And so today is 9/11 - 14 years later

[zoegirltx]

Any thoughts? 

It doesn't feel that long ago to me. I guess I'm mostly sad that I don't really think our world is any safer now than it was then- perhaps even more unstable. Maybe we've gotten better at tracking/spotting more rouge or single cell terror groups, but overall we've just made a much bigger mess of the global landscape with Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, ISIS, etc.

And I'm saddened that our reaction to the tragedy was to basically chip away at civil rights & create a huge nanny state with endless spying powers that routinely over-steps constitutional boundaries. 

T&P to those of you whom this is still a very emotional day. 

[bears]

I think there's a climate of fear now as a result of 9/11.

Fuck. I have such a hard time thinking about this day.

[Velar Fricative]

I have become so jaded and pessimistic about the political and economic consequences of 9/11 that I keep my mind on the people who lost loved ones that day. My heart goes out to them.

[ttt]

I just want to avoid 10 pages of "this is what I was doing on 9/11" please.

[ttt]

Also, I remember thinking at the time that this was going to "change everything." It really didn't. Looking back, some people got extremely rich off of, say, government contracts providing the TSA with naked scanner machines, and I think it did create an intense climate of fear in our country, but it didn't really "change everything."

[josieposy]

Not even kidding, but I have seen "where were you on 9/11?" used as a website password security question.

[ttt]

I also always think about the victims of the Oklahoma City bombing and how they must feel about this "never forget 9/11" stuff when everyone has basically forgotten that a day care center full of babies was bombed by terrorists.

[omgzombies]

I think it made us realize that we are not invulnerable. It may have been the fact that I was still fairly young at the time (17) but the thought of anyone attacking us on our on soil was such a completely foreign concept. Pearl Harbor seemed like something out of ancient history, and it never occurred to me that anyone would dare attack us here. I feel like that sense of safety was more of a shared illusion carried by Americans back then.

[eponinepontmercy]

Sept 11, 2015 7:33:36 GMT -5 @cookiemonster03 said:

I don't think it changed a whole lot, other than to give us excuses for invasions and country building perhaps. And, excuse me while I go to hell, all the FB posts about it bug the shit out of me. I have this weird feeling that if you're not local to, say, NYC and/or didn't know anyone there you don't have a right to memorial skyline photos. This is completely irrational, I know.

This is getting to me, too.  I hate all the self-flagellation and calls to "never forget."  What am I supposed to remember?  To me, it sounds like I'm still supposed to be mad at Muslims.  

[mrspez07]

Sept 11, 2015 7:37:31 GMT -5 ttt said:

I also always think about the victims of the Oklahoma City bombing and how they must feel about this "never forget 9/11" stuff when everyone has basically forgotten that a day care center full of babies was bombed by terrorists.

I think of them every April, as I take my child to a federal bldg daycare. But you are right, so many don't think about that day much anymore.
This year 9/11 is on my mind more than usual. I am also feeling anxiety about it more than normal, waiting for something bad to happen again.
I think it shifted the way we thought about being safe, but it has evolved into stereotypes/profiling and nationalism that is not good for the future of our country.

[charminglife]

I work on a college campus - there was a vigil last night (don't ask me why it was yesterday and not today) to commemorate the anniversary. I realized that our freshmen were roughly four years old on 9/11/01. The world that they've come of age is strikingly different than those who were entering college in September, 2001, and I wonder if they realize it.

[orriskitten]

So far this year has been easier on me. Being in another country, today is nothing special.

I think the biggest result that has been lasting is even more intense hatred of brown non-Christians. I saw it a lot in my old neighborhood and had many friends deeply impacted by it and it all hinged around that day.

I have to say I'm a little nervous that there might be some extreme ugliness this year because of the escalating of violence/exposure of violence by some police officers. This date in history is by far one of the days that first responders shone the brightest, but this year has been dark. It makes me uneasy on what can happen. Not sure if that is rational or not, but just a what's sitting in my gut.

[mrshandy]

I don't know how I feel about 9-11 and the state of our country.

It was a tragedy. I feel for the family and friends of those lost. That's how I want to remember it.

I have to say I was freaking irritated when some idiot radio host was talking about how cool and patriotic it was that some person in the midwest made a cornfield in the likeness of Chris Kyle. Ugh. I had to change back to NPR at that point.

I do dislike the 9/11 where were you posts. Unless you were personally affected I think it's co-opting the tragedy as your own. Let's remember those that are lost, but not act as though your experience was something so tramautic worth recalling.

[Deleted]

Sept 11, 2015 7:41:27 GMT -5 eponinepontmercy said:

Sept 11, 2015 7:33:36 GMT -5 @cookiemonster03 said:

I don't think it changed a whole lot, other than to give us excuses for invasions and country building perhaps. And, excuse me while I go to hell, all the FB posts about it bug the shit out of me. I have this weird feeling that if you're not local to, say, NYC and/or didn't know anyone there you don't have a right to memorial skyline photos. This is completely irrational, I know.

This is getting to me, too.  I hate all the self-flagellation and calls to "never forget."  What am I supposed to remember?  To me, it sounds like I'm still supposed to be mad at Muslims.  

Apparently, you are.  I unfriended 2 people today for posting a meme directed to Obama saying something to the effect that now is not the time to be convincing "us" that we should be taking in Muslim refugees; instead, Obama should be trying to keep Americans safe for once.

Told both people that was a gross sentiment, and unfriended.  I mean, what the fuck?

ETA:  grammar to make sense

[heyjude]

These were the first two things on my newsfeed about 9/11 this am:





And it all made me depressed. Try harder America. Try harder dude who wants to be POTUS. 

[orriskitten]

Sept 11, 2015 8:30:59 GMT -5 heyjude said:

These were the first two things on my newsfeed about 9/11 this am:

View Attachment

View Attachment

And it all made me depressed. Try harder America. Try harder dude who wants to be POTUS. 

Oh holy crap that man disgusts me. So much. Yuck.

Edit: the quote didn't work, that is in reference to the Trump tweet.

[cap]

My feelings about the day are just sad - I'm so sad for all the lives lost, and for all of the family members who lost their loved ones.

I'm also a bit bothered by some of the stuff I'm seeing in my newsfeed - it's a bit Muslim-hating, and I just can't with that. Let's not focus on hate today.

[heyjude]

Sept 11, 2015 8:33:29 GMT -5 cap said:

My feelings about the day are just sad - I'm so sad for all the lives lost, and for all of the family members who lost their loved ones.

I'm also a bit bothered by some of the stuff I'm seeing in my newsfeed - it's a bit Muslim-hating, and I just can't with that. Let's not focus on hate today.

How about any day?

[Deleted]

"even the haters and losers"? How can anyone take that moron seriously?

[cap]

Sept 11, 2015 8:34:18 GMT -5 heyjude said:

Sept 11, 2015 8:33:29 GMT -5 cap said:

My feelings about the day are just sad - I'm so sad for all the lives lost, and for all of the family members who lost their loved ones.

I'm also a bit bothered by some of the stuff I'm seeing in my newsfeed - it's a bit Muslim-hating, and I just can't with that. Let's not focus on hate today.

How about any day?

You mean "let's not focus on hate any day?" 

Yeah, I can definitely get behind that.  It's just that I'm seeing more memes and such posted today that are bordering on hate than I normally do.  And I also don't like seeing posts that don't seem to give a flip about the loss of life, and instead just focus on hating on an entire religion.  

[cayl]

My uncle died on 9/11, he was a firefighter in Midtown Manhattan. In previous years I've been sad and angry and focused more on losing him and my cousins growing up without their dad and being angry at the state of things in our country. This year I'm trying hard not to do that. I'm remembering how amazing my uncle was. He was the guy who would be in the backyard playing with all of us while the rest of the adults were hanging out and ignoring the kids. He was always the fun one, and the life of the party, and when he and my aunt had kids he doted on them. I think the combination of having him in my life and losing him in such tragic way has made me a better parent and a better person than I might have otherwise been. I try to be very patient with my kids and take the time to read and play with them, even when they want to play one more round of Hi Ho Cherry-o after already playing a million rounds. I'm not perfect and I still lose my patience regularly (hey, I have two 3 year olds!), but I think about my uncle often and it helps to give me some perspective during tough times.

So today I'm focusing on that. I'm focusing on the fact that I'm closer to my aunt because she leaned on me a lot in the year after. I'm focusing on the fact that I have so many cherished memories of a wonderful relative. I'm focusing on the fact that I saw my aunt's community and really the whole country rally around her and the kids, and even if it didn't last, it was amazing to see the kindness and generosity of strangers and to see a nation rally around one cause.

[pixy0stix]

My heart goes out to everyone who was touched by the events of today.

I wish Trump would fall into a steaming pile of manure.

[orriskitten]

My feed just got more disgusting with memes. And then my step mom goes off that the refugees have terrorists attached to them and why can't we think about protecting our kids instead?

Oh, and that this is obama's fault, of course.

[YeahSure]

Sept 11, 2015 8:45:01 GMT -5 cayl said:

My uncle died on 9/11, he was a firefighter in Midtown Manhattan. In previous years I've been sad and angry and focused more on losing him and my cousins growing up without their dad and being angry at the state of things in our country. This year I'm trying hard not to do that. I'm remembering how amazing my uncle was. He was the guy who would be in the backyard playing with all of us while the rest of the adults were hanging out and ignoring the kids. He was always the fun one, and the life of the party, and when he and my aunt had kids he doted on them. I think the combination of having him in my life and losing him in such tragic way has made me a better parent and a better person than I might have otherwise been. I try to be very patient with my kids and take the time to read and play with them, even when they want to play one more round of Hi Ho Cherry-o after already playing a million rounds. I'm not perfect and I still lose my patience regularly (hey, I have two 3 year olds!), but I think about my uncle often and it helps to give me some perspective during tough times.

So today I'm focusing on that. I'm focusing on the fact that I'm closer to my aunt because she leaned on me a lot in the year after. I'm focusing on the fact that I have so many cherished memories of a wonderful relative. I'm focusing on the fact that I saw my aunt's community and really the whole country rally around her and the kids, and even if it didn't last, it was amazing to see the kindness and generosity of strangers and to see a nation rally around one cause.

This is a lovely tribute to your uncle. I'm sorry for your loss. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family today.

[YeahSure]

I haven't been on Facebook yet. Every year I'm irrationally irritated by all of the "never forget" memes. I mean seriously, we're somehow going to forget what happened that horrific day if you don't plaster reminders all over the media?  ^o)  

[orriskitten]

Sept 11, 2015 9:18:15 GMT -5 YeahSure said:

I haven't been on Facebook yet. Every year I'm irrationally irritated by all of the "never forget" memes. I mean seriously, we're somehow going to forget what happened that horrific day if you don't plaster reminders all over the media?    

I don't mean this to be snarky, but how else can people acknowledge that they are memorializing (not sure if that's a word...) this day?

If we put it on a smaller scale, if it were a death anniversary of a friend's loved one , it would be appropriate to say "I'm sorry for your loss, thinking about you in this hard time," or something to that effect.

What can one say to potentially many people on their feed who were personally affected? What about people who were just touched by it in some way?

I don't know. I feel like people do need a way to grieve and acknowledge other peoples' grief.

[Deleted]

Sept 11, 2015 9:44:02 GMT -5 kevin arnold said:

Sept 11, 2015 8:33:29 GMT -5 cap said:

I'm also a bit bothered by some of the stuff I'm seeing in my newsfeed - it's a bit Muslim-hating, and I just can't with that. Let's not focus on hate today.

Not in small part due to our current political climate, this day is becoming more and more like a holiday to celebrate hatred of brown non-Christians couched under rabid patriotism, than it is about a solemn memorial of a tragedy.

Sadly, you are correct.

[shauni27]

Sept 11, 2015 7:41:27 GMT -5 eponinepontmercy said:

Sept 11, 2015 7:33:36 GMT -5 @cookiemonster03 said:

I don't think it changed a whole lot, other than to give us excuses for invasions and country building perhaps. And, excuse me while I go to hell, all the FB posts about it bug the shit out of me. I have this weird feeling that if you're not local to, say, NYC and/or didn't know anyone there you don't have a right to memorial skyline photos. This is completely irrational, I know.

This is getting to me, too.  I hate all the self-flagellation and calls to "never forget."  What am I supposed to remember?  To me, it sounds like I'm still supposed to be mad at Muslims.  

I saw this gem on my facebook today and went off.  If you feel that posting something on FB will help others "never forget" then fine, but posting something as bigoted as this is in no way the correct way to do so.

[YeahSure]

Sept 11, 2015 9:39:27 GMT -5 orriskitten said:

Sept 11, 2015 9:18:15 GMT -5 YeahSure said:

I haven't been on Facebook yet. Every year I'm irrationally irritated by all of the "never forget" memes. I mean seriously, we're somehow going to forget what happened that horrific day if you don't plaster reminders all over the media?    

I don't mean this to be snarky, but how else can people acknowledge that they are memorializing (not sure if that's a word...) this day?

If we put it on a smaller scale, if it were a death anniversary of a friend's loved one , it would be appropriate to say "I'm sorry for your loss, thinking about you in this hard time," or something to that effect.

What can one say to potentially many people on their feed who were personally affected? What about people who were just touched by it in some way?

I don't know. I feel like people do need a way to grieve and acknowledge other peoples' grief.

Thank you. I appreciate your view, and I'll try to remember to look at it that way.

[ttt]

Sept 11, 2015 9:39:27 GMT -5 orriskitten said:

Sept 11, 2015 9:18:15 GMT -5 YeahSure said:

I haven't been on Facebook yet. Every year I'm irrationally irritated by all of the "never forget" memes. I mean seriously, we're somehow going to forget what happened that horrific day if you don't plaster reminders all over the media?    

I don't mean this to be snarky, but how else can people acknowledge that they are memorializing (not sure if that's a word...) this day?

If we put it on a smaller scale, if it were a death anniversary of a friend's loved one , it would be appropriate to say "I'm sorry for your loss, thinking about you in this hard time," or something to that effect.

What can one say to potentially many people on their feed who were personally affected? What about people who were just touched by it in some way?

I don't know. I feel like people do need a way to grieve and acknowledge other peoples' grief.

But at the same time, you would probably acknowledge that to that person personally, right? You wouldn't blast it out to all your FB feed. 

I don't think there's anything wrong with acknowledging the day and the people who were affected by it (and please don't forget the first responders who ended up with lung cancer and other terrible diseases as a result of working clean-up shifts!). It's the AMERICA YAH! stuff that bothers me so much. Save that for the 4th of July.