Parents had it on the TV early because they're always tuned into the national news first thing in the day. I'd probably never watched the news that intently ever. It was after the first impact, with live footage on the towers from another building a few blocks over. They were still getting their bearings and speculating as to what may have happened. They were pushing the "accident" storyline, or at least it's clear that that's what they wanted to believe. But they kept circling back to the conditions being fair and so they went on the possibility that maybe the plane was re-routed through the Manhattan area for whatever reason and just flew too low. Felt like a huge reach but the people at the network were holding out hope that it wasn't intentional. Then the second plane came in from the side of the screen as if in slow motion and I watched it hit. Just an eerie moment seared into your memory. My mom came running in as I yelled out what was happening. Reactions all around were raw and full of disbelief.
I definitely didn't understand the gravity of it all. I can remember watching it vividly but I don't remember if we even went to school or were sent home early. I think we did, but were dismissed before the morning was even out so I don't remember being there.
Oddly 2001-2002 was one of the more normal years for me despite the world changing. Good year full of new friends. Saw the troops descend upon Iraq and Afghanistan in the news but just figured America waging war was just what the US did and never felt like a big deal that affected us. But the level of paranoia and distrust around the world changed that day and was never the same. The western world went from living in this sort of blissful state of freedom and possibility with the turn of the millennium to an overshadowing uncertainty, fear and hatred.
Last edited by djsFlames; 09-11-2021 at 03:45 PM.
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Recorded CNN continuous programming from Sept. 11, 2001 commencing at 649h until 932h Mountain time.
I was actually gonna say, I find most of the docs and specials super boring and uninteresting. I was thinking watching the original morning’s coverage would be a neat insight and flashback to such a memorable day. Thanks for posting this.
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I was actually gonna say, I find most of the docs and specials super boring and uninteresting. I was thinking watching the original morning’s coverage would be a neat insight and flashback to such a memorable day. Thanks for posting this.
I cant watch it, I watched too much on the days following and then realised it wasnt healthy for me.
There is one video of a live call with someone trapped with a group of people in one of the towers literally as it came down and its one of the most scarring things I've ever watched/listened to. The desperation in their voices destroyed me.
#### terrorism. #### hatred. Nothing warrants that kind of tragic end at the hands of other people.
I'll never understand that level of commitment to an organization, cause or religion to inflict such actions on the lives of innocents.
There is one video of a live call with someone trapped with a group of people in one of the towers literally as it came down and its one of the most scarring things I've ever watched/listened to. The desperation in their voices destroyed me.
#### terrorism. #### hatred. Nothing warrants that kind of tragic end at the hands of other people.
I'll never understand that level of commitment to an organization, cause or religion to inflict such actions on the lives of innocents.
It's actually pretty easy to understand. They're probably no different to sociopaths, in that they don't care about other people's feelings or the ramifications of their actions. If their goal is to inflict economic damage and hurt a certain nationality, they're not thinking of the individual who is affected.
It is said that "evil" people simply believe that others are evil and therefore what they're doing is good and/or righteous.
All a matter of perspective, but I can't imagine being a person that devoid of empathy or ignorant to the consequences of their actions. They must have truly believed they were being rewarded for it.
People can irritate or annoy me deeply, but as soon as they are struggling with something and show humility I still feel for them. Just unfathomable to be so insulated from that human-human empathy that you can carry out such an act.
There seems to be something inhuman about it.
I think the problem is people also have an innate need to try to immortalize themselves somehow, beyond their finite physical lifespan. Hence big families, legacies, books and monuments. And why people latch on to and devote themselves to such causes that they perceive to be grandiose or world-changing somehow. And the problem with those grandiose causes is they glorify the idea of sacrifice.
Exactly why the sort of spiritual thinking I identify with does not teach sacrificing or suffering to advance yourself in any way in life. Even though life is full of suffering I don't believe we are here with a purpose to suffer or inflict suffering elsewhere. Any organization that teaches you that sacrifuce or suffering is key should be a massive red flag from the outset. Those are principles rooted in inhuman ideals that do not recognize the value and sacredness of life, yours and that of the people around you.
If whatever it may be teaches you to feel incomplete, or that you have done wrong/sinned just by existing and that you need to answer for that then it is preying on people's innate fears and insecurities and probably shouldn't be trusted. When you really think about it, that's a pretty twisted way to draw people into serving a supposed larger purpose. Even manipulative. And that's why it has worked and continued over generations, in the case of certain religions and more extreme/radicalized factions.
I think it's just so, so important to keep one foot one the ground whichever way you choose to go. You'll always come across causes and ideas that you resonate with, but its crucial to never lose YOURSELF in an idea. The more uncertain you manage to remain in the face of people or organizations telling you "how" it is, the wiser you'll be. As soon as you begin to lay down a foundation of belief in specific conclusions about the world in order to run with a crowd and cease to question those conclusions, the sooner you'll no longer see things for exactly how they are, no more or less, greater or worse.
It is said that "evil" people simply believe that others are evil and therefore what they're doing is good and/or righteous.
All a matter of perspective, but I can't imagine being a person that devoid of empathy or ignorant to the consequences of their actions. They must have truly believed they were being rewarded for it.
This is exactly what we saw on Jan. 6th as well. The majority of those MAGA nutjobs truly believed that what they were doing was right and justified, and that they would somehow be rewarded with another 4 years of Trump and a far-right conservative paradise.
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I've never seen this whole conversation from Todd Beamer on flight 93 leading up to them rushing the cockpit. It's harrowing, if you have Twitter you can go in and read each piece.
There is one video of a live call with someone trapped with a group of people in one of the towers literally as it came down and its one of the most scarring things I've ever watched/listened to. The desperation in their voices destroyed me.
#### terrorism. #### hatred. Nothing warrants that kind of tragic end at the hands of other people.
I'll never understand that level of commitment to an organization, cause or religion to inflict such actions on the lives of innocents.
While in no way excusing 9/11 it is important to realise 'we' the west have been slaughtering hundreds of thousands around the third world for decades, supporting despots and dictators, we are utterly invunerable to any kind of conventional attack, this is pretty much all they had to strike back at 'us', our response to this was to kill up to 20,000 civilians in drone strikes alone across the middle east, the invasion of Afghanistan on its own killed anywhere from 100,000 to 300,000 Afghans, their deaths were just as horrific, they were mourned by there parents or children just like ours.
While individual workers in those towers were innocent the west is as guilty as hell
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While in no way excusing 9/11 it is important to realise 'we' the west have been slaughtering hundreds of thousands around the third world for decades, supporting despots and dictators, we are utterly invunerable to any kind of conventional attack, this is pretty much all they had to strike back at 'us', our response to this was to kill up to 20,000 civilians in drone strikes alone across the middle east, the invasion of Afghanistan on its own killed anywhere from 100,000 to 300,000 Afghans, their deaths were just as horrific, they were mourned by there parents or children just like ours.
While individual workers in those towers were innocent the west is as guilty as hell
I think as soon as you start keeping score, or try to, you've lost.
There is no good side or nation in all of this. No one came out clean.
All there is is now, and what we choose to do with the lessons of the past 20 years.
I think as soon as you start keeping score, or try to, you've lost.
There is no good side or nation in all of this. No one came out clean.
All there is is now, and what we choose to do with the lessons of the past 20 years.
Do we recycle these conflicts that do not advance us in any way or prove any point beside the fact that we can we a brutal species when egos, agendas and greater causes enter the equation, or do we actually learn from the futility of it all?
Not meaning to keep score, but we in the west have a tendency to not realise how horrific the cost of our lifestyle is on the rest of the world, our responce to 9/11 has been to kill 20 or 30,000 Afghan kids, every one has a brother father or uncle that would gladly fly another plane into any building of westerners, we blithely carry on doing the things that cause the hatred without even really recognising it
I woke up at 7 AM to my radio alarm clock, which was talking about the first plane hitting the first tower. I vividly remember turning the tv on at 7:02 and watching the second plane hit live.
School started at 8:10 and I had English 10 first double period. My teacher had the TV wheeled into the classroom and we just watched for the entire ~hour and a half. It was surreal.
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Used to wake up and watch the morning news, watched as the 2nd plane hit. Went to work and the only website I could seemingly get at was The Register of all sites. Heard reports the towers fell and couldn’t believe it. We then found out the tv in the boardroom at our other building site had a TV and went over to watch the endless replays. I was to get on a plane later that afternoon to fly to Victoria for a training course.
I’m sure this is something that is one of those “where were you” memories like those who lived through The moon landing or Kennedy assassination.
I don’t know where I got them from but I have cache of pictures from that day that someone in the towers shared. The most…haunting I’ll say are pictures of a line of workers going down the stairwell while firefighters are going up. I hesitate to share as they are the final pictures of these heroes who just answered the call without thinking of the possible circumstances.
History channel had a 3 part series a few years ago called The Road to 911. Excellent explanation from the rise of hatred for America, through WTC 93, the blinking red lights and warnings, finally the coordination of attacks. If you can find it, it’s great. 3 x 2hr parts
I just graduated high school.. I think the world has been total $%^ ever since.
I miss the days when OJ Simpson or Elian Gonzales were the biggest things to see on the news
Prior to OJ there was the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Centre and the Oklahoma City bombing (Timothy McVeigh). Before Gonzales there was the Branch Davidian Waco siege. Those events were huge news to follow.
must show all Flames games nationally when they play on Saturdays, Mondays, and Wednesdays !!!
