remembering 9/11

[chirpychirpy]

How do you feel about the endless Media coverage of 9/11 a decade on? Especially endlessly repeated TV footage of the planes hitting the Twin Towers, and the countless different stories of sadness, heroism, etc?

[VHG]

I sometimes think the only terrorist attack that ever happened was 9/11 as that is all we ever hear about.

I know it was dramatic when it happened, and I know lots of people died, but people died in Madrid and London and Bali and other places and they are hardly mentioned.

It seems to me that because it is New York, and because they speak English, and becuase they are mostly Americans, it gets covered far more than if the same thing had happened in Moscow or Rio Di Janeiro.

And as I have said on this form before, when the US were in Vietnam they use Agent Orange and Napalm, both of which caused for more suffering than happened at 9/11, but we hardly ever hear about it, maybe because they are just poor people in a far away country who cant speak English.

Agent Orange has caused hundreds of thousands of deaths and is still causing the birth of deformed children in Vietnam decades later.

I wonder how many Americans ever think about the suffering they caused in Vietnam, or are they too busy watching programs about 9/11.

Sometime you reap what you sow.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agent_Orange

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napalm

[beejay1124]

or......the Omagh car bombing-august1998- 29 deaths, for a small town compared to new York
no self praise / wallowing in their heroism from the RUC or N Ireland ambulance service-----unlike the FDNY
even though americans funded irish republican /anti british activists, i do not condone 9/11 -but the OTT reporting is wearing a bit thin

[Postdog]

I don't want to give the impression I'm glad it happened because I'm not, but I have to admit to feeling a sense of retribution for the part the americans, particularly new yorkers, played in IRA funding. I was in London during the 70's and later bombings, and I narrowly missed getting caught in the old bailey bomb. I have to admit part of me said "well, see how YOU like it"

back to the question though, I do think it's too much. Remember on the day ten years on, yeah, but it is a bit too much running up to it.

[LazyGun]

Its probably the single defining moment of the last decade. 9/11 was responsible for the change in focus of US and global foreign policy to "the war on terror".
9/11 was the spark that prompted the military adventures into Iraq and Afghanistan, with the subsequent deaths of 1000s of civilians and 100s of military. Its cost the US and ourselves billions - billions that would have been better spent on job creation or health services.

Given how fundamentally important the events of 9/11 have been on shaping global foreign policy for a decade, I dont think the coverage is too much.

[Gromit]

http://img.slate.com/.../060912_CB_911pic.jpg

[Bigfellah]

Well, I lost 19 colleagues in the disaster and this Sunday I and many other ex colleagues will be remembering those 19! If you were not close to anyone who died then, you would not know what it was like.

Similarly for those caught up in the Irish bombings, and the more recent London bombings.

[ichkeria]

Of course many many people will be marking the event and quite correctly and naturally. The point was that there are lots of disasters but the media coverage of this particular one seems disproportionate. Especially as "media coverage" is largely self-serving and impersonal anyway. And perhaps even, who knows, upsetting to those directly affected who would rather not constantly be reminded of it by those who weren't involved.

[Brenden]

Surely if you do not want to watch it you change channels it is a matter of choice - but like all atrocities committed throughout history let us hope that it will not be repeated like history has a habit of doing.

[I.Don No]

I wonder if, on the anniversary of 7/7, the US media will be given over to programmes on that event.

somehow I doubt the coverage, if any, will be as widespread in the USA as the coverage of the 9/11 anniversary is in this country.

[Canary42]

It wasn't 9/11 per se which changed the world (it was after all the sort of thing London, and then Berlin, experienced night after night for prolonged periods, not to mention Nagasaki and Hiroshima), it was America's hysterical reaction which changed the world.

[ladybirder]

Well I remember staring at the TV screen in disbelief and wondering if this was the start of WW3 such was the impact. I tend to agree with LazyGun.

[tamborine]

Its not endless and will probably end 2moro when we can sink back into our sofas.

We do need alerting to the danger of radicals surrounding us daily.

[lynbrown]

I think the media jump on anniversaries like this one, it allows them to use old footage and search for people to open their hearts on what is real grief to them. Easy TV. Its mawkish. A previous poster mentioned that the Americans are unlikely to mention 7/7 anniversary when it comes round. I agree.

[MarkRae]

If you think coverage of the tenth anniversary of a world-changing event is becoming a bit "blanket", just wait until 28 July 1914. Actually, it'll probably all kick off on 28 June...

[lynbrown]

Just wait until July 1914?? Do you mean 2014??