(no subject)
Osama Bin Laden is dead. People are celebrating at the White House. The mere fact that you're reading this means you have access to the internet and probably know all that already. That's not exactly what I'm here to talk about. What I do want to talk about is something I've been thinking about for a few weeks now.
September 11, 2001 was two days before my twelfth birthday. I remember my mom waking me up early that morning to watch the news. My family and I sat there watching, having no idea what to think. At school that day my teachers quickly abandoned any hope of actually having a regular school day, and instead my class spent most of the day watching the news. I was at such an age where I was old enough to understand what was happening on a superficial level, but young enough that it shook my whole worldview. I had very little knowledge about politics up until that point, and suddenly became aware that not everyone supported the United States.
I grew up in Seattle. All my family in the U.S. is on the west coast. I didn't know anyone who was personally affected by the September 11th attacks. And yet I found myself having nightmares for years, in which I witnessed another attack or was in a building that had been attacked. Though I didn't know much about George W. Bush before then, I found myself being drawn to him in the days and weeks after the attacks. I was young and scared and wanted someone to believe in, so my 11/12 year old self bought into his messages.
As I got older, I began to see how the Bush administration was using the September 11th attacks to justify doing some pretty dodgy things. And then we invaded Iraq. I was lucky to have had very good teachers in my years of education, as well as well-educated parents, and unlike the majority of Americans, I was aware that there was no real connection between Iraq/Saddam Hussein and the September 11th attacks. I saw our president lying to us in order to go to war. I saw this as despicable. I was pissed.
Looking back, I see September 11th as one of the biggest influences on my views of the world and politics today. Now, almost ten years later, I'm an adult, and I've just watched Barrack Obama announce that Osama Bin Laden has been killed. The best way I can describe how I feel right now is surreal. And it really just hits home how much the events of September 11th have affected my life. And that makes me curious. Curious about others from my generation. I've talked to a few people around my age about their experiences, but I'd love to hear other voices. The voices of the September 11th generation. The memories, opinions, stories of those of us who were adolescents in 2001. So if you want, please share your stories. Where were you on September 11, 2001? How did you feel in the hours, days, and years after? And now, almost ten years later, that this saga is supposedly "over", how do you feel?
September 11, 2001 was two days before my twelfth birthday. I remember my mom waking me up early that morning to watch the news. My family and I sat there watching, having no idea what to think. At school that day my teachers quickly abandoned any hope of actually having a regular school day, and instead my class spent most of the day watching the news. I was at such an age where I was old enough to understand what was happening on a superficial level, but young enough that it shook my whole worldview. I had very little knowledge about politics up until that point, and suddenly became aware that not everyone supported the United States.
I grew up in Seattle. All my family in the U.S. is on the west coast. I didn't know anyone who was personally affected by the September 11th attacks. And yet I found myself having nightmares for years, in which I witnessed another attack or was in a building that had been attacked. Though I didn't know much about George W. Bush before then, I found myself being drawn to him in the days and weeks after the attacks. I was young and scared and wanted someone to believe in, so my 11/12 year old self bought into his messages.
As I got older, I began to see how the Bush administration was using the September 11th attacks to justify doing some pretty dodgy things. And then we invaded Iraq. I was lucky to have had very good teachers in my years of education, as well as well-educated parents, and unlike the majority of Americans, I was aware that there was no real connection between Iraq/Saddam Hussein and the September 11th attacks. I saw our president lying to us in order to go to war. I saw this as despicable. I was pissed.
Looking back, I see September 11th as one of the biggest influences on my views of the world and politics today. Now, almost ten years later, I'm an adult, and I've just watched Barrack Obama announce that Osama Bin Laden has been killed. The best way I can describe how I feel right now is surreal. And it really just hits home how much the events of September 11th have affected my life. And that makes me curious. Curious about others from my generation. I've talked to a few people around my age about their experiences, but I'd love to hear other voices. The voices of the September 11th generation. The memories, opinions, stories of those of us who were adolescents in 2001. So if you want, please share your stories. Where were you on September 11, 2001? How did you feel in the hours, days, and years after? And now, almost ten years later, that this saga is supposedly "over", how do you feel?