9/11

[Keroin]

I see two separate issues here. The first being knowledge of basic political facts and leaders, and the second being awareness of extraordinary events.

I agree that the average American's knowledge of basic political facts and leaders is often seriously lacking - particularly for those countries or groups whom most Americans do not perceive to be an enemy, or major threat. On the other hand, for example, many Americans (often without the slightest knowledge of the political structure of Indonesia) were aware of, and opened their wallets in response to, the victims of the 2004 tsunami.

No disagreement here. Americans have repeatedly responded to major world events with generosity and kindness. Awareness of extraordinary events is not a problem but I would argue that basic knowledge of the world at large, from the population of a country that has such influence and power, is.

So, yes, two separate issues.

 

[00Syd]

If your profile is correct, you were 12 in September '01.

That's true.

Without my parents' guidance and firm insistence, at 12 I wouldn't have paid attention to anything at all - unless it involved my buddies, my immediate neighborhood, my bike, my dog, an adventure novel, a bat, or a ball.

I started listening to the radio in the mornings at the beginning of that academic year. I had a pretty good idea of the shape of the world. My immediate neighborhood was downtown Manhattan, so simply because my neck of the woods was so big and varied, I was aware of quite a bit, simply by being in tune with my town.

Some kids have parents and/or educators who encourage global awareness; others don't. If you weren't paying attention to what happens off our shores at 12, that's certainly not your fault.

Mine did. I was paying attention. And if there are other 12 year olds who weren't paying attention, yes, that was not their fault. However, a huge amount of adults at the time were (and still aren't) paying nearly enough attention.

I agree that many Americans do maintain an insular perspective, even as adults. But ES is absolutely correct in noting that many don't. In a nation of more than 300 million individuals, there is no uniform "we."

Of course there is no uniform "we," but its not hard to draw some conclusions about large groups of people simply by paying attention.

 

[00Syd]

Maybe some Americans don't pay any attention to what happens in other countries but many many more do.

Our military is all over this world providing medical care, reconstruction expertise (schools, power grids, sanitation--and not just in Iraq and Afghanistan)

I have worked at a number of hospitals in the US. Every single one has donated medical supplies and professionals to organizations that go to other countries to provide medical care.

If you are complaining about Americans being ignorant about what happens in other countries maybe you need to get more nvolved yourself.

Excuse me? Sorry if I'm cynical, but its not hard to find fault with the country. Of course there are lots of people who pay attention and are invested in the happenings around the world, and that's wonderful. Of course our armies do a lot of good around the world, but that's not what I was referencing at all.

When I said "I couldn't believe how willing we were to accept the worlds sympathy, and how comfortably we slipped into that role, when we so rarely even pay attention to what happens off our shores." I was using the term "we" mostly in reference to the political majority at the time and its attitudes toward the international community, which were infuriating.

Honestly, when I come across people who aren't at least even a little bit frustrated with the country as a whole I'm surprised.

Look, I'm sorry if my attitude toward 9/11 isn't sufficiently reverent. I think reactions to 9/11 from New Yorkers who were there at the time often surprise people. A lot was made of New York's ability to come together and be strong in the aftermath, and yes, its true, we came together as one giant community and got shit done. But honestly, the motivation came less from some immense inner strength so much as "shit, I still have to go to work tomorrow." At least in my experience.

Anyway, whatever. Weren't we all told that everyone's reaction to 9/11 would be different and some people show their grief in different ways or don't show it at all? At least that's what they told us in school. I don't need to defend my feelings about the day, most of which were feelings of "please stop using me as a political tool," and "can we move on now," and "why the hell do so many tourists want to go look at some boring hole in the ground?" and "can our favorite colors stop being red, white, and blue now?"

My father, at the time, lived right next door to a fire station in Greenwich Village. On 9/11, the entire fire house went to ground zero to help with the rescue effort, and every single fireman who was on duty perished in the buildings. In the following weeks people left so many flowers and candles in front of the fire station's door, that they couldn't drive their truck out for a call without first pushing aside the flowers, which blocked the entire sidewalk. It was overwhelmingly sad. One of the dead fireman's fiance sat in front of the fire house door, crying, every day, for literally an entire month.

Fast forward a few months, and all of the flowers and candles were still there. The fiance would still come by every now and again, sobbing. This was really a lot to take in for months on end. It was emotionally exhausting. I became weary of flowers and candles and expressions of grief, I became weary of seeing the colors red, white, and blue. It was hard for me to look at 9/11 as a national tragedy, since it was so close to home, and I got tired of seeing other people stealing mine, and my city's, personal grief and claiming it for their own.

And I know that I'm not alone in having felt this way.

While I now much better understand the national implications of 9/11 (than I did at the time), its hard to shake that feeling of weariness, and its made me cynical and angry. Sorry if that offends people, but that's the truth of how thinking of 9/11 makes me feel: tired and annoyed.

 

[00Syd]

My favorite environment is dense urban. I consider New York my second home because I dated someone who lived there. But I'm not a New Yorker. I love New York, I know my way around New York (well, Manhattan only really), and I long to live in New York. But I'm not a New Yorker.

That's the making of a possible transplanted New Yorker Some of the most New York-y people I know aren't originally from here. There is a lot more that goes into being a New Yorker than where you were born.

 

[JMohegan]

I was going to say something along those lines but less well, and much more offensively. I couldn't believe how willing we were to accept the worlds sympathy, and how comfortably we slipped into that role, when we so rarely even pay attention to what happens off our shores.

That's true.



I started listening to the radio in the mornings at the beginning of that academic year. I had a pretty good idea of the shape of the world. My immediate neighborhood was downtown Manhattan, so simply because my neck of the woods was so big and varied, I was aware of quite a bit, simply by being in tune with my town.



Mine did. I was paying attention. And if there are other 12 year olds who weren't paying attention, yes, that was not their fault. However, a huge amount of adults at the time were (and still aren't) paying nearly enough attention.



Of course there is no uniform "we," but its not hard to draw some conclusions about large groups of people simply by paying attention.

Thank you for clarifying your earlier remarks. I assumed that by "we" you meant "Syd + other people," and therefore misunderstood what you wrote.

I am interested to know what events or facts you were "paying attention" to, in the days leading up to 9/11/01, that you feel most Americans were not.

In addition, when you drew conclusions about large groups of Americans "simply by paying attention," on what were you focusing to reach that opinion?

 

[00Syd]

No disagreement here. Americans have repeatedly responded to major world events with generosity and kindness. Awareness of extraordinary events is not a problem but I would argue that basic knowledge of the world at large, from the population of a country that has such influence and power, is.

So, yes, two separate issues.

I know that America's educational system isn't really the topic of the thread, but geography isn't a required subject anymore. Neither is civics. You think its bad how little most of America knows about the rest of the word? A huge amount of this country doesn't even know how its own country works, or the names of their own politicians. I've met people who didn't know what the congress was. I've met people who didn't know who their mayor was, much less their governor, much less their representatives. Its depressing.

 

[00Syd]

Thank you for clarifying your earlier remarks. I assumed that by "we" you meant "Syd + other people," and therefore misunderstood what you wrote.

I am interested to know what events or facts you were "paying attention" to, in the days leading up to 9/11/01, that you feel most Americans were not.

I was mainly paying attention to local events and politics, but I was also very interested in the election (my school did a project on it, which got me hooked), and was paying close attention to that. All of the issues that were major issues of the election, I was aware of.

In addition, when you drew conclusions about large groups of Americans "simply by paying attention," on what were you focusing to reach that opinion?

Mostly the people I came into contact with on a day to day, my local community, but also by listening to interviews on the radio with people from all over the country about the election. Also, after 9/11, I became pretty interested in politics. I would say that it was the event that first tipped me from being a casual observer to an active participant. I started reading the Times when I was 13.

 

[Keroin]

I know that America's educational system isn't really the topic of the thread, but geography isn't a required subject anymore. Neither is civics. You think its bad how little most of America knows about the rest of the word? A huge amount of this country doesn't even know how its own country works, or the names of their own politicians. I've met people who didn't know what the congress was. I've met people who didn't know who their mayor was, much less their governor, much less their representatives. Its depressing.

No disagreement on that point either, Syd and I get your frustration. We, (the rest of the world), feel it too but mostly because we often feel pressure to bend to the will of a country whose people know little about us, nor care to.

I wrote a blog on Canada Day, several years back, expressing pride in my country for our refusal to join the invasion of Iraq. Shortly after, I received several angry responses from American readers telling me that Canada had betrayed the US, that we claimed to be friends but let them down when we were most needed, etc, etc etc. Two of the people who wrote to me I know personally and I know they cannot not name more than two Canadian provinces without consulting an atlas, and yet they expected us to send people to kill and die on their behalf? Baffling.

 

[BiBunny]

No disagreement on that point either, Syd and I get your frustration. We, (the rest of the world), feel it too but mostly because we often feel pressure to bend to the will of a country whose people know little about us, nor care to.

I wrote a blog on Canada Day, several years back, expressing pride in my country for our refusal to join the invasion of Iraq. Shortly after, I received several angry responses from American readers telling me that Canada had betrayed the US, that we claimed to be friends but let them down when we were most needed, etc, etc etc. Two of the people who wrote to me I know personally and I know they cannot not name more than two Canadian provinces without consulting an atlas, and yet they expected us to send people to kill and die on their behalf? Baffling.

That's not limited solely to Americans, either. Admittedly, my perspective is skewed, since most of the people I talk to are dumb enough to call phone sex, but still. Most of the Canadians who call have no clue where my state is, either.

Actual conversation I once had with a guy from Canada.

Him: Where are you from?

Me: Alabama.

Him: That's out west, right?

Me: No, that's down south.

Him: Oh. (Long pause.) So are you from, like, England or something? You have a British accent.

Me: *Headdesk*

For the record, I do NOT have a British accent. Not even close.

 

[OldGuy1026]

That's not limited solely to Americans, either. Admittedly, my perspective is skewed, since most of the people I talk to are dumb enough to call phone sex, but still. Most of the Canadians who call have no clue where my state is, either.

Actual conversation I once had with a guy from Canada.

Him: Where are you from?

Me: Alabama.

Him: That's out west, right?

Me: No, that's down south.

Him: Oh. (Long pause.) So are you from, like, England or something? You have a British accent.

Me: *Headdesk*

For the record, I do NOT have a British accent. Not even close.

LOL, yes we even have stupid people out here in Canada.
Don't forget the I'm next to Stupid T-Shirt was made in Toronto, and Toronto still hasn't got the joke yet.
I was shocked when my wife didn't know who Adolf Schickelgruber was. (Hint Google it.)

So today Our Prime Minister and the President of the Free World got together to discuss Afganistan. Compaired to the Great War, World War Two, Korea, I'm sorry but how can you compair the death rate? Get the schools build, and please disarm the country. That's a good start.

 

[JMohegan]

LOL, yes we even have stupid people out here in Canada.
Don't forget the I'm next to Stupid T-Shirt was made in Toronto, and Toronto still hasn't got the joke yet.
I was shocked when my wife didn't know who Adolf Schickelgruber was. (Hint Google it.)

So today Our Prime Minister and the President of the Free World got together to discuss Afganistan [sic]. Compaired [sic] to the Great War, World War Two, Korea, I'm sorry but how can you compair [sic] the death rate? Get the schools build [sic], and please disarm the country. That's a good start.

Clearly, the Canadian educational system has its drawbacks too. I hear you there.

On the subject of disarmament, although I'm fairly leftist, I can't agree with your suggestion. Pull out of many parts of the world? Absolutely. Quit invading countries that have given us no just cause for assault? Of course. Disarm? Sure.... just as soon as greed, aggression, and religious fervor are purged from the face of the earth.

 

[Keroin]

That's not limited solely to Americans, either. Admittedly, my perspective is skewed, since most of the people I talk to are dumb enough to call phone sex, but still. Most of the Canadians who call have no clue where my state is, either.

Actual conversation I once had with a guy from Canada.

Him: Where are you from?

Me: Alabama.

Him: That's out west, right?

Me: No, that's down south.

Him: Oh. (Long pause.) So are you from, like, England or something? You have a British accent.

Me: *Headdesk*

For the record, I do NOT have a British accent. Not even close.

Yes, but as a general rule our country does not tell, (directly or through pressure), yours what to do. There's the difference.

Also, I draw my conclusions from Americans I have met all across the country and from all walks of life. Sure there are ignorant people all over the world, Canada has its share, but you're likely to find a higher percentage in certain areas, (eg phone sex customers). I'm talking about older, college educated, upper middle class people, folks I'd expect but be a little more cognizant of the world next door to them.

 

[JMohegan]

This was really a lot to take in for months on end. It was emotionally exhausting. I became weary of flowers and candles and expressions of grief, I became weary of seeing the colors red, white, and blue. It was hard for me to look at 9/11 as a national tragedy, since it was so close to home, and I got tired of seeing other people stealing mine, and my city's, personal grief and claiming it for their own.

And I know that I'm not alone in having felt this way.

While I now much better understand the national implications of 9/11 (than I did at the time), its hard to shake that feeling of weariness, and its made me cynical and angry. Sorry if that offends people, but that's the truth of how thinking of 9/11 makes me feel: tired and annoyed.

I know what this feels like. Not with regard to 9/11, but from separate experience, I know.

I also know that there's nothing I can say that will help you see other people's grief as legitimate, or some of your anger as misdirected. Those are shifts that tend to take place on their own.

 

[BiBunny]

Yes, but as a general rule our country does not tell, (directly or through pressure), yours what to do. There's the difference.

Also, I draw my conclusions from Americans I have met all across the country and from all walks of life. Sure there are ignorant people all over the world, Canada has its share, but you're likely to find a higher percentage in certain areas, (eg phone sex customers). I'm talking about older, college educated, upper middle class people, folks I'd expect but be a little more cognizant of the world next door to them.

Whew. I'm exempt. I'm poor.

 

[ecstaticsub]

Excuse me? Sorry if I'm cynical, but its not hard to find fault with the country. Of course there are lots of people who pay attention and are invested in the happenings around the world, and that's wonderful. Of course our armies do a lot of good around the world, but that's not what I was referencing at all.

When I said "I couldn't believe how willing we were to accept the worlds sympathy, and how comfortably we slipped into that role, when we so rarely even pay attention to what happens off our shores." I was using the term "we" mostly in reference to the political majority at the time and its attitudes toward the international community, which were infuriating.

Honestly, when I come across people who aren't at least even a little bit frustrated with the country as a whole I'm surprised.

Look, I'm sorry if my attitude toward 9/11 isn't sufficiently reverent. I think reactions to 9/11 from New Yorkers who were there at the time often surprise people. A lot was made of New York's ability to come together and be strong in the aftermath, and yes, its true, we came together as one giant community and got shit done. But honestly, the motivation came less from some immense inner strength so much as "shit, I still have to go to work tomorrow." At least in my experience.

Anyway, whatever. Weren't we all told that everyone's reaction to 9/11 would be different and some people show their grief in different ways or don't show it at all? At least that's what they told us in school. I don't need to defend my feelings about the day, most of which were feelings of "please stop using me as a political tool," and "can we move on now," and "why the hell do so many tourists want to go look at some boring hole in the ground?" and "can our favorite colors stop being red, white, and blue now?"

My father, at the time, lived right next door to a fire station in Greenwich Village. On 9/11, the entire fire house went to ground zero to help with the rescue effort, and every single fireman who was on duty perished in the buildings. In the following weeks people left so many flowers and candles in front of the fire station's door, that they couldn't drive their truck out for a call without first pushing aside the flowers, which blocked the entire sidewalk. It was overwhelmingly sad. One of the dead fireman's fiance sat in front of the fire house door, crying, every day, for literally an entire month.

Fast forward a few months, and all of the flowers and candles were still there. The fiance would still come by every now and again, sobbing. This was really a lot to take in for months on end. It was emotionally exhausting. I became weary of flowers and candles and expressions of grief, I became weary of seeing the colors red, white, and blue. It was hard for me to look at 9/11 as a national tragedy, since it was so close to home, and I got tired of seeing other people stealing mine, and my city's, personal grief and claiming it for their own.

And I know that I'm not alone in having felt this way.

While I now much better understand the national implications of 9/11 (than I did at the time), its hard to shake that feeling of weariness, and its made me cynical and angry. Sorry if that offends people, but that's the truth of how thinking of 9/11 makes me feel: tired and annoyed.

I'm sorry if I sounded harsh. I do understand what you are saying and feeling. But try to see things from my point of view, too. When people talk about 9/11 like it was past history and that it doesn't effect us today it just causes my blood to boil. It's probably my only pet peeve.

It does effect people I know every day. It effects me every day. My husband came home from his deployments and does not qualify for any disability benefits meaning he outwardly was not injured nor suffers from PTSD. But I know him better than anyone and he is not the same person he was before he left.

Once when he was deployed he told me that a national news personality was going to be travelling with them for the next week. I then am watching n the news as their position begins to be attacked LIVE. The cameras cut out and they go to a new story with the anchors all concerned about their on the spot news reporter and camera man and all I am thinking is please make my husband ok. It was about 24 hours before I found ok he was alright. I could go on and on about similar situations.

Yes, the USA is not perfect. We have made mistakes. What bothers me is if we changed our policy and never sent any American troops overseas for anything, if we closed all our overseas bases and everyone came home. We would never hear the end of the criticism for that. It a damned if you do, damned if you don't kind of situation.

I'm going to stop here. I am way too emotional about this.

 

[00Syd]

I'm going to stop here. I am way too emotional about this.

I've found that everyone has different feelings about the day, all of them colored by not only where we were at the time, but who we were at the time. You were an adult, military wife. I was a kid from downtown Manhattan. Of course our lasting feelings are going to be very different, and that's okay. I'm sorry for how much hardship and grief 9/11 caused you, but its something that I just cannot let overshadow my life. No New Yorker can. We still have to live there, work there, eat there, fuck there, and if we (yes, I'm generalizing, sue me) didn't push it to the the side, at least a little bit, we wouldn't have been able to continue on after 9/11 the way we, as a city, as a community, did. Different experiences, different people, different places. We mourn for each other, all in our own ways.

 

[Etoile]

And of course, nobody gives a shit about Washington DC in all this. It's all about New York. This is a very unpopular view that I don't normally express, but I feel comfortable enough with the people here to say it. New York doesn't have a monopoly on suffering. I love New York almost as much as I love DC, but 99.9% of the focus during and after 9/11 was on New York. I think the impact on Shanksville got more attention than DC.

Most people react to these comments with some form of "how dare you!" and go on about how much MORE New York went through. And don't think I'm not aware of that, either - it was orders of magnitude more suffering than we felt in DC. But we felt it too, and yet every time 9/11 is talked about, it's all New York.

I'm just saying how I feel, mind you. It's an emotional reaction, not a logical one. But it's there, and I can't deny feeling something.

 

[00Syd]

And of course, nobody gives a shit about Washington DC in all this. It's all about New York. This is a very unpopular view that I don't normally express, but I feel comfortable enough with the people here to say it. New York doesn't have a monopoly on suffering. I love New York almost as much as I love DC, but 99.9% of the focus during and after 9/11 was on New York. I think the impact on Shanksville got more attention than DC.

Most people react to these comments with some form of "how dare you!" and go on about how much MORE New York went through. And don't think I'm not aware of that, either - it was orders of magnitude more suffering than we felt in DC. But we felt it too, and yet every time 9/11 is talked about, it's all New York.

I'm just saying how I feel, mind you. It's an emotional reaction, not a logical one. But it's there, and I can't deny feeling something.

Oh man I relate to that. I know that my feelings about 9/11 are part what gets you so angry, but I understand that sort of anger very well.

 

[graceanne]

And of course, nobody gives a shit about Washington DC in all this. It's all about New York. This is a very unpopular view that I don't normally express, but I feel comfortable enough with the people here to say it. New York doesn't have a monopoly on suffering. I love New York almost as much as I love DC, but 99.9% of the focus during and after 9/11 was on New York. I think the impact on Shanksville got more attention than DC.

Most people react to these comments with some form of "how dare you!" and go on about how much MORE New York went through. And don't think I'm not aware of that, either - it was orders of magnitude more suffering than we felt in DC. But we felt it too, and yet every time 9/11 is talked about, it's all New York.

I'm just saying how I feel, mind you. It's an emotional reaction, not a logical one. But it's there, and I can't deny feeling something.

Makes sense to me.

I remember watching some program on PBS with a friend. It was about this program to help people get back on their feet. One of the ladies there had lost her mom in 9/11 and never really had time for HER to grieve, because everyone was so busy grieving that it never got to be about her and that she lost her mom. If she told someone what happened, they'd instantly be grieving themselves and not able to be there for her emotionally. One of the things they were doing in this program was allowing her to grieve and let it be about her and the loss of her mother.

 

[WriterDom]

And of course, nobody gives a shit about Washington DC in all this. It's all about New York. This is a very unpopular view that I don't normally express, but I feel comfortable enough with the people here to say it. New York doesn't have a monopoly on suffering. I love New York almost as much as I love DC, but 99.9% of the focus during and after 9/11 was on New York. I think the impact on Shanksville got more attention than DC.

Most people react to these comments with some form of "how dare you!" and go on about how much MORE New York went through. And don't think I'm not aware of that, either - it was orders of magnitude more suffering than we felt in DC. But we felt it too, and yet every time 9/11 is talked about, it's all New York.

I'm just saying how I feel, mind you. It's an emotional reaction, not a logical one. But it's there, and I can't deny feeling something.

You are right of course. I think it is because things were so much more dramatic in NY with footage of the planes hitting the buildings and tall structures collapsing. And more than 100 people jumping to their death. What they did to the pentagon made me just as angry. I will keep DC on my mind as well as those brave people who took the plane down in Pennsylvania.

I wrote a poem about Flight 93

http://www.literotica.com/stories/showstory.php?id=36989

 

[ecstaticsub]

And of course, nobody gives a shit about Washington DC in all this. It's all about New York. This is a very unpopular view that I don't normally express, but I feel comfortable enough with the people here to say it. New York doesn't have a monopoly on suffering. I love New York almost as much as I love DC, but 99.9% of the focus during and after 9/11 was on New York. I think the impact on Shanksville got more attention than DC.

Most people react to these comments with some form of "how dare you!" and go on about how much MORE New York went through. And don't think I'm not aware of that, either - it was orders of magnitude more suffering than we felt in DC. But we felt it too, and yet every time 9/11 is talked about, it's all New York.

I'm just saying how I feel, mind you. It's an emotional reaction, not a logical one. But it's there, and I can't deny feeling something.

I think part of the reason DC doesn't get as much sympathy is that the Pentagon is a military target. Military are suppose to die for their country not civilians. (or so the thing goes..)

 

[ecstaticsub]

I've found that everyone has different feelings about the day, all of them colored by not only where we were at the time, but who we were at the time. You were an adult, military wife. I was a kid from downtown Manhattan. Of course our lasting feelings are going to be very different, and that's okay. I'm sorry for how much hardship and grief 9/11 caused you, but its something that I just cannot let overshadow my life. No New Yorker can. We still have to live there, work there, eat there, fuck there, and if we (yes, I'm generalizing, sue me) didn't push it to the the side, at least a little bit, we wouldn't have been able to continue on after 9/11 the way we, as a city, as a community, did. Different experiences, different people, different places. We mourn for each other, all in our own ways.

My PYL lives near Manhattan and both he and his wife work in the city. I do know and respect your viewpoint. I don't think it should overshadow your life. Life must go on.

All I ask from people is not to forget that we do have American moms, dads, husbands, wives, sons and daughters in harms way overseas.

 

[JMohegan]

I've found that everyone has different feelings about the day, all of them colored by not only where we were at the time, but who we were at the time. You were an adult, military wife. I was a kid from downtown Manhattan. Of course our lasting feelings are going to be very different, and that's okay. I'm sorry for how much hardship and grief 9/11 caused you, but its something that I just cannot let overshadow my life. No New Yorker can. We still have to live there, work there, eat there, fuck there, and if we (yes, I'm generalizing, sue me) didn't push it to the the side, at least a little bit, we wouldn't have been able to continue on after 9/11 the way we, as a city, as a community, did. Different experiences, different people, different places. We mourn for each other, all in our own ways.

The people I know who were living in Manhattan on 9/11/01 (and live there still) consider the events of that day to be not just a national tragedy, but an *international* tragedy. They have a very different perspective than yours, on both the day itself and the aftermath as well.

These are people who work in finance, consulting, corporate business, corporate law. When you work in these types of jobs in Manhattan, you tend to have work colleagues, acquaintances and friends who hail from all over the world. NY is a global city, for more reasons than just immigration.

These are people who were not surprised to learn that citizens from more than 90 countries died in the 9/11 attacks. They spent much of that day, and the days that followed, on the phone or exchanging emails with people from London, Toronto, Paris, etc. - fielding requests for information about colleagues in Manhattan.

Of course, the tables were turned on 7/7, and the phone calls went the other way.

Not trying to impugn your perspective, Syd, just giving a different one. Some New Yorkers are actually embarrassed by the U.S. focus of so many 9/11 remembrances, because they see the suffering as much broader in scope.

 

[Homburg]

And of course, nobody gives a shit about Washington DC in all this. It's all about New York. This is a very unpopular view that I don't normally express, but I feel comfortable enough with the people here to say it. New York doesn't have a monopoly on suffering. I love New York almost as much as I love DC, but 99.9% of the focus during and after 9/11 was on New York. I think the impact on Shanksville got more attention than DC.

At the time*, I knew not a single person that worked on or near the towers. The Pentagon though? I spent hours and hours trying to get through the phone lines just to leave a message at the home phone of a dear friend of mine, as he and his wife both worked at the Pentagon. I knew they would both be there that day, and his wife's office was in the overall area that the plane struck.

He called me back about a week later. His office was on the other side, and he noticed nothing when the plane struck. Didn't even hear anything. His wife was fortunately in a meeting across the structure from the plane. Her office wasn't hit, but was damaged.

DC hit much closer to home for me.



* - Now I know many more people that lived or worked near there, and some that were on-site that day. And I was in New York (on Long Island) last year on 9/11 visiting. Seeing those two beams of light was... I don't really have words for what I was feeling.