I can remember that day. It was a warm, sunny and eventful day for myself, as I was into my second week of being a student at Hofstra University. I had morning classes, and had just finished an English Literature course which would be followed by a Political Science course. It was about 9:30 am that I and my fellow students and professors heard the first reports of two passenger airliners crashing into both World Trade Center towers. None of us in the room knew what to make of the events, although for myself I did remember the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. So for me it did not come as much of a surprise to hear of a second incident, this time more fatal than the first. After a few minutes of discussion regarding our thoughts on the developing matter, a student in the nearby building barged in to announce that a plane had crashed the Pentagon. There were unconfirmed reports of a bombing in the Washington Monument and a car bomb going off at the State Department; thankfully those turned out to be false.
We and others went to the nearby Bits N' Bytes on campus to watch the news reports coming in. When I got there, the South Tower collapsed 1 minute later. Within less than a half hour after that, the North Tower collapsed. All told, with the WTC, Pentagon and a plane crash in Shankesville, Pennsylvania; some 3,000 or so people lost their lives that day. This included hundreds of NYPD and FDNY officials. The date has been etched in my memory for the last 15 years; September 11, 2001. I personally did not lose anyone that was family or close friends that day, yet I knew of far too many that faced an irreparable loss. My father, who had only retired from the FDNY two years prior, lost several firefighters that he personally knew, including at least a select few from his same ladder company.
For myself, I got home at my usual time, and got back to attending classes the next day. Life went on, although my perspective of life had irreversibly changed on 911. I suppose for many, including those younger than me, a day such as the one 15 years ago had its purpose and is looked at as part of a history lesson: maybe life to them has always felt the way it seems now. Yet, I guess you would have needed to be there during the years, months and even days before 911. Bill Maher in his book of essays "When You Ride Alone, You Ride With Bin Laden" I think put the 10 years or so before 911 to its proper meaning; the Seinfeld decade. Yes, much like the famed Jerry Seinfeld sitcom, the era 1991-2001 was one of trends and scandals and ideals and innovations that, with few exceptions, did not matter in the slightest. How low did it get? In my opinion, 1998 was the nadir, a year in which the world and particularly Americans were so fixated on President Bill Clinton's affairs with other women. In case you forgot, Pres. Clinton was impeached though not convicted for lying to a purported grand jury over an extramarital relationship (which was just oral sex) that any sane person would also deny until caught red handed. As a confirmation of the abject stupidity of the year, Time Magazine had as its People of the Year not only Pres. Clinton, yet also Kenneth Starr; the independent counsel and Iran-Contra figure who quickly faded into academia obscurity.
Well, if the 90's were the Seinfeld decade, it can be said that 911 was the Seinfeld series finale. All those incidents that were trivial came to nip us in the bud, and the consequences of our collective carelessness came to fruition that day. For myself, the rest of 2001 was in effect my social political and economic awakening. I had realized that all I was interested in, from the Clinton sex scandals to the Rep. Gary Condit incident to which politician had an interest in pop culture, meant not one thing. I had probably started the awakening earlier in the year when I registered to vote and started watching Meet The Press with Tim Russert every Sunday, though I was in that phase of in one ear and out the other with the issues at hand. That all changed after that September morning. Many that know me know my ideas and beliefs regarding 911 and the years afterwards. I am not here to regurgitate what I am aware of and what I feel on this matter. I will mention that on every Election Day from 2001 onward, and on many Primary Days in recent years, I have voted. For every elective office and proposition on any given ballot. And I'm voting this Election Day as well.
The 2016 election however has been concerning to say the least. Not least of which is the growing reality of a low turnout followed by a perceived apathy among the voting public. And if it is not apathy, it is certainly a desire to be selfish in approach and temerity. I am not pleased with this degradation of the issues both foreign and domestic that need to affect a campaign for any elected office. Believe me, many may not care; but there are those that will do the caring for them, and will inevitably make life worse for the uncaring. If that means the United States loses its influence on geopolitical issues to a number of developing countries, then that is the fate the US has chosen.
Of all the purported lessons and legacies 911 was supposed to exemplify, none that have appeared in nearly all publications and media are feasible and none are worthwhile. For myself, 911 provided only one lesson to be learned, though it is a big lesson: we have been and continue to be willingly conned. When we stop caring, we should not be surprised that the void left in the socio-political structure will be filled by people and ideas that do not give a flying fig about you. I am sadly seeing this again, which in these times will lead the populace on a path to ruin. That is what we should remember when we remember 9 11. Simply stated, all need to be aware and involved in our social political and economic world of whom we are and what we need to become. We would be living in a better and more humane world if people stopped caring about their trivial matters and started focusing on the betterment of all in their lives and those that will come after we leave.
As a unique addition to this blog, which I need to write on more often, I can remember a time when popular music and rock music took stands on issues that needed to be addressed. I rarely hear anything close to a protest song these days. Here are some that I can remember hearing after 911 and the years that followed which mattered for me in artists stating the truth.
And of course many more .
Not the end of the matter, only the beginning,
Robert
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