Sept 11 - does it still weird you out?

[motownguy]

Originally Posted by Bebe

Also, I am not being snide; I really want to know. Why are American's so focussed on this?

I think that part of it is that, with an attack on "home soil" people get their backs up. Really, that was what brought the US into WWII as well, until the "first punch" was thrown people were content to be removed from the conflict.

[BrianAlt]

Originally Posted by motownguy

I think that part of it is that, with an attack on "home soil" people get their backs up. Really, that was what brought the US into WWII as well, until the "first punch" was thrown people were content to be removed from the conflict.

Yes, I agree that this is the major point for the nationalistic viewpoint of the situation. I guess the question for Bebe is, if there was an attack on NZ by another country or group, how would you feel about it? It's possible that Americans get "their backs up" more than most.

Then we also have to wonder, do Iraqis feel this way about us?

[Cal]

I also think it's strange that people with no direct connection to the event are so obsessed about it. I think a lot of it is American pride...if somebody fucks with your people, you get pretty pissed and in turn sad.

It's also a lot of PC reactionary talk around the water cooler. People just don't want to feel like they are jackasses.

[juliofromny]

what weirds me out or actually frustrates me is how people keep using this date to get a visceral and emotional reaction out of people and then use it for their own agenda. For instance we have Thursday business meetings, mainly because our boss doesn't have much of a social life and so she conducts these every week to waste our time and just get our attention (for instance 2 wks ago she started the first 20 minutes talking about the many uses of bounce fabric sheets).

So naturally, today she started all solemn and shit and started getting teary-eyed and started talking about the tragedy that is 9/11. Made us give a moment of silence and just tried to get us worked up emotionally and then eventually we got around to some business. This shit pissed me off to no end. I mean seriously, how many people who have grieved loss ones want to bring it up to everyone every year and have people feel sorry for them. You grieve and then you move on. If you want to remember the departed, you do it privately, and not try to get everyone else to your state of mind. This is no better than pushing religious beliefs to a non-believer and I want this shit to stop.

Luckily, I didn't lose anyone that day. My mom lives a few miles away from that tragedy and a friend was only a few blocks away from that whole mess on a way to a job. However, I've grown and I've moved on. I don't like to dwell on something that isn't at all productive and just stirs up bad feelings. That's a waste of my time and it only pisses me the hell up. *Breathes*

Ok I got that off my chest. It's been bothering me all day. Thanks for reading.

[BrianAlt]

Personally, I want to move on. At this point talking about it doesn't make me feel any better. Which is to say, yes I agree.

[brianward81]

My sister's birthday is on September 11. So I'll never forget.

[motownguy]

Originally Posted by BrianAlt

Yes, I agree that this is the major point for the nationalistic viewpoint of the situation. I guess the question for Bebe is, if there was an attack on NZ by another country or group, how would you feel about it? It's possible that Americans get "their backs up" more than most.

Then we also have to wonder, do Iraqis feel this way about us?

I'm sure that some of them do ... I would in their case.

I used to teach history and I grew up in the Deep South. My grandfather used to call the Civil War, The War When the North Invaded America. That was several generations after the cessation of hostilities. My point is this: any time a group of people tries to make you do what they want you to do at the point of a gun, the resentment lasts for generations, even if you share a common culture and language. Right or wrong barely enters into the equation ... armed coersion (sp?) is not an effective method of persuasion.

[Bebe]

Originally Posted by BrianAlt

I guess the question for Bebe is, if there was an attack on NZ by another country or group, how would you feel about it?

Then we also have to wonder, do Iraqis feel this way about us?

I wouldn't care as much as Americans seem to. I'm just not that patriotic. I'd be surprised tho, since we really have no enemies, except Australia, and that is mostly dealt with through rugby

Also, 9/11 was not exactly a huge thing - these kinds of terrorist attacks have occurred a lot.

[pala]

Originally Posted by Bebe

I wouldn't care as much as Americans seem to. I'm just not that patriotic. I'd be surprised tho, since we really have no enemies, except Australia, and that is mostly dealth with through rugby

Also, 9/11 was not exactly a huge thing - these kinds of terrorist attacks have occurred a lot.

I think it stems from the fact that most americans seem to think our country is some impenetrable fortress. That we're somehow "above" what the rest of the world goes through. 9-11 was the largest death toll in a terrorist attack on the mainland US. So of course these people who think we're untouchable would have a lasting memory of this event, much the same as Pearl Harbor, or to a lesser extent the Oklahoma City bombing.

Most americans would rather see 1000 people from any other country die, than 1 american. That seems to go along with the whole us vs. the world thing.

As far as 9-11 rememberences go. Yeah I think we need to stop with the moments of silence, playing god bless america every friggin time you turn around, and all other hoopla that goes along with 9-11 rememberences. Yes it happened, yes it was sad, lets move on. The faster we do this the faster we can move away from the brand of terror politics we've been subjected too and hopefully start to actually do things to help our country.

I also think we need to start to realize the "War on Terror" ranks up there with the "War on Drugs". We're not going to stop terrorism, just like we're not going to stop drugs. You try to do what you can, but any extra effort is just wasted chasing some idealogical war that is never going to end.

[Tiger]

Originally Posted by Bebe

since we really have no enemies, except Australia, and that is mostly dealth with through rugby

I'd say it is mostly dealt with on the cricket pitch
Rugby Union ranks only 4th in popularity amongst our football codes.