While reading about how our emotions played a role,
I did some research about the topic and found a lot of interesting things. This
website (http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2015528,00.html)
brought about many fascinating details of that day and also many questions that
I have wondered in the past. The main question I had was why we just call it
simply as 9/11. We don’t call any other attack/tragic even by its date. We give
it a name, not a simple date holder. This website stated that “Pearl Harbor and the Kennedy assassination were never known
simply as 12/7 or 11/22, but for 9/11, a numerical designation seemed to serve
as a thin shield against having to name — and thus feel — the tragedy every
time we discussed it”. Hearing a name of an event is not as bad as
hearing 9/11. It has a more personal feeling that seems to never be forgotten. It’s
more of reminder because since we call simply 9/11, we live it every year. The
emotions for that day were a roller coaster of names and feelings. It is truly
hard to believe that emotions can change so much in a day. This website I found
to be such a great resource that describes how each of the emotions for that
day can change and be described for that single day. A great ending quote from this website is “It may be worth remembering on an individual level too, as a
Muslim cab driver in New York City begins to heal following last week's knife
attack by an Islam-hating passenger. We can do little about the anger, anxiety
and grief we feel after an event like 9/11. We can do much, however, to
determine how we respond to those feelings”. This is truly a work that we
should move on and take notes from.Think before you do something so irrational like that.
In this age of information and of shortening things to make them sound catchy, like lol and omg. I think 9/11 is pretty catchy and rolls off the tongue better.
ReplyDeleteI think it is a very interesting point. I had never thought of the reasons why we we call it "9/11" ? I now sit and try to think back to how many times I have heard people speak of the attacks in terms other than 9/11. I believe that as the above comment said we use the terminology simply to make it easy on us, but let's look at the bigger picture: would our fellow citizens who lost their lives on that day appreciate the fact that we take the "easy route" to remember them? I think a simple numerical expression is not the best way of showing our care and feelings towards all the people who died on that day. I truly believe that a more explanatory and concrete title for that day would be appropriate other than a simple 9/11.
ReplyDeleteIts funny that you posted this. I also found this while researching and was planning on creating a post about it. Looks like you beat it to me. I found the information very interesting and it realtes well to the midterm question we had.
ReplyDeleteFor me I don’t think it is a disgrace to the memory of those who lost their lives on that day to refer to it as 9/11 or September 11th. I believe we refer to the date because there is not one single attack to refer to . If we say the World Trade Center attacks we are forgetting the individuals who lost their lives in the Pentagon and the United 93 passengers who crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. By referencing the day, September 11, 2001 we can remember and encompass all of the attacks.
ReplyDeleteI also disagree that referring to the date is insensitive. A word or name is what the public makes it to be. The feelings associated with the name 9/11 are feelings of sadness, reverence and memories of anger as well as admiration for those who showed valor. All of those emotions come together in a spiral of feelings when someone mentions 9/11 or even when I look to the clock and see the time reading 9:11. I believe anyone who experienced or has memory of the attack might share some of those feelings.
Thinking more about the day and date specifically do you think that the terrorists chose the date September 11 because they knew we would refer to it as 9/11 or 9-1-1 a day of emergency? Those numbers are synonymous with danger and emergency did they choose this on purpose? Or because of the specific flights leaving the airports on that day?