Thanks, television mofoes
I think that what has happened to the collective memory of 9/11/2001 is almost as tragic as what happened on that day. It's the same principle as repeating a word over and over and over again until it completely loses its significance and definition.
Let's try this. Say the word "holocaust" out loud. The first time you say it, it's tough. It conjures up disgusting, inhumane images of concentration camps and millions of innocent people being tortured and starved until they die.
Now say it about 20 times in a row. After about the 3rd time you say "holocaust", it just becomes an exercise in pronounciation.
Similarly, the first few teasers I saw for "9/11: A Year Later" type TV features actually hit me fairly hard. The fear, anger and sorrow I felt on that day in 2001 all came back to me for a moment.
Then came the second advertisement for a 9/11 special. Then the third. Then the 172nd.
It's amazing (but not surprising) how the media has turned possibly the most significant moment in modern history into a joke. I still cringe and want to throw up when I see the attack footage, but for entirely different reasons now; the coverage itself is what makes me angry, afraid and sorry.
While the attacks were happening, and during the one-month to one-year hangover everyone experienced after them, I don't think anyone in America needed to be told the significance of 9/11/2001. We all felt the day's impact in equal but different ways. The difference now is that news anchors are telling us that we need to remember, how we need to remember and what better way to remember than to watch a 30-minute montage of the most grim moments of that day.
Great idea! Let's make the attack footage like fucking sports highlights!
While we're at it, let's make patriotism a joke by showing an American flag flapping in the wind in slow-motion at every conceivable moment.
Instead of a tribute to the people who lost lives and loved ones on that day -- and, god forbid, educating the masses on what exactly the U.S. may have done to inspire such an attack -- it's an exercise in the ham-handedness of American TV producers.
The saddest thing of all is that there are still incredible stories out there from people who witnessed, escaped and saved lives during those attacks. I'll just never hear these stories, because I can't bear to watch any fucking TV shows about 9/11.
So, in theory, I agree with Howie and BK: Let's roll back to work, and then roll into a bar, if for no other reason to avoid the exploitative shit that will be on every TV station at all times for the forseeable future.
