Sorry, I’m Not Watching Repeats of 911 Again

Summary

The author of the web content reflects on the annual media coverage of the 9/11 attacks, questioning the necessity of reliving the tragedy and expressing a personal decision to disengage from watching the events' replay, focusing instead on faith and selective news consumption.

Abstract

The article presents a personal perspective on the media's repetition of the 9/11 attacks' footage each anniversary. The author feels that the annual reminders are unnecessary, as the events of that day are indelibly etched in memory. They challenge the notion that such reminders are beneficial, suggesting that the constant revisiting of the tragedy may not be conducive to healthy emotions. The piece also touches on the historical impact of 9/11, noting how it shattered the perception of America as universally beloved and sparked the ongoing global "war on terror." The author points out the shift in threats from foreign to domestic, particularly the rise of right-wing extremism within the U.S. Despite the continued risk of terrorism and violence, the author observes a collective resilience, with society adapting to live with the awareness of potential threats. The article concludes with the author's personal choice to avoid 9/11 news coverage, preferring to engage with news selectively and placing faith in God rather than humanity or political systems.

Opinions

The author believes that the annual replay of 9/11 footage is unnecessary and questions its purpose.
They argue that the attacks have made us acutely aware of the potential for violence and terrorism in our daily lives.
The author reflects on the naivety of the pre-9/11 view of America as a universally benevolent nation.
They note the resilience of terrorist groups despite the death of Osama Bin Laden and the ongoing nature of the war on terror.
The author is critical of the rise in domestic threats, particularly right-wing groups, and their potential danger.
There is a sense of resigned acceptance that violence could occur at any time, yet people choose to live optimistically.
The author endorses the idea of "see something, say something" as a community response to potential threats.
They admit to living in a state of denial as a coping mechanism, choosing not to watch 9/11 news coverage.
The author expresses a loss of faith in humanity, political parties, and countries, instead placing trust in God.
They conclude by expressing a desire to not be caught unaware by future tragedies, while also distancing themselves from the media's portrayal of 9/11.

I’m never going to forget so why should I watch this yearly reminder

Do we really need to see the images from 911 on every single anniversary? If your answer is yes, then kindly explain to me why you think it’s necessary. Does anyone think we are going to forget what happened on this date? Do the reminders of it make you sad, or angry and is that a healthy way to feel?

Is there any single personal story that hasn’t already been written or told? I don’t think so. The terrorists attack on the Twin Towers in NYC woke us up to how much we are hated by other countries. I don’t know about you, but that came as a real shock to me. After all, weren’t we seen by the world as the kindly Americans? The ones who rush in and help our ally’s? The selfless big brother to the rest of the world? That’s what I was taught back in school six decades ago.

Well, I was naive enough to believe that, before I watched the planes strike the towers. And then afterwards it took weeks for me to process just how badly our nation is hated, and by who and for what reasons.

The bombing on 911 thrust our nation into what has become ‘the war on terrorism,’ a war we are still fighting over 20 years later. “Although Osama Bin Laden was killed in an American raid on his compound in Pakistan in 2011 — al-Qaeda has remained resilient, with affiliated groups in as many as 17 countries. As for today, the war on terrorism is not over in any way, shape, or form as targeted killings are ongoing.”

And what has become more prevalent are threats coming from home, not abroad. Specifically right-wing groups that rose in membership during former president Trump’s administration. Domestic threats in the US have grown in recent years and are combined with the spread of groups with affiliations or affinity to al-Queda and ISIL.

Per Bruce Hoffman, a senior fellow for Counterterrorism and Homeland Security at the Council for Foreign Relations, “terrorist groups are in more places than they were in 2001'. It’s hard to look at the world today from the United States and feel any sense of safety, security or any kind of contentment.”

And yet we do. We tell ourselves that sure, another attack could come at any time, but it hasn’t happened yet so why live in fear of the unknown? Unfortunately since 911 we’ve come to accept that we could be killed or maimed at anytime, by either a terrorist attack or some random deranged psycho with a gun and a secret manifesto. Or, maybe just from some kid just down the street suffering from an undiagnosed mental illness, or gone over the deep end from constant bullying. We know we’re taking our lives in our hands when we attend any large public gathering, or when we visit a mall, or go to a theatre. We’ve learned we are not immune to a sporadic attack from a stranger and didn’t the events on 911 start this?

I believe our consciousness ascended into the stratosphere after 911. Awareness became key to our very existence. The term, ‘see something, say something’ became the new mantra for our communities, schools, neighborhoods, and our workplaces. We are constantly assaulted by news reports about violent attacks taking place close to our homes and yet we go on with our daily lives feeling optimistic that these bad things will happen to — someone else.

Say what you will about ‘denial’ but I’ve come to think of it as a nice place to live. I will not be watching any news today about 911 because we don’t stream tv or any news stations either anymore. We prefer to get our news online — when and if we want it and mostly we don’t want it. We go days without reading any news and it feels great!

We’ve put our faith where it belongs in God. Not in mankind, or our country, or some political party because we’re constantly seeing how often they fail us. Try as they do, their hollow promises fall on tired, deaf ears dulled by too many disappointments.

Man will never be able to fix humankind, only God can do that because he works on the heart to sway the mind, while men constantly try to feed off our gullibility. Goodbye 911. I pray you never revisit us, but if you do I pray you will not catch us unaware.

Thanks for reading and thoughtful writing everyone.