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I'm curious to hear other people's opinions about this. Do you think that it would be a good idea to replay live feeds (e.g., Today Show, etc...) from that day in order to bring back people's memories of the day and to stir up the emotions again? I just think that some have forgotten (purposefully or not) what that day was like on a minute-to-minute basis. Would that be helpful or hurtful? I just feel like some have grown so distant and we should never forget...
Oh yeah, technical Minitrue strategy. Keep the masses on the edge so they keep their eyes off the core issues. Worked like a charm with Irene, for example. Media Frenzy R us
Of course, nobody ever forgets. But I for one look for the future with a definite memory of the past. No need to stir public emotion and anxiety.
Besides, people need to get their bums off the tv.
Yes and no. I think enough time has elapsed that while the day certainly needs to be remembered and honored there are much better ways to do it than making the entire country relive the day in a play-by-play format.
I think the best thing now is to remember the events while placing them into the context of what they meant to the country and the people who lost loved ones. Delving to deeply into the realities of that day just serves to pick open a wound that is only starting to heal for people. It can also evoke radical reactions that are simply not positive.
For instance, living in NJ, I know a few families who lost people. Many of them are choosing not to attend the large ceremonies at Ground Zero instead choosing to honor the day and their loss in a more personal way. They very much shun the media spotlight of the large events and feel that their loss is being used as a tool. I know one family that purchased a statue of Saint Joseph for their local church in honor of their loved one and will be attending a small ceremony to dedicate it and honor his memory.
It is also becoming increasingly important to teach kids about what happened and simply replaying the events as they happened in real time doesn't do a good job of that. There are a lot of people out there who were 5 or 6 years old when it happened and have almost no memory of it. Also, children 10 and under weren't even alive when it happened. Teaching them about it is the best way to honor those who died and "never forgetting".
Parallel 9/11 to Pearl Harbor. How many of us stop to relive the events of December 7th 1941, the "date of infamy"? Probably what was the most seminal event in American History in the past 100+ years until 9/11 is barely remembered in a 30 second news clip. However, what is the importance of reliving that date versus remembering/honoring it?
I'm curious to hear other people's opinions about this. Do you think that it would be a good idea to replay live feeds (e.g., Today Show, etc...) from that day in order to bring back people's memories of the day and to stir up the emotions again? I just think that some have forgotten (purposefully or not) what that day was like on a minute-to-minute basis. Would that be helpful or hurtful? I just feel like some have grown so distant and we should never forget...
I really don't grasp this fear of not remembering. We have two wars going on, one for a decade and the other for almost a decade. One is directly connected to 9/11 and the other has become linked to it because of the influx of Al Queda into Iraq. As a result, I don't think a day goes by that I don't hear references in the news to 9/11.
The whole War on Terror which consumes the soldiers and money of the U.S. (and other countries), as well as dominating politics is all traced back to 9/11.....sometimes, in my estimation, dubiously so.
I feel that those dead are being badly used by many people, and I suspect that those same people would have/will have field day to suit their agendas with the commemoration. I can understand how some families would chose to keep their remembrances local and private.
I, personally, am not a fan of streaming the events as they happened. We don't do it for any other tragedy that we have been through so it makes no sense to do it for 9/11.
Could you imagine the outrage if we replayed the Columbine shootings every anniversary or rebroadcast the Oklahoma City Bombings every year? Why don't we rebroadcast the scenes from the original Trade Center bombing or the mass shootings while we're at it?
Hopefully the networks will display some class and only show the reading of the names and other memorial related activity.
Reliving the death of 3000 innocents from different nations and different religions around the world in the WTC does nothing but stir up negative and adverse emotion.
I do get everybody's point; I have no real opinion on either side. I just have noticed myself Googling the subject in the last few days as the media coverage has increased, and it brought a lot back that I had pushed to the back of my mind. I totally agree about the possible down side of bringing it back minute-by-minute. I don't know; I just sometimes feel like everything related to 9/11 has become grist for the mill for people with their own agendas (political, religious, etc...). I just remember the pure horror of the day as we realized that our country was under attack. I worry about complacency and about the bottom line; there are people out there who hate us and want us dead. I don't believe we should beat kids over the head with that knowledge, but it is reality. We need to find a balance.
If you worry about 9/11 on a day in and day out basis then the terrorists have succeded in what they were trying to accomplish.
I don't think anyone that witnessed those events will ever forget what happened but that doesn't mean we should live our lives in constant paranoia because of that attack.
We aren't becoming complacent, we just aren't letting them win by staying afraid of something that hasn't happened yet.
I'm curious to hear other people's opinions about this. Do you think that it would be a good idea to replay live feeds (e.g., Today Show, etc...) from that day in order to bring back people's memories of the day and to stir up the emotions again? I just think that some have forgotten (purposefully or not) what that day was like on a minute-to-minute basis. Would that be helpful or hurtful? I just feel like some have grown so distant and we should never forget...
I could not more emphatically say "no" to this. No one has forgotten 9/11. No one has forgotten how they felt that day.
Moreover, the hysteria of that day led to VERY unproductive acts by U.S. citizens and their government, and any attempt to recreate the irrational emotions of that day would have absolutely no beneficial effect.
We reacted with emotion in Congress, on the streets, on the field of battle, and in the courts. 9/11 was a bad day, but it preceded an even worse period in American financial, military and domestic policy.
No. Live feeds are a terrible idea, and the current media frenzy over this arbitrary anniversary date embarrasses me. I was 23 when the towers went down, and I was working as a copy editor at a daily newspaper. I remember all I need to remember.
If anything, we should create a montage of video clips of all the absurd things our politicians said and proposed after that time, including the Patriot Act, the Iraq War, the anti-Muslim rhetoric, etc., so we can create a template for what NOT to do in response to a criminal act.
I do get everybody's point; I have no real opinion on either side. I just have noticed myself Googling the subject in the last few days as the media coverage has increased, and it brought a lot back that I had pushed to the back of my mind. I totally agree about the possible down side of bringing it back minute-by-minute. I don't know; I just sometimes feel like everything related to 9/11 has become grist for the mill for people with their own agendas (political, religious, etc...). I just remember the pure horror of the day as we realized that our country was under attack. I worry about complacency and about the bottom line; there are people out there who hate us and want us dead. I don't believe we should beat kids over the head with that knowledge, but it is reality. We need to find a balance.
Interesting comments. In some ways I think you are right. The current rememberances all tend to be very tainted towards a certain purpose whether that be political or religious. This is why many of the survivor families are eschewing the formal ceremonies for more personal ones.
However, I do think it is compelling to see the reactions to the events as they happened, not necessarily the events themselves. The day of and immediately following the attack showed a lot of real emotion and reactions that were genuine and not tarnished by an agenda. The image of Congress standing together on the steps of the Capitol and singing God Bless America. People of all backgrounds linking arms and walking towards the site to help hand out water and care for the victims and first responders. The spontaneous memorials that sprung up around the country. The emergency personnel from across the country volunteering to help. The appearance of American flags on everything virtually overnight. These reactions are often overlooked as we jump from the actual event to the agneda driven responses and rememberances. I think there is a lot of value in showing just how united the country was at that time.
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