Boston Strong?? (business, people)

[bostonguy1960]

Not sure if people in Boston cowered, but I wouldn't blame those in Watertown. That was a long ordeal.

And lots of people lost tip money and salary that day by following orders...

[495neighbor]

The tone of it occasionally seems patronizing when they put severely injured victim one after the other holding the team flag on one athletic field or another. If it gives these victims a true moment of happiness, I think it is a good thing.

More broadly, it is an important message telling those who may want to ruin our happiness that we are NOT cowards. You will not take our Marathon and other rejoicing away from us.

[bjimmy24]

I do feel that the "Boston Strong" idea went from being a slogan to bond together in a time of mourning in the wake of a tragedy in which people lost their lives while others were permanently maimed to now being a sports catch phrase. Just look at all the Red Sox-themed tweets over the last month. I think its overuse cheapens the memory of what actually happened on April 15. People died.

[miu]

Originally Posted by bjimmy24

I do feel that the "Boston Strong" idea went from being a slogan to bond together in a time of mourning in the wake of a tragedy in which people lost their lives while others were permanently maimed to now being a sports catch phrase. Just look at all the Red Sox-themed tweets over the last month. I think its overuse cheapens the memory of what actually happened on April 15. People died.

^^ Agree completely.

[xS☺B☺s]

I was listening to the Cambridge police scanners live from the moment the report came in about a shot fired near MIT. I heard the officer report the discovery of Sean Collier's (friend of the family) body. I listened to the ensuing police chase. I heard the terrified officer pleading for immediate backup in Watertown when he was the first officer to arrive and corner two thugs who clearly by the sound of the gunfire audible on the radio transmission were serious psychopaths on a murderous rampage.

I would suggest that in the light of the fact that dozens if not hundreds of rounds of ammunition are being maliciously discharged in your neighborhood, remaining indoors so as to not interfere with law enforcement's professional business is not cowering, it is simply common sense. Bostonians - who are as a metroarea one of the most educated cities in the USA - intelligently cooperated with authorities in a time of crisis, helped facilitate and expedite the investigate, and thus put two vicious psychos in the grave (but not Boston ground) and in the joint within 24 hours. IOW, vicious terror sneak attacked Boston at the height of our most festive hour, and we kicked their a$$es right to hell same day.

Maybe "Boston Strong" is being overdone. Maybe it's not. But the fact that a whole city and all the institutions rally around to support the victims who were physically damaged and those who are emotionally damaged speaks volumes for the heart of the city. Boston unified, analyzed, acted, succeeded, resolved and is now healing. Even better - despite the overtones, Bostonians are not calling for war against Muslims, Tajiks, or anyone else.

And above all, if you're a real Bostonian, you KNOW how much the Boston Marathon means to us. And if you don't, that would be the reason you don't understand the emotionalism. It ranks up the with the USS Constitution, the Red Sox, and Sam Adams. Being from NH, you should know this. If you don't as a PP rightly commented, you ought to get out more.

[xS☺B☺s]

Originally Posted by bjimmy24

I do feel that the "Boston Strong" idea went from being a slogan to bond together in a time of mourning in the wake of a tragedy in which people lost their lives while others were permanently maimed to now being a sports catch phrase. Just look at all the Red Sox-themed tweets over the last month. I think its overuse cheapens the memory of what actually happened on April 15. People died.

Maybe it means "Never Forget".

[charolastra00]

Originally Posted by xS☺Be

I was listening to the Cambridge police scanners live from the moment the report came in about a shot fired near MIT. I heard the officer report the discovery of Sean Collier's (friend of the family) body. I listened to the ensuing police chase. I heard the terrified officer pleading for immediate backup in Watertown when he was the first officer to arrive and corner two thugs who clearly by the sound of the gunfire audible on the radio transmission were serious psychopaths on a murderous rampage.

I would suggest that in the light of the fact that dozens if not hundreds of rounds of ammunition are being maliciously discharged in your neighborhood, remaining indoors so as to not interfere with law enforcement's professional business is not cowering, it is simply common sense. Bostonians - who are as a metroarea one of the most educated cities in the USA - intelligently cooperated with authorities in a time of crisis, helped facilitate and expedite the investigate, and thus put two vicious psychos in the grave (but not Boston ground) and in the joint within 24 hours. IOW, vicious terror sneak attacked Boston at the height of our most festive hour, and we kicked their a$$es right to hell same day.

Maybe "Boston Strong" is being overdone. Maybe it's not. But the fact that a whole city and all the institutions rally around to support the victims who were physically damaged and those who are emotionally damaged speaks volumes for the heart of the city. Boston unified, analyzed, acted, succeeded, resolved and is now healing. Even better - despite the overtones, Bostonians are not calling for war against Muslims, Tajiks, or anyone else.

And above all, if you're a real Bostonian, you KNOW how much the Boston Marathon means to us. And if you don't, that would be the reason you don't understand the emotionalism. It ranks up the with the USS Constitution, the Red Sox, and Sam Adams. Being from NH, you should know this. If you don't as a PP rightly commented, you ought to get out more.

This.

I also followed all night, which is how I learned that a few minutes after I left the Stata Center that night, the nice police officer I had waved at was assasinated. I also learned that someone was carjacked on the street on which I had initially planned on parking before something told me to leave my car at a hotel where my conference was being held. For a few hours before we knew for sure that the bombers were in Watertown, I was frantically trying to help out-of-towners at my conference find a way back to the hotel on Memorial Drive.

Cowering? Hardly. Only Watertown was under a mandatory lockdown. Out here in Medford, people didn't leave their homes because they were glued to their TVs. Keep in mind that towns are very closeby. I work in Waltham and have coworkers who WALK from Watertown into work in nice weather. It wasn't a stretch to believe that Dzhokhar could have made his way to Waltham, Cambridge, or Boston.

Dozens of friends were at the Marathon. Had I gone with my initial plans, I would have been right in between the two bombs. Several friends were there and still can't be in crowds. Some of my student workers were volunteer EMTs and ended up dealing with far more than their normal dehydration and sprains. 20 year olds witnessing people with limbs blown off.

I have mixed feelings about "Boston Strong" because of the commercialism, but the feeling is there. I know no one in the Boston area who wasn't impacted - either because they were there, know someone was there, or was within a degree or two of separation from one of the victims.

[Boston Shudra]

Originally Posted by bjimmy24

I do feel that the "Boston Strong" idea went from being a slogan to bond together in a time of mourning in the wake of a tragedy in which people lost their lives while others were permanently maimed to now being a sports catch phrase. Just look at all the Red Sox-themed tweets over the last month. I think its overuse cheapens the memory of what actually happened on April 15. People died.

I agree with this.

[altlover85]

Originally Posted by charolastra00

This.

I also followed all night, which is how I learned that a few minutes after I left the Stata Center that night, the nice police officer I had waved at was assasinated. I also learned that someone was carjacked on the street on which I had initially planned on parking before something told me to leave my car at a hotel where my conference was being held. For a few hours before we knew for sure that the bombers were in Watertown, I was frantically trying to help out-of-towners at my conference find a way back to the hotel on Memorial Drive.

Cowering? Hardly. Only Watertown was under a mandatory lockdown. Out here in Medford, people didn't leave their homes because they were glued to their TVs. Keep in mind that towns are very closeby. I work in Waltham and have coworkers who WALK from Watertown into work in nice weather. It wasn't a stretch to believe that Dzhokhar could have made his way to Waltham, Cambridge, or Boston.

Dozens of friends were at the Marathon. Had I gone with my initial plans, I would have been right in between the two bombs. Several friends were there and still can't be in crowds. Some of my student workers were volunteer EMTs and ended up dealing with far more than their normal dehydration and sprains. 20 year olds witnessing people with limbs blown off.

I have mixed feelings about "Boston Strong" because of the commercialism, but the feeling is there. I know no one in the Boston area who wasn't impacted - either because they were there, know someone was there, or was within a degree or two of separation from one of the victims.

I'm glad you were able to make it out safely.

I agree with the bolded part. It was a scary time and honestly, I was impressed at the way things were handled.

To the OP, while we don't know the future, generally cooperating with authorities is the best way to remain safe in an emergency. It would have been idiotic to leave when you knew two psychos were on the loose.

[snatale1]

Originally Posted by maggiekate

Sometimes Strong means doing as the powers to be do request

Ahhhhhhh, No. That's never what STRONG means.

With that said I think it's a little much to say most were cowering or hiding under beds. I'm sure some idiots did that, but certainly not the majority.