On 11 September 2001

[jawnbc]

My hometown died. Crumbled like powder. In a nightmarish way.

I'm not over it, and probably won't ever be. Nor do I think my suffering is any different from what others have experienced in Rwanda, Beirut, Belfast or any other community that has been decimated by hatred and violence.

I have got on with my life. But am still haunted by images of 767 bombs hitting buildings, of people jumping to avoid burning, of sounds of screams. Of towers falling.

For me, watching the memorials this year would have been of no value. For others it is quite different.

If you're "over it" woo hoo. But fook awf if you think your whinging about how much airspace the commemorations are taking up is a great contribution to others' healing.

Such events are obviously not for you. So skip it.

And skip the pithy comments on how everyone should move on. They're insensitive at best. Since people are showing up and tuning in, there's interest. And need.

Comments

Movin' on

[beastbriskett.livejournal.com]

Grief is a hard thing. People have lots of different reactions to it, and all of them are valid -- to them.
My beef is with the manipulative, manufactured and cursory coverage I've tried to avoid today. Maybe I'm being too harsh, but that's my reaction to what I'm feeling. I spent time in New York as a student, and the sight of those explosions still chokes me up.
That many lives lost, that many families torn apart, that large a wound to our human psyche doesn't heal quickly. I don't begrudge people taking their time in dealing with their losses, I vehemently object to picking at the wound for a few ratings points.
At least a couple of the networks ran a story this evening of two people who lost partners when the towers fell, met, and just got married. Dealing with their loss, putting grief in its place, and moving on.

Re: Movin' on

[jawnbc]

doubtless some media are doing what you describe. No different from any other stories out there, except in terms of longevity.

I also think that there is a critical mass of people who feel they were directly affected by that day...and I've found most folks who are not strongly affiliated with metro NY, Washington DC or Boston don't have the same pull.

Your posting was one of several that did catalyze mine. But mine wasn't a direct response to yours--or anyones. So 'tis all cool with me? All cool with you?

Re: Movin' on

[beastbriskett.livejournal.com]

Sure. I like sharing opinions. How else can I learn?

[bleppo.livejournal.com]

Amen...

Hi there, by the way. I haven't said much recently, but I have been reading...

[jawnbc]

hi back! And I've skipped your poetry project because I generally loathe poetry. Although you're quite fab...

Like a bad dream

[toneyvr.livejournal.com]

I know your connection to the horror was intimate. Tommy picking up the bits! Kathleen attending (how many?) funerals!

Mine was one much more removed, my intimacy consisted of a childhood marvel, needing to see those buildings with my own eyes. Fulfilled in 1980: I goggled, I shivered, and was utterly stunned as I stood staring up at those monoliths. Their simple elegance and unbelievable mass overwhelmed me.

And now they are gone.

Like the (600 foot?) Buddah that the Taliban destroyed, I find destruction of such human achievement emotionally devastating. It seems oddly callous I know, but I didn't know the people who died. I did know the buildings.

And my reaction to the coverage? I flipped the channel. I couldn't watch the people hanging out of the windows. I couldn't watch any of it again. But for those who needed to be there once more, the event had to be covered.

Re: Like a bad dream

[jawnbc]

ta tone...