Comments | sigma7: That time of year again

sigma7

That time of year again

Sep 08, 2011 11:16

So 9/11 is three days away. Meh. People seem oblivious to the main advantage of living in a linear timeline -- that events happen, and then they stop happening, and you're free to move on with your goddamn life. Or you could pick at the scab and thoughtfully stroke your scars as if they were the only part of you that matter ( Read more... )

television, doom

Comments 11

brightlotusmoon September 8 2011, 17:17:30 UTC

Thank you.

vulpisfoxfire September 8 2011, 17:37:45 UTC

Ahhhhmen to that. And considering a rather trite catchphrase of the time...I'd say that focusing our attention to a single event to the point of complete obsession for an entire *decade*, along with the subsequent (and increasing) destruction of US air travel (due to the efforts of the TSA and related agencies) was a definite win for the terrorists above and beyond the *actual* destruction and loss of life caused. You want to 'beat the terrorists'--then get on with your life, proving that you're still here, and they aren't.

sigma7 September 8 2011, 18:25:47 UTC

For me, the ultimate terrorist victory can be measured in how much a criminal enterprise can effect political change through violence, and in that sense, I don't think you could argue that they didn't win. Maybe it wasn't exactly the change they were aiming for (or maybe polarizing Islamic states against the west was their specific aim), in which case you could argue they didn't succeed, but I can't help that in a rush to do something, anything, we as a society overreacted and still lurch toward compromise of our ideals as a reflex against further reprisals. I know there's an impulse among some to paint criticism of American policy as being anti-patriotic or even treasonous, but I don't see that there's anything anti-American about insisting that we can do better.

What I was fervently wishing for was an implementation and adherence to this philosophy: It's a lie. Any fool can blow something up. Any fool can destroy. But to see these guys, these firefighters, these policemen and people from all over the country, literally, with ( ... )

vulpisfoxfire September 8 2011, 19:03:29 UTC

Yup...they keep focusing on what blew up, when they should be focusing on what happened *after*.

jenny0 September 8 2011, 18:12:11 UTC

God, I remember our class gathering around the little TV from the AV center to watch the Challenger takeoff D:

jenny0 September 8 2011, 18:26:31 UTC

Oh wow. That "102 Minutes" documentary. I started crying when they played the 911 call and the operator told the people in the building to stay where they were.

sigma7 September 8 2011, 18:40:58 UTC

I can't confirm anything, but I may have been chanting "get out get out get out" aloud at that point.

jenny0 September 9 2011, 12:38:07 UTC

The first 911 call set me off, but the third or fourth - where the operator was literally shouting at the caller to shut up and stay in their office - really got me going. I bet he feels like the world's biggest asshole now though, so....karma, a little?

Thread 5

tuff_ghost September 8 2011, 19:53:48 UTC

I haven't watched that TV news archive thing yet, but I will as soon as I get the chance. I'm really interested in the media's reactions too, thanks for the link.

teal_cuttlefish September 9 2011, 21:24:38 UTC

I am doing my best not to pay attention to the communal licking of the wounds. I never worked again after that, thanks to a MS degree and being old and overeducated. No one ever even called on my resume after that. So I have my own pain and bitterness over the time, though it's a private pain rather than a national one. So I prefer to work on the present, where I have a chance at making something go better for me than the past has, even if it's a minimal chance.