September 11 Reality: Americans Surprisingly Resil

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Found this interesting and quit frankly surprised that anybody ever thought otherwise.September 11 Reality: Americans Surprisingly ResilientBy Benjamin Radford, LiveScience's Bad Science Columnistposted: 10 September 2007 06:22 pm ETAs the sixth anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks come around, some Americans will mark the day in public ceremonies. Others will privately acknowledge the event, while many will go about their daily lives with only a passing notice. While the attacks have affected all Americans in one way or another, there's little evidence that American lives changed significantly. Within days of the attacks, journalists and pundits proclaimed that America would be changed forever. Americans would view the world and everything in it through a post-terrorism prism. Some claimed that the attacks would bring about a national period of self-reflection; others said that Americans would reject superficial pop culture diversions such as Britney Spears and Brad Pitt's current squeeze in favor of understanding global geopolitics. Still others asked if comedy could be funny after September 11. The claim that everything had changed was everywhere; in The Buffalo News, for example, writer Laurie Githens wrote that "the you that you are now—the person who is completely different from the you of Sept. 10, is not going away....Everything has changed. We have been, at the core of our character, rearranged." Yet popular assumptions and media reports to the contrary, research suggests that Americans have changed little. A poll published on Oct. 10, 2001, barely a month after the attacks, found that "nearly half of Americans surveyed—44 percent— say the attacks...had no lasting impact on their mental health." A recent USA Today/Gallup Poll found that, when asked if the terrorist attacks changed the way they live, fewer than one-third of Americans said "yes." A common media myth that sprung up after the attacks was that American tastes in entertainment would be forever changed. After seeing real-life horrors, the experts claimed, Americans would yearn for non-violent, wholesome family fare. Pundits filled pages second-guessing America’s taste in entertainment—nearly all of which turned out to be overstated or flat-out wrong. Entertainment Weekly magazine, for example, devoted much of its Sept. 28, 2001, issue to, as the cover put it, "The challenge to our culture." The magazine joined in the media chorus talking about the death of irony and the dramatic impact terrorism would have on the entertainment industry. Writer Jeff Gordinier wrote that "it’s hard to believe that we’ll ever see anything the same way....it took only an instant of excruciating reality to render our old [entertainment] appetites moot, piddling, even nauseating." The effect was so profound, Gordinier wrote, that "the mere glimpse of a quippy sitcom was enough to induce a sour grind of physical revulsion." That effect, if it was ever true, seems to have been short-lived. Within months, American tastes in entertainment returned to "normal" and in fact grew even more gory, sadistic, and horrifying than before 2001. "Torture porn" films such as "Saw" and "The Hills Have Eyes" were so successful that they spawned dozens of sequels and imitators. ("Saw," which features victims being tortured to death in creative, sadistic ways, grossed more than $100 million in box office sales worldwide.) Quippy sitcoms are everywhere, and more Americans can name Britney Spears's ex-husband than the prime minister of Iraq. Claims that tragedies fundamentally change the American character are not new, of course. Similar pronouncements followed the Columbine shootings and the Oklahoma City bombing, as well as the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. Certainly, the September 11 attacks were of a different scale, but the "everything has changed" motif has been disproven over and over again. Americans are much more resilient than they are given credit for. America will always live with the legacy of the September 11 attacks, in myriad ways ranging from airport security to annual memorials. But there's little evidence that the average American's life or character has been changed forever.

I can't say I'm happy about the "resilience" personally I feel on some level its not so much "resilience" as a lack of care and concern.

I could've told you that 6 years ago.

I wasn't in America at the time of the attack, so I didn't know about all this "things will never be the same". But I could've told you back then that the effects would only be short-lasting.

That's just how people are these days. They mourn for aa few weeks/months and then they move on.

I love all the idiots that buy cheap lil Flags, over priced, for their cars, and watch them accidently fly down the highway, and never buy a new one. I have no respect for selective patriotism. It shouldn't take a tragedy for you to band behind your country.

Quote: It shouldn't take a tragedy for you to band behind your country. I agree. Its a shame that people are only interested in politics out of fear.

I agree with you Java, selective patriotism isn't something I like.BUT, (this is to still searching) I think it'd be stupid to still be mourning today.Even after a loss of a loved one, you only mourn for a few weeks or months (in most cases of course). Yes, you get sad when you talk or think about it, but that's no depression.I think we should always remember the men and women who died, just like we should remember those who died in Katrina.9/11 is now known all across our nation. It is a date that will be in history books and be marked as the fuel of terrorism for the 21st century.No one has FORGOTTEN 9/11, we all see things in the newspaper about the war in Iraq everyday. Terrorism, oil, homeland security: these things matter to us now more than ever.So while Americans may be resilient, we still feel the blow each and every day.

It's stupid to mourn six years later, but it's smart to not forget. And by not forget, I mean that in several ways. 1)Don't forget those who died.2)Don't forget the fear and hatred that spawned from it.3)Don't forget the power hungry bastard that took full liberties from said tragedy. Live life like you're going to get hit by a bus that night/next day, that's the greatest honour for all those who have, and will die for the events that sparred that day.

Java while I agree with you.. I think it could use a small edit.Its not power hungard Bastard. Its power hungary Bastards.Lets face it.. everyone in the world has taken advantage of that situation in some way.Not just bush but, anyone invovled. Gas shortage my ass.

I agree with all three of those statements,I believe EVERYONE has a right to his or her civil liberties and when they are encroached that is worse than murder (in a sense).To a lot of people,the hype of Iraq and 9/11 is gone,but to people who have relatives fighting its quite real.

good edit, you're right.

Originally Posted By: Java_Addict

I have no respect for selective patriotism. It shouldn't take a tragedy for you to band behind your country.

I watched a program on tv a few months ago about international holiday goers and what different expectations they had and what pissed them off. They had groups from lots of countries. One day they brought them outside and they had each countries flags up on poles... then they burnt them in front of them.

The British were a bit peeved.
The Japanese were irate but didn't really fuss about it too much.
The Americans picked up the pieces, put them in a shoe box and had a big burying ceremony for the flag, saluting and singing the national anthem and all that.
The Irish fucked theirs in the bin.

American pride and nationalism is so foreign to me, its a bunch of crazy fucks being all proud and sniffley about something that isn't that important. I live in my country, I like it. Would I kill in its name? Fuck off!

A flag is a piece of dyed cloth, it represents a bunch of people living on a designated piece of land/sea. My underwear is more important than any flag because at least it has a purpose!

We take pride in the silliest things..I don't think there is anything wrong with taking some pride in your country... However, I think its about like anything else.If your a doctor who makes 500k a year. You take pride in your job in helping people, and enjoy the lifestyle your money affords you.I view it as somewhat the same. As an American you have to take some pride in where your from.Granted I can definitely see your logic in "I would not kill in the name of my country"

Originally Posted By: bobalicious Originally Posted By: Java_AddictI have no respect for selective patriotism. It shouldn't take a tragedy for you to band behind your country. I watched a program on tv a few months ago about international holiday goers and what different expectations they had and what pissed them off. They had groups from lots of countries. One day they brought them outside and they had each countries flags up on poles... then they burnt them in front of them.The British were a bit peeved.The Japanese were irate but didn't really fuss about it too much.The Americans picked up the pieces, put them in a shoe box and had a big burying ceremony for the flag, saluting and singing the national anthem and all that.The Irish fucked theirs in the bin.American pride and nationalism is so foreign to me, its a bunch of crazy fucks being all proud and sniffley about something that isn't that important. I live in my country, I like it. Would I kill in its name? Fuck off!A flag is a piece of dyed cloth, it represents a bunch of people living on a designated piece of land/sea. My underwear is more important than any flag because at least it has a purpose! I think that, also, it can make a BIG difference on which part of the U.S. you do these kinds of tests in.

BUT, (this is to still searching) I think it'd be stupid to still be mourning today.Even after a loss of a loved one, you only mourn for a few weeks or months (in most cases of course). Yes, you get sad when you talk or think about it, but that's no depression.I agree, but I thought whoever wrote that article still expected people to mourn or something?

Everything did change that day for some! But mostly things changed for a lot of people for short space of time.Life moves on, conspiricy theories will be thrown in, political parties will use it to prove their point, or unprove someone elses.but at the end of the day, and of course im not american, i can only feel for the people who were affected, and of course people mourned, and its human nature for disaster to bring people together, but as with everything the effects wear off in time, tho the event will never be forgotten.I sat with my kids yesterday and watched a couple of videos on youtube about the coverage, i saw my daughters face as she heard the screams, and the fear in the voices of those she heard, and i coudl see how moved the boys were watching it......i didn't show them it for the politions, or for america, i made them watch it to make sure the people invovled weren't forgotten about.What im trying to say, badly, is that life moves on all the time no matter what is happening, movies will be made for mega-bucks, people will be angered by how things are, but just because people move their lives on. Americans arn't resilient, people are resiliant where ever they live and whatever happens. And just because people don't mourn forever and a day doesn't mean they are bad people or that they have forgotten.

I agree that we can't morn forever.HOWEVER, in the case of this tragedy... I think we need a reminder that we are not black, we are not white, we are not green or blue, we are not indian, we are not african, mexican, vietnamese, chinese, german, we are not american. We are not christian,hindu, baptist, islam, jewish, sic, mormon, or anything else.We are people, we all face mortality. Regardless of your country, religion, ethnicity, or anything else we are human first at fore most.Although it hasn't, and never will I would personally like to believe that In regards to 9/11 we can look past everything else and see that its not right to take life. Then again I'm a hopeless romantic.

That day changed me forever. Wanna know how?For years I kept forgetting my parents anniversary. I knew it was either September or October, and was on either the 10th, 11th, or 19th (all birthdays in our family). After 2001, I will never again forget their anniversary as it is on September 11! (47 years for Mom and Dad...woot!)On a more serious note...I think we have to be careful making judgments on how people express patriotism, and how they do or do not remember/celebrate/commemorate 9/11. It's very natural that people react differently to tragedies and stressors and have different needs around them. So it might help some middle-aged soccer mom to put a cheap flag on her SUV, or help my parents to put a yellow ribbon sticker on their mini-van, while I find - for some strange reason - that I am driven to make sure I see the images of the towers coming down at least once a year or so to remember where I was (emotionally and intellectually...) that day. I think it's not fair to question the patriotism or motivation of the flag-waver, just as it's not fair to question the patriotism or motivation of someone who responds by asking fair questions.I do agree, however, with the comments made about selective patriotism. If you aren't a patriot when you hate the president (whether that's in the 1990's or 2000's), and aren't a patriot when there's not much perceived threat to the US, I might question your patriotism immediately after 9/11 or on the anniversaries.Good thread.

Heh. At least you actually knew it was sept 11 on sept 11.I didn't find out till a long time after it happened.Like 8 hours later when i got home. No one even explained it to me.. I watched the news report and then suddenly everyone has "breaking news" for me.

I always get depressed when I think about 9/11. Matter of fact I cry because I knew few people who were in the building and one of the people that actually jumped, that was seen jumping was related to one of my old classmates when it happened. I don't think that it's everywhere about not remembering or caring too much for 9/11. Yesterday in school we had a 2 hour session where we had to watch a tape dedicated to 9/11 and had some people come in and talk about. Then we had to right a paper on it and put it up on those huge bulletin boards by the main office. And the group that I'm involved in, we basically just prayed for about an hour for the families, the guidance of officials, firemen, officers and such. It's sad and depressing all on it's on. But in my school we have flags in every hallway and classroom and if you violate the flag like fold it upwards or mess it up or whatever you die. lol But people do need to take it more seriously. Not just wait for another crisis.

I remember how it things actually DID change for the few months after september 11th. before september 11th, not everyone had an american flag in front of their house. after september 11th, EVERYONE had a flag hung in fron of their house. But, a few months later it was back to how it was before, there weren't as many flags up.

But anyway, yes I think it's a good thing to remember, but it's time to move on, and get passed the mourning (as most americans have done). But, I don't know if what that article said was good or bad. In a way, it was good because we are moving on. In another way, it's said because people again care more about celebrity life than politics.