9/11

I wrote this on Saturday, but wasn't sure if I wanted to post it, since it's not entirely coherent. I've decided one can't be expected to have coherent thoughts on such a world-changing event.

Random thoughts:

- I saw today that flags were at half-mast, but honestly it took me a second to realize why. Should I feel guilty about that? I wasn't affected very personally by the attacks, so perhaps it's a little snarky for me to say this, but I don't feel that we should wallow in grief. We should remember, but we should move on.

- I was reading an article about how teachers are choosing to address the cultural and political impact of 9/11 rather than the emotional aspect, now that we are several years removed. Not sure what I think about that. I hope the teachers aren't using the event to promote their own political agendas.

- I guess my second cousin must have been married almost three years ago. Her wedding, originally scheduled for mid-September, was postponed after her maid of honor went down on Flight 11, on her way to the wedding. That was my closest connection to a 9/11 victim. I remember that even at the time, it felt like there was a significant gulf between the East and West Coasts, in terms of personal loss and overall emotional impact. My sister was a freshman at Columbia that September, and for a while pretty much all she wanted was to go home.

- I was in New York last year, and it was strange seeing the subtle changes to the subway maps. Makes me feel like we're living in an alternate universe. I used to take the PATH train from Hoboken to the WTC...it sounds pretty callous, but one of the things that really makes me sad is that the big Borders bookstore, that I used to hang out in after work, is gone.

- I think "on September 11th" will be the "when Kennedy was shot" moment for our generation. On September 11th, I was still sleeping when my housemate ran into my bedroom and told me that the one of the WTC buildings had just fallen down. I did go to work that day, but I came home early, and my housemates and I watched CNN until we were sick to our stomaches, and switched to Tivo-ed episodes of Friends. One can only take so much.

- In Taiwan, significant events are often referred to by date, such as the 2-28 massacre, or the 9-21 earthquake. In this country, we tend to name events, such as the Loma Prieta earthquake or the Boston Tea Party. Why do we refer to 9-11 by date?

- Has this country become more united or more divided since 9/11? I myself have become increasingly disgusted with politicians who play the 9/11 card to try and gain votes. I am also saddened by the increased prejudice towards Arab-Americans, and even those who resemble Arab-Americans. I'm thinking specifically of a Sikh friend who, due to religious beliefs, has a beard and wears a turban. He's the most friendly, easy-going personality I've ever met, but he was removed from an airplane on the way from Boston to San Francisco because some people were uncomfortable with his presence.

- Has the world become safer or more dangerous since 9/11? As an American citizen who travels several times a year, I lean towards the latter. In particular, anti-American sentiment is at all all-time high, which was glaringly obvious watching the crowd boo the American Olympians, at the Athens Games.

- A high school friend came to visit me this weekend. He's still in college, having spent a year in Japan, a year in Paris, and a summer in Ireland. He is of Chinese ethnicity, was born and raised in California, and currently lives in DC, but is determined to move to Europe after graduation. I almost envy him. This country has too much baggage, and I have little faith in our leadership and our populace. I wish every American citizen were required to spend three months living in a foreign country (yes, even Canada), before being allowed to vote. We've gone from being dumb and happy to being dumb and angry, and as we've seen in the last few years, that's a potentially explosive situation.