. . . all of these posts on “this is where I was when 9/11 happened and this is how I reacted to it” make me feel very uncomfortable. The statements of the “and the world was never the same after 9/11” variety make me even more uncomfortable. And then there is the supremely annoying “there was such a sense of solidarity after 9/11, why can’t we have that back instead of the political bickering?”
The worst ones, however, are the ones who place “9/11” and “the loss of innocence” in the same sentence.
It seems like inanity is the favorite response of many people to traumatic events. 9/11 has been literally drowned in platitudes of the worst order.
Clarissa's Blog 
I don’t mind the first statement, because how I found out was pretty odd (I can’t tell it in public without risking offending somebody). It’s the “solidarity” and “loss of innocence” ones that drive me crazy, because it perpetuates a myth of a country while it hides the atrocities of it’s foreign policy. The rest of the world had lost its innocence a long time ago. And “losing your innocence” is not such a bad thing. It means you become an adult.
LikeLike
Ooh, I want to hear this story. Is that inappropriate? 😉
LikeLike
It’s not exactly inappropriate, but kind of funny, in a dark humor kind of way. That’s why I don’t want to offend anybody.
LikeLike
I just cracked down and shared my story in the most recent post. Is yours any worse?
LikeLike
Oh, I know. It’s the same reaction as the one after the Abu Ghraib photos surfaced. Oh, everybody was so shocked? I wonder, what did people think happened at war before the photos? The invaders and the invaded sang and danced together in the streets?
LikeLike
Or when they learned there were no WMD and probably the US government had lied all the way through? Hello, Nixon anybody?
LikeLike
oops don’t read my blog tomorrow then 🙂 Its about me wondering I can do better with my own kids than i did with my students after 9/11. hopefully I’m not too inane
LikeLike
I’m sure you didn’t lose innocence on that day. 🙂
LikeLike
umm no that shipped had sailed a while back. make sure to tell me if you hate it tomorrow. then again, not unless you awaken in a better mood!
LikeLike
I’m in a crappy mood today because I have to go to a party. Tomorrow, the party will be behind me, so I’ll be my regular cheery self. 🙂
I always love all of your posts, anyways.
LikeLike
wear something plunging. it worked so well for me today 🙂
LikeLike
Yes, I read the post and was actually very inspired. 🙂
LikeLike
I did fly out of National Airport in DC the evening of 9/10/2011 and there was no security.
LikeLike
I’m still seeing a real reluctance to discuss the issue in the dearth of comments to my most recent post.
I’m not American,s o it isn’t my place to push, I guess.
LikeLike
The World Trade Center attack does not compare to many of the terrible things that happened in the 1940’s. Anyone remember a city called Hiroshima?
No doubt this comment will get me labelled anti-American, which I am not.
LikeLike
My question is: what’s more anti-American, remembering this country’s history, or substituting it with a cheesy Hallmark jingle?
LikeLike