What I remember...
most?
Is that we were threatened with being "insubordinate" if we discussed the terrorists, the world trade center, anything to do with it, or allowed our children to know anything about it in any way. Instead of dealing with this as a community or a teachable moment, we were told that it did not happen and it was a firing offense to discuss it. One teacher lost her sister at the WTC.
I was so worried about my sister, who worked in the Pentagon at the time, and so many of our Otakon staff. We couldn't reach them, and people were crazy on the internet trying to find something out.
And then people started mocking the president. Who heaven knows I do not like, and never voted for. But how the *heck* did they expect him to react? Jump up and make a scene and scare the preschoolers? It was a political joy ride.
And then the hate crimes started. And people called me a traitor because I said that Muslims were not our enemy, neither was Islam. And Italians had their businesses fire bombed because "they looked Arab".
And dissent was shouted down, and those who spoke against the hate were told that this was America, love it or leave it, and that we should shut up and support hastily and poorly planned last minute bits and pieces to "safeguard our nation".
So... that's what I remember today. And no, I don't want it to ever happen again.
Is that we were threatened with being "insubordinate" if we discussed the terrorists, the world trade center, anything to do with it, or allowed our children to know anything about it in any way. Instead of dealing with this as a community or a teachable moment, we were told that it did not happen and it was a firing offense to discuss it. One teacher lost her sister at the WTC.
I was so worried about my sister, who worked in the Pentagon at the time, and so many of our Otakon staff. We couldn't reach them, and people were crazy on the internet trying to find something out.
And then people started mocking the president. Who heaven knows I do not like, and never voted for. But how the *heck* did they expect him to react? Jump up and make a scene and scare the preschoolers? It was a political joy ride.
And then the hate crimes started. And people called me a traitor because I said that Muslims were not our enemy, neither was Islam. And Italians had their businesses fire bombed because "they looked Arab".
And dissent was shouted down, and those who spoke against the hate were told that this was America, love it or leave it, and that we should shut up and support hastily and poorly planned last minute bits and pieces to "safeguard our nation".
So... that's what I remember today. And no, I don't want it to ever happen again.