September 11, 2001

Off Topic
21

[quote]Sean_H wrote:
I was never realy affected by it at a personal level, so i don’t know why people are still thinking it as a big thing. To me, it was just some buildings where people worked, they were bound to die some die soon or later. Infact, to me, this is nothing as bad as places such as the poorer countries experience everyday with aids and poverty ravaging their country. To me, thats a bigger ongoing problem than the influx of casualtys and fatalitys on that 1 day (and following days).

Although this is just my oppinion, and as i stated, it didn’t realy effect me so i don’t know how other people reacted and how it effected them.[/quote]

Well, honestly, when you look at the history of mankind, WWII was just a blip on the death screen.

Sure, worldwide famine and disease are terrible too, and efforts are being undertaken to stave off those problems, but they will likley never be enough. But to trivialize one form of death in order to bring attention to another form is asinine.

How would you appreciate it if, God forbid, someday you have a child who is killed suddenly and violently and I walked into the funeral and yelled out that it’s no big deal, she had to die sooner or later and that millions are dying around the globe due to the unfair economic practices of American big business (or whatever)?! Do you think that would go over well???

In the future, please have the dignity to refrain from such callous remarks.

DB

22

I remember having a very distinct “disjointed” feeling watching it unfolded on tv,almost like what I was watching wasn’t real.The realization that inside those burning buildings,people were dying right now,in real time was one of the most disturbing feelings I had personally ever experienced.

Like the live footage we watch during wars nowdays,I’m not really sure if it is appropiate for it to be shown live.I don’t know if it shows a lack of respect for the victims who are suffering there and then,the voyeuristic side of it is something I personally find disturbing.
I would like to hear the views from people who were directly affected by it,to have their point of view on this issue.

God bless all those who died and the families that suffered tremendous losses that day.

23

[quote]dollarbill44 wrote:
Sean_H wrote:
I was never realy affected by it at a personal level, so i don’t know why people are still thinking it as a big thing. To me, it was just some buildings where people worked, they were bound to die some die soon or later. Infact, to me, this is nothing as bad as places such as the poorer countries experience everyday with aids and poverty ravaging their country. To me, thats a bigger ongoing problem than the influx of casualtys and fatalitys on that 1 day (and following days).

Although this is just my oppinion, and as i stated, it didn’t realy effect me so i don’t know how other people reacted and how it effected them.

Well, honestly, when you look at the history of mankind, WWII was just a blip on the death screen.

Sure, worldwide famine and disease are terrible too, and efforts are being undertaken to stave off those problems, but they will likley never be enough. But to trivialize one form of death in order to bring attention to another form is asinine.

How would you appreciate it if, God forbid, someday you have a child who is killed suddenly and violently and I walked into the funeral and yelled out that it’s no big deal, she had to die sooner or later and that millions are dying around the globe due to the unfair economic practices of American big business (or whatever)?! Do you think that would go over well???

In the future, please have the dignity to refrain from such callous remarks.

DB[/quote]

I was expecting a reply such as that, but as i stated, i wasnt effected at a personal level. I am not saying this isnt realy a big deal, it is, but im saying it isnt a big deal to me. Anyway, ill go back to reading and not posting.

24

My family & I had just moved to Cameroun, in Central Africa. We had flown out of JFK on Sept 5. Unlike most people, we didn’t see any of the images until about a year later. Someone with a radio heard the news and told us that New York had been attacked and that the twin towers had exploded. My parents still live in New York, and we had no way to get in touch with them for about a week. It was the most sickening feeling to be in a strange new country, only knowing that something very awful had happened in my hometown and not being able to find out how my parents were.

The city we were in, Yaounde, isn’t necessarily a friendly place. I remember seeing a little kid wearing matching ashorts/t-shirt combos with Bin Laden on it, looking like a legendary hero riding a charging horse. Walking through a market area shortly after 9/11, a group of men were talking loudly about the evils of America and as I walked in between them, one stared at me and shouted “Osama should just finish off the rest of them.”

To balance that, there were many people who expressed heartfelt sadness at the tragedy that took place in “my home” and to “my people.”

We came back to the US in 2003 and one of the first things we did the next time we were in NYC was to visit ground zero with my kids. I remembered as a teenager taking the elevator to the top of one of the towers with my friends. My mom used to work there years ago. We used to be able to see the twin towers from the roof of my parents’ house in Brooklyn. When I think of 9-11, I get that sick feeling in my stomach that you get when someone’s burglarized your home, or done wrong to a family member.

25

I was at work and noticed the woman who was the head of HR bawling to someone about a plane hitting one of the towers. For some reason I was like “wtf” because I immediately thought it was like a cessna or small plane, and was wondering what the big deal was. Shortly after word was getting around of what exactly was happening.

Someone next to me turned on a radio where the initial reports were insane, at first they talked about a massive car bomb at the pentagon, planes being shot down, all types of insanity. I immediatley left the office for a vantage point in my town where you can see the skyline of ny (i live in NJ).

Just sat up there with a bunch of ppl and could easily make out the smoke from the towers, although this is before they actually came down. Left there and was just basically glued to the media the rest of the day…

26

[quote]Sean_H wrote:
I was expecting a reply such as that, but as i stated, i wasnt effected at a personal level. I am not saying this isnt realy a big deal, it is, but im saying it isnt a big deal to me. Anyway, ill go back to reading and not posting.
[/quote]

Don’t let the door hit you in the ass.

27

[quote]dollarbill44 wrote:
How would you appreciate it if, God forbid, someday you have a child who is killed suddenly and violently and I walked into the funeral and yelled out that it’s no big deal, she had to die sooner or later and that millions are dying around the globe due to the unfair economic practices of American big business (or whatever)?! Do you think that would go over well???
[/quote]

This is an open discussion forum, not a funeral. They’re not even remotely similar. Not to mention it’s five years later!

This is precisely why I can’t stand hearing about this shit anymore. When the attacks occurred, there was an outpouring of sympathy from across the globe. But when things like this happen elsewhere, how many Americans actually give a shit?

I’m not here to ruin the thread, I’m just defending what is clearly the minority opinion.

28


I was walking by a tv shop and lots of people were gathered watching the tv on the shop window. I asked innocently:

What are we watching?
And somebody answered there was an attack on the Twin Towers in New York. I didn’t get it. I watched the image on the screen and I though: No. It’s not happening. It’s a movie scene. When I realized it was real my heart swole up and I felt tremendouds grief rise within me. I cried deeply and intensily every time I saw your grief. My pain over America and the deep humanity I felt over such brutal loss of life. Yes, people die daily. But from that day my faith in humanity daily died.

And 7/11 came to London and I could have gone as I lived in the area and was headed for the train station where one of the bombs exploded.

That was when I stopped posting on T-Nation. My grief over humanity was consuming my heart again.

Alpha F

29

From across the pond, Im glad we’re in this together.

30

I was in the Marines in perth Australia on R&R talking to my ex-girl friend who was in hawaii at the time. A guy came up to me while i was talking to her on the pay phone and told me what happened at the time i didn’t believe him until I saw a mass exodus of marines and navy leaving clubs and bars that’s when i know it was for real.

We headed straight for Afghanistan where the navy inserted us into Afghanistan. Loss of couple of friends and now we have these jackA@3 trying to tear down this memorial here in san diego that was made in my friends honor as well other veterans who lost there live all because they don’t like the memorial has a cross…some people have too much time on their hands…

31

Anyone get to watch the Special on CBS last night? Thought they did a good job with that. Kind of put thing in perspective for me, being able to see the lobby while the Command post was going on was interesting.

32

[quote]bigflamer wrote:
Sean_H wrote:
I was expecting a reply such as that, but as i stated, i wasnt effected at a personal level. I am not saying this isnt realy a big deal, it is, but im saying it isnt a big deal to me. Anyway, ill go back to reading and not posting.

Don’t let the door hit you in the ass.

[/quote]

Fuck you.

Oh no, i said something which was not the major opinion, i must be insulted. I’d think this site as a whole would know what it’s like to be a minority, from other threads it seems like it. Yet you can’t be a minority within the minority…

Thank you wfifer for trying to explain, and if my post screws it up, sorry.

33

[quote]bigflamer wrote:
Sean_H wrote:
I was expecting a reply such as that, but as i stated, i wasnt effected at a personal level. I am not saying this isnt realy a big deal, it is, but im saying it isnt a big deal to me. Anyway, ill go back to reading and not posting.

Don’t let the door hit you in the ass.

[/quote]

Better yet don’t even bother reading! We would hate for you to read something that you might find offending and not a big deal and think you should have to post again.

34

Damn it I missed it! I had forgotten it was on and watched the Football game instead…it was not worth watching.

35

My crew and I had just finished cutting down a couple of trees. ne kid that liked to sit in the truck and listen to Howard Stern jumped out and started babbling about some craziness, Stern said that someone just flew Another plane in to the Towers.

At first I thougt it was a landing gone awry, but then the reprts of it being two planes, and a couple of others rolling in, everything started to come together.

My first thoughts were of my ex-girlfriend. She was a flight attendant.
I got in touch with her eventualy, but the gravity of the whole situation took a while to sink in.

They evacuated Pittsburgh because of the flight 93 crash, and speculation that one could still be heading our way.

The rest of the day and a few after seemed strange.
Surreal.

36

[quote]
Too bad most of the world does not consider terrorism a threat…until they are attacked.[/quote]

Many countries have been affected by terrorism before the US. Just because we were attacked we feel the rest of the world should share our fears.

London has been bombed for many a year thanks to the IRA. No need to go into Africa and the Middle East and realise how much fear they would have to deal with on a daily basis.

Obviously the world was affected by 9/11 but by being paranoid about being blown up, the terrorists win.

I got on a Amtrak train the other day with a 130lb suit case. It did not get checked and never would. That could have stuffed that full of an explosive devise and put the remains of that train on the front page of every newspaper.

It can’t be stopped. All we have to do is remember those that have lost loved ones or been affected by this tragedy. By not getting on with our lives and living in fear, they have won.

37

I was teaching a class of 8th graders and one of the secretaries brought a message on a sticky note. She had a weird look on her face, and the message said, “Your wife called and said two planes hit the World Trade Center.” I asked who took the message, because there was no way two planes hit the WTC. What are the odds of that? She said she took the message, and that is what my wife said. I turned on the radio in my class and we listened to the news.

38

I went to bed (Time zone difference) pretty shitty because the Essendon Football Club full forward Matthew Lloyd was suspended for 1 week for headbutting Richmond’s Darren Gaspar. It was the first week of the AFL finals and I thought this would be devastating for the team’s chances of back to back flags.

My housemate came into my room and told me that somebody had flown a plane into the World Trade centre. I had a bit of a chuckle thinking some dickhead had gone out of control in a light plane and met a rather attention grabbing death. I got up to have a look at this comical event and soon realised that there was nothing funny about it. The troubles of the Essendon Football Club were quickly forgotten.

I sat there glued to the TV until about 4am and then went to Uni in the morning. Classes were actually cancelled at my University so we could all go home and watch the events unfold.

Amazing events and I will never forget that period of time.

39

On the surface, my perspective seems uneventful; I slept through all of it. Now, I’m a pretty late sleeper anyway, but the reason my wife and I were sleeping in this particular morning was because she, my mom and myself had gotten into Tampa somewhere around 11:30 the night before on a flight from Cleveland where we had been visiting my family.

Not really a close call, but the fact that we had been in the air not terribly far from Flight 93’s path just a few hours earlier was not lost on us. We got up around 10:30ish and listened to a voice mail from my mom saying that all flights in the U.S. had been grounded. We then got up and stayed glued to CNN for most of the day.

40

[quote]wfifer wrote:
This is precisely why I can’t stand hearing about this shit anymore. When the attacks occurred, there was an outpouring of sympathy from across the globe. But when things like this happen elsewhere, how many Americans actually give a shit?
[/quote]

I refer you to World War 2. When the Germans invaded Poland for the bogus Polish Attack in 1939 there was a quick declaration of war on Germany by a number of countries.

They included the UK, France, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. A number more jumped in against ze Germans as it all progressed. It amazes me that it took the Americans until 1941 to actually give a shit about this war.