it happened around the same time a close friend of mine committed suicide. I DO remember Columbine VERY clearly, and of the list, that's the one I carry around the most anger about, for what happened, for all of the "how can this happen HERE?" handwringing that went on (so, if there were any justice, it would've happened in an inner city instead? *growl*) and for the "Geek Profiling" aftermath that, among other things, convinced a very talented young man to take a career path other than teaching high school English because he didn't want to watch the kids most like him being branded as potential dangerous psychotics, let alone participate in the branding.

[circa.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I think the reason it gets coverage here (although less than there) is because our dear Prime Minister adores your wonderful President, and he is also using a tragedy which had no effect on him whatsoever, to go to war with the US.

People are weird. I think the most of the people wailing about it are either
a) People using it as the politicians are, to justify their own actions, or
B) Those people who feel the urge to mourn EVERY act - like when Princess Diana died, over here thousands of people grieved and wept and sniffed, more than they ever would for a family member - they soon became known as 'serial mourners' - any tragic event, they'd be there weeping and wailing.

But thats just my two cents. Those who were affected seem to have their own personal, quiet and dignified grief, and do not feel the urge to inflic it on the masses. And for them at least, we should really stop making every year difficult for them, by having it thrown at their faces every minute of the day. But that's the media and the administration for you.