Taking a pass on the annual national orgy of reliving 9/11

[markpkessinger]

Pausing to reflect on those who died on that day is one thing. But most of what passes for "remembering 9/11" these days amounts to trying to relive, by way of video, the events of that horrible day. This does nothing to honor those who died. As far as I am concerned, watching the videos from that day is rather like a parent, whose son was killed in a horrific traffic accident that was caught on surveillance video, watching that video again on every anniversary of their son's death. It is maudlin. It is unhealthy. If that parent were a friend of ours, we would urge him or her to get professional help. Watching these videos over and over again, year after year, and telling ourselves we are doing it to "remember" those who died, reduces the lives of those who died to the manner of their deaths, rather than the lives they lived. No, we're not "remembering" those who died; we're remembering, and in many cases, deliberately and self-indulgently trying to relive, how we felt on that day -- which has little or nothing to do with those who lost their lives.

Rather than this annual orgy of emotional self-indulgence, I submit a far better way of honoring those who died would be to focus our efforts on making the world a better place. For my part, I took a few moments when I woke up today to reflect on those who died, and those who were left behind. But, thanks but no thanks on the disaster porn.

[NYC_SKP]

1. Just another Thursday for me.

I'm as tired of it as you are.

Keeping away from all the programming about it on radio and cable and Internet was helpful.

[ailsagirl]

2. We must never forget

And we won't. But we don't need to see what I consider to be now-exploitative footage of
that terrible day.

Thank you for the post.

[rocktivity]

3. Every 9/11, I watch Fahrenheit 911 -- and I like it

Last edited Thu Sep 11, 2014, 11:59 PM - Edit history (5)

I like remembering how awful 9/11 was. I like remembering how awful the Bush years were. I like remembering that I didn't buy into it. And I like reminding myself that if there hadn't been a 9/11, there probably wouldn't be a DU as we know it. The only difference now is that I don't do it ALL day -- by noon, I'm back to getting on with my life, and at night, I haul out my Concert for New York tapes in an effort to end the day on an up note (this year, however, Sarah Palin beat me to it). But I consider it a duty to remind myself because we must NEVER backslide to that awful era.

On edit: Here's what I wrote seven 9/11s ago.


rocktivity

[MH1]

5. "if there hadn't been a 9/11, there probably wouldn't be a DU as we know it."???

Didn't DU come about as a reaction to the 2000 (s)election?

Even without 9/11 I am sure Bushwad would've have screwed up the country bad enough for the DU to develop and thrive.

[MH1]

4. I completely agree.

To be honest I've felt that almost since the day it happened. It always seemed to me that there was an element of exploitation in the coverage, especially once we got a few weeks away from the event.

The 9/11 coins being hawked on TV for awhile there were probably the worst, though.

[dflprincess]

6. But if we don't remember how awful that day was

we may stop being afraid of the terra-ists! We may even start asking questions.

Around the 4th or 5th anniversary I remember my mother wondering if the orgy would ever end. She said she couldn't remember people carrying on like that every December 7 for years after Pearl Harbor.

[randome]

7. You mean don't watch TV? Done.

[hr][font color="blue"][center]Don't ever underestimate the long-term effects of a good night's sleep.[/center][/font][hr]

[RobertEarl]

8. I don't watch the vids or look at the pics

But I will never forget what bush let happen. To do so would be to discount the lives lost because of that event.

[beam me up scottie]

9. Yep. nt