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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think that if 9/11 had happened anywhere else we wouldn't be remembering it ten years on?

471 replies

wannaBe · 10/09/2011 18:06

... or probably even one year on.

I am not taking away from how horrific it was for all who were directly affected.

But if it had been anywhere but America the world would have moved on and we wouldn't be facing wall-to-wall coverage ten years on. Even if it had been the UK only the UK would be remembering.

OP posts:
Portofino · 10/09/2011 20:15

Of course I am not a representative - but I have read of this over the years. I personally am not watching all this stuff because I don't want to. Your dh dies in a horrible way and it happens to be caught on film. Every year on the anniversary of his death, they show the footage of his horrible death on the BBC, because people want to remember, right? You on the other hand might NOT want to be reminded all the time about this! Why would you? You might just want to remember your dh.

It's almost like everyone seems to get some macabre enjoyment through watching it over and over and over again.

Badgercub · 10/09/2011 20:18

bemybebe There are plenty of large African cities where a large number of nationalities would be affected by such an attack, but I'm not specifically talking about African nations. What if the same thing happened in Brazil or Malaysia or China or even somewhere like Russia? I'm not sure it would have anywhere near the same effect.

It's interesting to consider why, and what lies behind our sympathies with some nations and some terrible events and not others.

Sookeh · 10/09/2011 20:19

Of course the OP isn't jealous, ffs Hmm

I know what point you were trying to make OP, but as a family we were (and still are) affected by 9/11 and I find the timing of your post to be in bad taste.

Milsean · 10/09/2011 20:19

"yankee-bashing" is such an obvious and ridiculous retort, levelled at any suggestion that there might be a deeper discussion to be had.

But then expecting a sensible discussion in FightClub AIBU is a forlorn hope at the best of times, people won't read the thread, and half that do won't understand it. But it was a brave attempt OP.

Badgercub · 10/09/2011 20:22

"It's almost like everyone seems to get some macabre enjoyment through watching it over and over and over again."

Maybe, but there are a lot of people who watch macabre things because it makes them feel connected to something bigger than themselves, and because they want to understand things from as many angles as possible.

scuzy · 10/09/2011 20:22

i just feel it should have been worded better not to geet people's backs up

bemybebe · 10/09/2011 20:22

I don't know about the firefighters, if they were not invited it is an utter scandal. High-profile events always attract politicians and others happy to perk up their personal PR image. Smart people will recognize this.

I worked for the company who had the largest number of employees in the WTC. I worked in London and we were watching our colleagues evacuating the towers live on CNN.

I want the name of one person, a British man Rick Rescorla, VP in the security department of Morgan Stanely who saved 2700 of his colleagues due to his personal bravery and unprecedented sense of duty remembered forever.

www.bbc.co.uk/insideout/southwest/series2/rick_rescorla_september_11_hero_bravery_cornwall.shtml

"Only" six people from MS died that die, he was amongst them.

Badgercub · 10/09/2011 20:27

That's very sad. What a brave person.

ggirl · 10/09/2011 20:28

I get what you're saying wannabe and yanbu.

Posters who don't read the thread before posting Hmm sheesh

ThePrincessRoyalFiggyrolls · 10/09/2011 20:30

Don't get me wrong I do understand what the OP is asking but I truly think this is different. This happened in a country which we are closely knitted with, in a major financial district that practically could at the time set the world economy and did (the job market was appalling for several months post 9/11 because of all the uncertainty), we lost nationals and STILL are losing nationals. There are very few people in this country who have not been affected because of the events that happened and changed the world, from having been in the wtc (yup did that one), to knowing someone who was affected by the wtc itself (yup, although thankfully was not physically hurt but has ptsd due to the proximity), to friends who have been sent to Iraq and Afghanistan (yup to both) and lost friends their (yes again Sad). There should be all this coverage, it would heinous not to do the coverage, Diana didn't change the world, JFK did, however sad Aberfan was it didn't change the World, the Tsunami's didn't change the world, each changed practices and procedures but they didn't affect absolutely everything that we do from driving past parliament, to getting on a plane/train/public transport, before 911 our boys in blue didn't have to carry guns, we didn't need to have or practice our emergency procedures in big cities. The IRA did some dreadful things but tbf there were warnings, 911 had no warnings. If it wasn't for 911 (and 7/7) Jean Charles de Menezes may not have been shot, the global economy may not have failed. Who knows, but it certainly shaped our current lives and that needs to be remembered.

All that being said, one of the posters above put it in black and white for me, all this coverage must be just as raw for those who were directly affected by losing a close family member Sad

CelestinaWarbeck · 10/09/2011 20:30

Haven't read whole thread (sorry), but sort of see WannaBe's point and think it's a shame she's been jumped on.

I don't think it's remembered just because it happened in the US, though. I think there are a few reasons why it's so visceral: the extraordinary images of the planes crashing into the towers were like some terrible disaster movie brought to life (and I agree that there's something slightly twisted about the endless replaying of the footage; it's not like we need reminding). And the human need to try to understand how on earth other human beings could cold-bloodedly plan and execute something so cruel and horrific. And the sheer scale of the loss of life in around two hours.

To compare it to the Boxing Day tsunami (which claimed many more lives): the footage of the tsunami was much less distinctive and high-quality, and - although you could say the tsunami was more horrific in terms of the misery caused - it wasn't done deliberately.

I think that in some ways WannaBe's point about the significance of it being a US event holds, though. As many posters have pointed out, 9/11 had far-reaching consequences. That was largely because it happened in a country that had the capacity and will to wage war on countries thousands of miles away (whether justifiably or not).

bemybebe · 10/09/2011 20:31

Badgercub - three residential buildings were blown up Russia in 1999 in September. It is a very well covered and remembered event. The fact that you do not know about it maybe tells me that you do not have connection with Russia. I do not blame you.

tralalala · 10/09/2011 20:33

yanbu not taking anything away from the horrendousness of that day.

I remember reading that to be reported ten times as many people have to die in developing country than a developed one for a natural disaster to be reported.

heystupid · 10/09/2011 20:35

america doesn't remember the victims from waco in the same way do they, oh maybe that's because they opened fire on innocent people so that's allowed.

bemybebe · 10/09/2011 20:36

"america doesn't remember the victims from waco in the same way do they, oh maybe that's because they opened fire on innocent people so that's allowed."

Does anyone need any more evidence that this thread is all about yankee-bashing?

Milsean · 10/09/2011 20:38

in Russia, perhpas, bemybebe, not everywhere.

paulapantsdown · 10/09/2011 20:39

YABU OP
What happened 10 years ago tomorrow changed the world forever ... for us, our children and and for generations to come - in every corner of the globe.

Many, many many life changing events are commemerated annually.

You are being childish and ignorant.

bemybebe · 10/09/2011 20:40

Milsean, i did not mean event in Russia is well covered "everywhere". But where it is relevant, it is.

Badgercub · 10/09/2011 20:42

bemybebe
"The fact that you do not know about it maybe tells me that you do not have connection with Russia. I do not blame you."

How bloody rude. I do know about it, thank you very much. You have no idea about my background or knowledge in these things.

My point was that if the SAME THING happened in Brazil, Malaysia etc (aka 3000 deaths, same number of nationalities) - would the reaction have been the same? I don't think it would have been. That is my opinion.

Sookeh · 10/09/2011 20:42

Heystupid, that's not quite what happened actually.

Milsean · 10/09/2011 20:42

but not in the same way, and I think thats the point.

Did it change the world? I don't know. The world is constantly changing.

Sookeh · 10/09/2011 20:44

Of course it changed the world!

Portofino · 10/09/2011 20:46

It certainly gave the US the reason it was looking for to go kill lots more innocent people in needless wars.

electra · 10/09/2011 20:46

You sound anti-American are are totally unreasonable. I find this quite offensive tbh

Milsean · 10/09/2011 20:46

In what way, precisely?