Before I begin this post, I would just like to say that it's my second day of school, with three classes back to back. Two hours of kiddie lit, then two hours of theatre. Can someone who has taken the theatre course please leave a comment as to how they found the prof? I've heard so much...
It's currently 10:30 in the morning on September 11th. Five years ago I was in drama class in highschool practicing short skit pieces with my friend Ryan. At this time, a boy stuck his head in our classroom and shouted "The United States is under attack by aliens!"
Needless to say, we ignored him. It wasn't until after class that we walked down the halls and noticed that the usual hum of teenagers talking, had been replaced with that of silence. It was eerie to say the least, as you could hear a pin drop in the hallway (to use the cliche) that usually students got yelled at for too much noise in.
September 11th may have been an event that happened in the United States, but I remember more than 3 kids going home that day because their fathers or mothers were in the World Trade Centre. Folks, we are so closely recognized with the USA, despite our best efforts to distance ourselves, that September 11th shut down our parliment. It had Canadians in fear (unfortunatly). And now, five years later, Mr. Harper is senselessly getting our troops killed in the same war that began so long ago. Is it really that long ago? Five years...
Five years doesn't sound like much, but think of what's happened since then. What has happened not with politics, or the US, but with you, yourself. It seems like a long time, doesn't it?
Like many world events, you may think that September 11th was a tragedy to a neighbouring country. Heck, some of you may think it was "just cause", although I'd have to disagree with you. So why do we suddenly go quiet if someone brings up the date? Why don't we feel that pang, or have the same massive media attention for the tragedies that other countries have endured, even by the hands of the USA? Why is September 11th so special?
Enlighten me with your thoughts. Please.
2012 End of the Year Writing Wrap Up
13 years ago
2 comments:
September 11 gives so many pause for silence because North American society is desperate for our cross to bear. Don't think for a second that I'm trying to minimize the loss that people felt, but there are disasters and genocides that happen all across the world every month that make 9/11 seem like a picnic, yet we hardly talk about them at all. In some perverse way, letting 9/11 obsess the details of our daily existence, makes us feel better about the crimes of Western civilization in the developing world, because we can then tell ourselves that it is all about fighting "the terrorists", and not about exploiting other people. The truth is that we are losing the war on terror because we have allowed ourselves to become terrified, which is the entire point of the attacks. We live on the safest continent in the world, yet waste more money on our personal security than any other nation. What people haven't figured out is that it is not the police forces or security measures that keep us most safe, (though they have their role in bringing in the bad apples) it is the social framework of our country that reduces poverty and needless cultural conflict, which is the root of most crime. If the United States had been smart, it would have paid tribute to the victims of the terrorist attack, assessed why they were attacked in the first place, and then proceeded to get the hell out of the middle east. It is a bit of a chicken and the egg theorem here, but if the United States took a true leap of faith and stopped butting into other parts of the world with its military machine, then perhaps the "terrorists" wouldn't keep on retaliating. Sorry for the rant n' ramble, but I think that all of these points are related. The bottom line is that we have to stop thinking of 9/11 constantly, and start paying attention to other parts of the world that are suffering even more (and in some cases suffering because of American policies in the first place) That's my two cents (plus a dollar for good luck)
Never be sorry for your opinion, it's really appriciated.
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