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| Author |
Message |
| 16 new of 22 responses total. |
jep
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response 7 of 22:
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Sep 12 01:38 UTC 2003 |
I had a very slow day at work today; we didn't get many calls at all.
We all wondered if the reason was that a lot of people aren't working
on September 11.
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richard
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response 8 of 22:
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Sep 12 03:24 UTC 2003 |
The twin beams of light are showing outside my window. They are beamed from
ground zero naturally, on the exact spots of the WTC towers. Actually quite
a beautiful sight, the beams coming up from the ground and beaming through
the clouds. They will shine here in nyc on every September 11th evening from
now on.
,.
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jaklumen
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response 9 of 22:
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Sep 12 07:17 UTC 2003 |
resp:6 egads, no. that would just annoy the hell out of me.
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mynxcat
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response 10 of 22:
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Sep 12 14:06 UTC 2003 |
Re 8. Even when the new structures go up at the WTC site?
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gull
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response 11 of 22:
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Sep 12 14:10 UTC 2003 |
Re #6: That kind of bothers me. I'd rather see us celebrate our
successes and our steps forward as a society as holidays. Dedicating a
holiday to a moment of defeat just seems wrong.
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jep
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response 12 of 22:
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Sep 12 14:37 UTC 2003 |
I agree; I wouldn't create a holiday for a disaster like September 11.
It would be inappropriate to celebrate that, just as it would be
inappropriate to celebrate December 7, the anniversary of Pearl Harbor.
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rcurl
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response 13 of 22:
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Sep 12 17:29 UTC 2003 |
It is ironic that we celebrate defeats such as Pearl Harbor and 9/11,
and our enemies celebrate them also. Of course, we are really celebrating the
heroism and sacrifices of those that died - but are enemies are celebrating
the same thing, except of different individuals.
It is a little surprising that we don't celebrate natural disasters, such
as the San Francisco Earthquake or Hurricane XYZ: they also involve much
heroism and sacrifice. They don't, however, involve any human enemies.
So is the celebration of human-caused disasters simple based on celebrating
our antipathies toward others?
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other
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response 14 of 22:
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Sep 12 17:34 UTC 2003 |
There is a randomness to earthquakes and hurricanes which allows us to
accept them a little more easily than targeted attacks. When we survive
targeted attacks, we believe it says something more about our strength of
character or will than it does when we survive natural disasters.
Also, targeted attacks are targeted because of who and what we are, and
surviving them is a reaffirmation of who and what we are. That element
is totally missing from natural disasters because they happen without
regard to where and whom they affect.
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rcurl
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response 15 of 22:
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Sep 12 18:03 UTC 2003 |
There was just as much randomness to 9/11 - it was no more predicted than
the SD earthquake. In fact there *are* predictions (with probabilities
attached) for the next major earthquake on the San Andreas fault, but I
have heard no predictions (with probabilities attached) for the next
terrorism event. I therefore argue that terrorist attacks are more
"random" than natural disasters, so your first assertion is faulty.
In fact, we do celebrate natural disasters to some extent. Consider the
sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald or the Titanic, but there is a different
flavor to the celebration of human-caused disasters: more patriotic
fervor, I would say.
In trying to pinpoint the distinction...I think one is that we wave the flag
more in disasters instigated by foreigners than we do for natural disasters
or even home-brewed disasters (such as Oklahoma City). It's a "them vs us"
event.
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flem
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response 16 of 22:
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Sep 12 18:15 UTC 2003 |
With natural disasters, there's no one to get revenge on. There's not much
political advantage to be gained by whipping people into a frenzy of
patriotism.
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rcurl
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response 17 of 22:
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Sep 12 18:37 UTC 2003 |
You would think people would blame their gods.
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gull
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response 18 of 22:
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Sep 12 18:48 UTC 2003 |
Does everything have to turn into a discussion about religion?
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happyboy
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response 19 of 22:
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Sep 12 18:50 UTC 2003 |
re17: lol!
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flem
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response 20 of 22:
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Sep 12 20:21 UTC 2003 |
No, no, Rane. You see, since all religious people are hopelessly stupid
morons, their evil corrupt leaders have them all brainwashed not to
question their fate. Duh.
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other
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response 21 of 22:
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Sep 12 20:41 UTC 2003 |
The randomness you attribute to 9/11 for example is of a different sort
than that attributable to natural disasters. Of course, the randonmess
attributable to natural disasters is probably only because we do not yet
fully understand all the various factors which contribute to the
occurrences of these events.
The difference is primarily that terrorist attacks are planned and
carried out against specific targets for specific effect, because of
specific ideologies. The logic of natural disasters is pretty reliably
independent of idology, and thus we cannot point to any unifying
ideological characteristics behind which we can rally.
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tsty
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response 22 of 22:
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Sep 16 05:37 UTC 2003 |
rcurl is not intellectually capable of comprehending other's 21.
but we all recognize that faithlessness adn deal with it.
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