Where were you when you heard about the planes crashing into the WTC on this day three years ago? I was working in an office at an electrical company. I think it was a Tuesday. It was just after lunch. (The first plane hit at 1.45pm UK time, the second at 2.03pm). At 2pm, Steve Wright came on Radio 2 in the office and five minutes or so into the programme he made an announcement that some kind of accident had apparently happened in the USA, but continued playing records and gave no details. My boss got a phonecall from his wife telling him to switch on a TV. There was a television being tested for repair in the office next to mine so I went in there, switched on BBC1 and saw the two towers burning. People walking through asked me what was happening, I told them that I didn't really know. The rest of the events at the Pentagon and in Pennsylvania unfolded over the next hour or so. I didn't get much work done. Had a conversation with my boss about terrorism and Islamic extremism. My first reaction was that this was all Bush needed to launch a war against Saddam Hussein. It took a while, but it turned out I was right. At 4.45pm I left work and cycled the twenty minute trip home, convinced that by the time I got back there would be news of a retaliation attack of some kind. I had visions of a three minute warning vaguely remembered from growing up during the Cold War. I got home, rushed inside and switched on the TV as my heart beat loudly.
yup.. I'd just finished a night oncall and was driving home and was speaking on the phone to my now ex-gf to meet up with her when she mentioned that a plane had crashed into the WTC. got home put the telly on to find out it was now two planes into both towers.
I was working for an entertainment news agency called WENN doing picture editing and building their new website and online picture library. As it was part of the press we had televisions lining every wall. I was over in the corner making myself a coffee and looked up to see what all the fuss was about. Saw the first plane sticking out of the building and assumed it was a bad accident. When I saw the second plane I thought that it was an action replay of the first one. As it sunk in what had happened I started phoning mates and telling them to get to a television as quick as they could. My boss was on a plane at the time, flying back from Los Angeles.
No one told us at school, i guess they just hadnt heard. I remember coming home and i was on msn for a bit...then i logged off and my mobile rang.. This guy rang that i was havinga bit ofa thing with at the time and said isnt it awful or something like that.. I had no idea what he meant..He explained it so i went to turn on the tv.. My brother had a go at me for turning the tv when he was vacuuming, then he saw what had happened, and we watched it for ages.. I remember the day after to.. people prophesising WW3..total confusion..
I was working as a waitress in a cocktail baaaaaar, When they hit tower twoooooooo..... But seriously. All this shit about 9/11 really gets on my tits. I know it was a major loss of life 'n' all, but nobody ever asks "where were you on June 20th 1990 when 50,000 people died in an earthquake in Iraq". It just bothers me that even amongst hippies, we have a very Euro/American-centric view of the world.
I get the same way with the whole princess Di thing... i have no right to complain because it effects people in diffrent ways... Give people a break....... i have learnt that today.
Also the fact that (accoring to Unicef) 4500 Iraqi children were dying every month as a direct result of US/UN imposed trade sanctions. I'm not sure if those sanctions have now been lifted, but when people say that life is now better without Saddam should we really be surprised? Makes you wonder who the real terrorists are.
I'm not a hippy. I asked the question because that day is embedded in my mind. Of course this is a consequence of the Euro/American-centric nature of our media. Of course it demonstrates our unconscious lack of value equivalence in approaching such disasters. But because of the immediacy of the event, the spectacular nature of the attacks, the amount of coverage and the volatility of the situation, this was something quite new and unique to me purely in terms of an experience of history as it happens. I must have seen the pictures of the plane crashing into the building and exploding perhaps fifty times before the end of that day alone. I must have seen the images of the buildings collapsing full of dying people almost as many times. I heard reports of the way bodies sound as they smash into the pavement having fallen from a hundred floors up. I was forced to think about how it would feel to jump from a burning building or to be crushed alive as it collapsed on top of me. It's not often you see something so unique and terrifying in so much vivid detail, live and direct from the scene. In those terms, this was a first. That's why I created this thread, my apologies if it offends you.
I agree. To my mind though, this is all the more reason not to let it dominate our perception of world tragedies. It would seem to me that you've just described a very good reason why we should make an extra effort to think about all the other people who've died in a variety of disasters, both natural and man-made. The thread doesn't offend me. I'm just bothered about the wider attitude in the West where we make a huge deal about this event and forget about all the other peoples of the world who've been butchered over the years. If 9/11 had happened in Russia, I doubt anyone would even remember the date.
I personaly think if you care about everything..you spread yourself too thinly...if something touches you and effects your way of thinking then thats good...but their can be to much thought for the tragedy in life.. i think.
I was in car driving back to college and i thought it was a pisstake - but at college everyone was watching it on tv, a bit shocking really. and for heavens sake quit it wi th the anti-american ranting about them being arrogant to think its the only tragedy. sure, it got a lot of attention, and theres a lot of messed up stuff behind it none of us truly knowall about, but what would be better, over exposure making sure all know about terrorism or just to forget?
Pay attention before making yourself look like an ignorant retard. Nobody called anybody "arrogant", and nobody said anything "anti-American".
i was referring to what other had said in forums over the past couple of days, please, no need to get offensive.
Fair enough. Comments retracted You might wanna mention exactly who you're having a dig at next time though?
I'm from a Virginia in a place very close to DC...I was at a friend's place at the time and we could see the smoke from her house. People were running around sobbing because they didn't know if their parents/friends/loved ones were living or not. what a day.....
I couldn't agree more. You'll notice however that nobody has really even mentioned remembering the victims of 9/11 here. It's far more about recounting our own subjective experiences of having this incredible new phenomenon - the televised massacre - come bursting into our lives. There is room for all kinds of posts; be they expressing sympathy for the victims of disasters, or be they exploring our own experiences of the world around us. Exploring this particular experience given its newness and uniqueness is I feel quite an interesting and valuable thing to do, quite apart from the other issues you raise.
I was heading out of college for lunch (or something), popped in to see my friend Helen and she told me about it at the front door. I went in to watch some of the news coverage, hadn't been there 10 minutes before the next plane hit. It was all a bit much really, so we flipped channels to watch Pingu. After Pingu we tuned back in just as the first tower fell.
Under other circumstances I'd agree, but I'm afraid I feel it does encourage the illusion that this was the greatest tragedy of modern times. I guess I just feel uncomfortable with what I perceive as a fairly exclusive focus upon a particularly Western point of view that appears to wallow in our own loss whilst forgetting the loss of others. Not that I'm accsuing your post of doing this.... but I can't help but relate to it as part of the wider context. Sorry
I think you miss the point yep larger people have been killed in let say road accidents or in minor wars but 9/11 was a group of people commiting suicide taking out some very symbolic targets of the west for their religion its showing you real intent it was a brilliant operation in terms of numbers you lose 19 martyrs and kill 3000 people cause massive cost in money to the west its saying you have all these weapons sas cia we know you are going to come after us but we have god and we are going to win maybe not in the short term but in the long term it doesnt matter if they take out ben laden or all the major people in al-queda its a symbol its saying we are at war with the people who worship other than allah that all your big citys dont matter that allah is more powerful the recent beslan siege also showed you intent and ruthlessness but sept 11 was a special event I had just taken my father out to dinner I drove him back and when we got back it was on tv I thought the americans would have nuked mecca afghanistan and iraq are pretty low key to what I thought they would do but I grew up during the cold war I had been on al-quedas main website and also the website of the taliban I think that morning before the attack when I got home both were down
