Today.

[evil_authoress]

I was a freshman in high school on 9/11. That's a pretty weird thought now, nearly 10 years later. I woke up to my mom telling me not to turn on the news (which I usually did before school, being a nerd). I did anyway, because, you know, 14. I remember sitting outside at lunch, looking at the oblivious kids around me, and wondering if they had any idea what had happened. I was supposed to go to Hebrew school that night, but I decided not to go. We didn't know if San Francisco was next, and I just wanted to be in my room. I was a pretty well-informed kid, but really fucking naive about a lot of things. It was a game-changer for America, and for me, too. Observing and avoiding just wasn't good enough anymore.

The narrative today has been appropriated by the loudest, and the angriest, and in many cases the most bigoted. Some people have turned their entire lives into a Remember 9/11 campaign (and you know who they are). What stands out just as much as the footage of the attack is the footage of the aftermath. Of the humanity, bravery and charity from all but the most hardened, delusional blowhards. My country makes me very angry sometimes, and it's far from perfect, but I still love it. I love it because I've seen what the true American character really is, in our toughest times.

"There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured by what is right with America." - Bill Clinton