I'll never forget where I was that day. I was in 8th grade and I was in my life skills class. We were in the computer lab when he came in and told us that "a plane just hit the World Trade Center." We watched the coverage on the news for the rest of the day.
I don't have anything too profound to say about 9/11, but I can't help but become crushed with overwhelming sadness by the mere memory of the event. I think every red-blooded American feels the same way.
I was home sick from school that day, and I remember my mother waking me up to tell me that a plane had hit the World Trade Center. Like a lot of people, we assumed that it was an accident, and I went back to sleep. Later, when she woke me up again to tell me that a second plane had hit, and that somebody was attacking America on purpose, I remember seeing tears in her eyes. It was the first time I had ever seen her cry. I remember the confusion and anger that seemed to be on everyone's faces for the next few days. I remember how everybody hung their flags on their porches, realizing that despite their differences, they were all citizens of the greatest country on Earth, a country that would never allow itself to be beaten by fanatics and cowards. I also remember how our politicians began using what happened as an excuse to pass unconscionable laws, and drag us into a seemingly endless war with a country that had nothing to do with the attacks. I remember how terrified people became, afraid not only of some faceless evil from the Middle East, but of their own government that was spiraling out of control. I remember how Americans, so recently unified by the attacks, were suddenly more divided than ever before as our government announced that anybody who didn't support them was supporting the terrorists. I remember how the America that I loved, the America that I grew up in, ceased to exist. It wasn't the terrorists that destroyed us in the end, it was the corruption and greed of the people that we had trusted to lead us.
I was in history class in 6th grade. We were working quietly when our teacher got a phone call and then turned the TV on. I didn't really know what was happening at the time, but I remember it clearly.
Rather than get all sad about what happened, I prefer to look at dark humour about the subject and laugh a little. Focusing on the negative aspect of stuff like this is a real downer. I mean, I was in Kindergarten, but I was home sick that day. I didn't really understand what was going on, but I knew a lot of people died. I understand why people get offended by 9/11 jokes, but if, like, you are okay with Holocaust and Nazi jokes and not 9/11 jokes, isn't that a bit hypocritical? I mean come on.
The point of Nazi jokes is to take people that were once terrifying and reduce them to objects of ridicule and scorn. Compare that to Holocaust jokes, the point of which is to belittle and insult those who suffered. It is okay to make jokes about the terrorists responsible for 9/11. They don't deserve to be remembered as anything more than objects of ridicule. It is not okay to make jokes about the attack itself. It is insulting not only to the people who died, but to the people they left behind.
I was 5 when this happened. While it didn't really change my perception of anything that "Evil" or anything like that like that, it made me realize that as human beings, not everyone that you'll ever meet is a good person. Thinking back on it, it was the death sentence of a "Strong" America, where America and the western world was defeated by fanatics. And with the "terror levels" in Australia recently being raised because of I.S, it seems that not even peace can come to a world where a faceless evil is worse than a visible evil. Funny enough, It also made me realize that Australia was not in America. (I believe that the government did it, but that's just me.)
The 'funny' thing about jokes (See what I did there) is that no matter how offensive jokes like these are, we'll keep making them. I guess that's human nature. I would love to make a return joke on that however, but it might get me banned.
The events are tragic. I’m not saying that they aren’t. But the US government and the media make it out to be some worldwide catastrophe that claimed the lives of millions of people around the world, when really, the event only killed about 2,600 people, which in the grand scheme of things for a large country like the United States isn’t a huge number. Also, we’re Americans. Not only are we extremely self-absorbed with our ignorance, fueled by the liberally biased media, we’re hardly sympathetic for our victims. We forced unspeakable violence upon the natives when we came here, we killed almost 150,000 people in dropping the atomic bomb in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and we’ve pointlessly murdered innocent people in the Middle East. I understand that a lot of people died, and I should be respecting them. But while we honor the dead, we can’t have these extravagant 2-hour TV specials reading the names of all these people who died 12 years after the disaster. You don’t see Japan having these insane specials reading off the names of people who died in their terrorist attacks. Yes, that qualifies as a terrorist attack. I honestly don’t care anymore. Terrorist attacks happen all the time in other countries every day. Just because this one happened in America doesn’t make it any different. It was a terrible thing that happened, but it’s been 12 years. We killed Osama. Why we are still in Iraq, I will never know, but that’s a story for another time. The USA is comparable to a person who still clings to their ex-spouse or significant other years after they broke up. We have to move on with our lives. Not forget about it completely, but just move on and keep in it the back of our thoughts. - - Auto Merge - - I slam, you slam, we all slam for Islam!
So should the Holocaust, so should the Nazi Regime, so should the poverty and sickness of people in Africa. But people joke about those all the time to positive results 90% of the time. Suddenly, you can't make a joke because it happened in 'America'. It's just kind of stupid, I find, that people are immensely hypocritical in the fact that they're okay with joking about a subject where 6 million people died because of a madman vs. a subject where 2000 or so people died because of madmen. Joking about the subject isn't demeaning it, it's humanizing it. People say 'Don't forget about 9/11' but get all mad when it IS remembered in any shape that ISN'T sadness or regret. That's bull****. Making people laugh about the subject > Moan and groaning about the subject. Not only are we remembering the event, we're showing that we can put it behind us so far as to show that we don't let it affect us. That we're strong and we're capable of overcoming grief. If you think 9/11 is an 'untouchable' subject, then I invite you to stop making so many jokes about... well, anything. Because at the end of the day you're gonna offend SOMEONE. And that shouldn't stop you, because you're doing it for the right reasons. At least I hope so. You want Al-Qaeda/ISIS/The Terrorists in general to win? Continue to be sad, desperate, and full of negative hatred and emotions over stuff like this. You only invite despair. And that's what they want.
I visited Hiroshima during my stay in Japan. That place is the bomb. It had me positively glowing with enthusiasm. Hiroshima radiates progress.
Ridley has a point. Stay on topic or don't post in the thread. Consider this a warning to all. Don't be a jerk.
