How did 9/11 effect you?

[hmbutler]

Just watching a 9/11 documentary on national geographic channel on cable tv here in Aus, and it is hard to believe it's been 10 years! Also, the radio station I listen to does a new/issues type show every day at 5:30pm, and this week they talked about 9/11 (talking to survivors etc) and it makes me think about just how much this event changed lives entirely in the US (and I don't just mean changed because of losing loved ones, there are people who's whole belief systems changed, lifestyles, etc etc).

How did it effect your life? And what were you doing when you heard about it?

It was about 9pm here, and me and my brother were watching a tv show in my mum's room when the news scrolled across the bottom of the screen about the a plane hitting the first tower. It didn't mean much to me (being a 13 year old australian girl) but mum was shocked by it. Then all of a sudden the tv show is interrupted by live footage of the smoke billowing from the tower. We were watching, and my mum called her partner (now my step dad) who lived around the corner and he was watching it too (it was on every channel for about 2 or 3 days). While mum was on the phone, I remember saying "what is that?" and then the second plane hit. And it was then that we (along with everyone else in the world) realised the first plane hitting was not an accident. I remember just sitting on the end of mum's bed until as late as she would let us stay up, watching the live feed, and then the next day at school, it was all anyone (including teachers in classes) talked about. It was huge, and it wasn't even in our country. I can't even begin to imagine what it was like in the US!

Still, 10 years on, watching this documentary still makes me shake my head at the devastation... it really did change the world...

[xellil]

I didn't realize it would have had that kind of impact in Australia.

I had relatives in New York. One of them saw the towers fall from a few blocks away. thank goodness they were all ok.

Our lives are all changed - privacy (don't have it), new laws, lots more secret power to the governement, just a whole passel of stuff from that, and I am not sure it's all good.

It was either Jefferson or Franklin (too lazy to look it up) that said those who sacrifice freedom for safety deserve neither. We sacrificed ALOT of freedom for a little safety, and for the government to have pretty much carte blanche to do whatever it wants in the name of "Homeland Security."

[magicre]

9/11 made this country afraid.

to the point where we have cameras and homeland security and the patriot act..

where once there were two beautiful buildings in my favourite city of all time, there is now a hole and a whole lot of people who are still crying.

and so they won. those who would destroy us. we pit each other against each other with suspicion and fear which breeds bias and bigotry.

and, still there is a hole where a building should be.

i am sad, ten years later, that we are still afraid, still not building, still arguing and still over reacting with knee jerk legislation.

i am angry that we went to war, instead of using a sniper. i am angry that we are still at war. it is like living through vietnam again.

i am sad that any one had to die.

and yet, there is still a hole where commerce should be.

[Caty M]

I agree with having a memorial there... and not putting up another building.

I was 12 years old and was watching TV before school, turned it on and thought it was an action movie. Changed the channel, same thing, it was on like every channel. In school we watched news all day for it. We were in New Zealand and it was still HUGE coverage there.

[hmbutler]

I agree with having a memorial there... and not putting up another building.

I was 12 years old and was watching TV before school, turned it on and thought it was an action movie. Changed the channel, same thing, it was on like every channel. In school we watched news all day for it. We were in New Zealand and it was still HUGE coverage there.

yes, i imagine there would be enormous uproar if anyone tried to rebuild anything on that site.

It's funny I remember my art teacher saying the same thing as you - he thought it was a movie. He said he and his wife were watching tv, and he went to the bathroom and came back out to see the footage, and thought his wife had changed the channel, he asked her what this movie was, and she told him it was the news, he couldn't believe it

[SerenityFL]

Starting off with my story about that day: I was on the west coast. Therefore, when it all went down, I was actually still asleep in bed. Oblivious. I got up, got ready for work, walked to the bus stop, got on the bus. As we were crossing the bridge from West Seattle to downtown, the bus driver got on the loudspeaker and said that NY and the Pentagon were on fire.

Bus drivers never talked on the loud speaker. Never. It was unheard of. And then I thought, "On fire? Is my bus driver high?!"

I had to switch buses down town and that's when I started to hear all this talk about what was going on. But it was all kinds of talk from all different directions and NO ONE had started at the beginning so I really was not sure what the hell was happening. I just knew that people were tense, they were all talking to each other, people were being far more polite than usual, sharing their radios for people to listen while sitting on that second bus...it started to scare me. I mean, people in Seattle are generally polite but the tenseness plus the extra kindness was scaring me. Something big was going on and I still didn't know, exactly, what.

Got to work, of course everyone was talking about it, a radio was on, we listened. I was dumbfounded. I was one of those who felt safe in this country and never thought I'd see the day when something would happen on our shores. Yes I felt bad about other countries but it was easy to feel like one lived in a safe, comfy cocoon in this country. It was unsettling to say the least. I listened in shock.

One girl finally cracked and ran to the bathroom in tears. I followed her to console her. Then, over the loudspeaker at work, they told us if we wanted, we could go home. I decided to go home because I still didn't fully comprehend wtf was going on! Everyone was extra nice all the way. And no planes. I remember that. No planes. It was eerily quiet.

Got home, turned on FoxNews and CNN, switching back and forth. I was shocked but it didn't really slam in to my gut until I saw those people jumping. Jeezus, even now, just thinking about that makes me break. My God. Out of all of the footage I have seen, home videos, documentaries, etc...those people jumping out of the buildings, some of them head down towards the ground as they were falling, is the worst and one I still can not get over. I just can't even imagine those poor people, KNOWING you are about to die and having to CHOOSE which way you are going to die! God, I can't get over that. "Do I burn or do I jump 83 stories?" What were they thinking on the way down? What must that have felt like to them. How LONELY did they feel right then?! Could they see all the people on the ground? The ones who didn't have to jump? Those images continue to haunt me.

There was rumor that one of the next targets was Seattle but I don't know how true they were. I am positive, though, that if they were able, they would definitely have hit the west coast somewhere, maybe LA. Maybe they WOULD have hit Seattle? In 2000? I think it was, our New Year's Eve celebrations were canceled because of a terrorist threat so it could be possible.

What have we lost? So much. The terrorists really have won in some places. We now have so many restrictions when flying, what we can bring, being pulled out of line for no reason other than a random search so as not to be accused of profiling, (gmafb!), having to take our shoes off, we can't find any information about passengers anymore, we have undercover marshals on board, it goes on.

For awhile, everything in the news was reported as, "It is unclear if this is terrorist activity..."

We have wars going on that have been going on for years. We have lost many of our beloved soldiers trying to fight these idiot terrorists and their little organizations and followers who are just waiting to rise up again. We have seen activity all over the world, Britain, India, Middle East, etc. People continue to be killed by them.

We have also swung way over to protect and be told we are wrong to think the way we do. And I'll stop there before I go all political.

But we've lost a lot. Mainly? We've lost our innocence. Some may say, "too bad", because it wasn't innocence where they lived and they have seen horrors in their countries...but it still is a bad thing to lose.

[hmbutler]

Thank you for sharing that Serenity, I find it fascinating to hear what it meant to the people more closely involved. I can't imagine how it must feel.

Got home, turned on FoxNews and CNN, switching back and forth. I was shocked but it didn't really slam in to my gut until I saw those people jumping. Jeezus, even now, just thinking about that makes me break. My God. Out of all of the footage I have seen, home videos, documentaries, etc...those people jumping out of the buildings, some of them head down towards the ground as they were falling, is the worst and one I still can not get over. I just can't even imagine those poor people, KNOWING you are about to die and having to CHOOSE which way you are going to die! God, I can't get over that. "Do I burn or do I jump 83 stories?" What were they thinking on the way down? What must that have felt like to them. How LONELY did they feel right then?! Could they see all the people on the ground? The ones who didn't have to jump? Those images continue to haunt me.

I saw one of those images tonight on that documentary, I don't know if I had seen a shot quite as intense as that one. I know I have seen footage before of people jumping, but I can only remember wide shots where the person jumping was shown as more of a dot on the screen than anything else, but the footage I saw tonight was zoomed in, you could see the persons entire body, their limbs flailing about... it was unbelievable, I cannot imagine the thoughts going through that persons head... are they at peace with their decision? are they scared? are they angry? in shock? conscious? I don't know what decision I would've made had it been me... though I don't think I could have jumped... I would've just continued to think there has got to be hope for me, there has to be some way I could survive. I don't think I'll ever forget that image I saw tonight!

Innocence is certainly a bad thing to lose... I don't think Australia has really lost its yet... we often have reports of suspected terrorist threats, usually around football grand final time, the AFL grand final gathers huge crowds to Melbourne, with over 100 000 people packed in to the football stadium and there would be tens of thousands in surrounding areas enjoying the atmosphere of the city, it's been reported as a threat nearly every year since 9/11. But nothing of that magnitude has occurred here, so i think we still have our innocence for now... I hope we don't lose it any time soon

[DaneMama]

Well said Re

I was in 9th grade, on my way to school when the first tower fell. I heard it on the radio...at first I thought they were joking. So I continued to school with suspicion and doubt...

I was in American Government (of all things) when we watched the second tower fall. Everyone in class was in tears. The school went on lock down until everyone could be picked up and taken home. I still remember the silent drive home with my sister.

When we came back to school a few days later, I remember some kids laughing and rejoicing at the "free days off" they had. I couldn't help myself to giving them a verbal kick in the balls. How dare they feel rejoice when thousands died so they could have a day off....now looking back, being ignorant kids as they were...they honestly didn't know better.

Its effected my life because its effected everyone. Its impossible for it to have stayed contained and only effected those directly involved. As Re said, they were successful in their attack.

I honestly think they should have rebuilt on that site. Putting those magnificent towers back in place would be more of a tribute and memorial than anything IMO.

I don't legitimately hate anything, but I HATE with a PASSION how scared people are because of what happened. Its not like they can help it, but media is definitely propagating widespread panic.

[magicre]

i think, serenity, that you are spot on....we have lost our innocence. we'd never really been attacked on our soil, so our virginity is now gone.

hmbutler, to NOT build would be the tragedy.....absolutely put up a memorial, but please, i'm begging this country, to memorialise a spot and build, build, build, because THAT is what new york is about.

it's as if new york has lost its spirit......

i am not from this country, but i can smell fear and hatred a mile away.....

i was in georgia at the time, building my business with two partners, who said..and i quote 'why, even tho they was yankees, even they didn't deserve that'.

i could not believe anyone would say that, let alone think it.....'course, that was the day i realised she wasn't too bright, considering it was called the WORLD trade center, not the yankee coffee shop....at any rate, we were numb....

it was a surreal time....and then we did what we did during any other time we became afraid, we burned witches, let mc carthy have power, and passed the patriot act and formed homeland security.

and now we are a nation fenced in by fear....and suspicion....and i've never been more afraid than i am now.....i was born into a totalitarian government...i studied paternalistic 'papa' governments.....

if america doesn't wake up soon and take back our privacy, our independence, we will become robots and conformists and that is not what this country is about....

i wasn't brought here for what i'm seeing now.

[hmbutler]

hmbutler, to NOT build would be the tragedy.....absolutely put up a memorial, but please, i'm begging this country, to memorialise a spot and build, build, build, because THAT is what new york about

Oh yeah I didn't mean they SHOULDN'T build there, I just figured they won't because of the backlash, people will complain and say it's disrespectful (well, they would here, so again I'm just assuming that would happen). It would be nice to see some grand building built in memory of the world trade center, though I think many would fear that rebuilding would encourage the terrorists to attack again... Living in fear, it must be excruciating, and it's times like this that I love my sometimes-messed-up-and-backwards country