9 11 where were you when it happened?

[Fear ón Srath Bán]

And that's what's known as a massacre!

[J70]

And what is so special about 9/11?

Terrorists flying commercial planes into iconic buildings murdering thousands is an everyday occurence in Strabane, is it?

Like it or not, it was probably the defining moment in western history since the fall of the Soviet Union. Many people were horrified and traumatized, others celebrated, but people all over the planet had some kind of reaction to what was an incredibly shocking event that was broadcast live all over the world. The tsunami may have been huge news and much, much more destructive, but in terms of wider history and influence, it probably means little, sad to say, except that nations will hopefully be better prepared in future to deal with such catastrophes. What other event grabbed the attention of the world in such a fashion, at least in the lifetimes of the members of this board?

and some places in the world who don't have the "privilege" of being in the western world or have the facilities and never will to "deal with such catastrophes" suffer every single day..... no tradegy can out do another but some are brushed aside!

(The Rwandan Genocide was the 1994 mass killing of hundreds of thousands of Rwanda's minority Tutsis and the moderates of its Hutu majority. Over the course of approximately 100 days, from April 6 through to mid July, at least 500,000 people were killed. Most estimates are of a death toll between 800,000 and 1,000,000)

Yet the simple fact is that the average person doesn't really think very much about genocide in Rwanda or Darfur or wherever. 9/11 was a shocking event where a handful of terrorists scored a huge hit against the mighty United States in one of the most famous cities on the planet, live on international television. The likes of Rwanda/Darfur were/are vague, distant internecine slaughters happening in some forgotten corner of the planet that most people don't care about. 9/11 was a strike against a country that many people do care about, whether it is the hated Great Satan or the land people across the world see as their desired destination in which to make a life and whose culture fills the airwaves everywhere. I'm not saying its the way it should be, but it is the way it is.

[J70]

Good one J70, you have me in stitches here.

Fancy a serious tilt at that particular question? I.e., Why should that loss of unfortunate life so outweigh the loss of much more significant life elsewhere before and since.

You asked what was so special about 9/11 i.e. why we remember where we were when it happened. At least that is the meaning I took given the context of the thread. And I have answered the question under that interpretation i.e. it is fairly obvious, hence the stupid comment.

As to your question as stated above, the bleeding obvious answer is that there is no reason that the 9/11 deaths should outweigh those other deaths other than the context i.e. again, where and how they happened and the influence of that nation and her media all over the world. All such deaths are tragic, but they do not all have the same newsworthiness and relevance in different parts of the world. Sad, but true.

[J70]

What other event grabbed the attention of the world in such a fashion, at least in the lifetimes of the members of this board?

Collapse of the Berlin Wall was a fairly huge and symbolic thing - but I take your point re the scale of the thing

I did say "since the fall of the Soviet Union". Is the collapse of the Berlin Wall not implied?

[J70]

Like it or not, it was probably the defining moment in western history since the fall of the Soviet Union. Many people were horrified and traumatized, others celebrated, but people all over the planet had some kind of reaction to what was an incredibly shocking event that was broadcast live all over the world.

Do you know why that might have been the case? It shouldn't have been.

What, that it was "the defining moment in western history since the fall of the Soviet Union" or that "people all over the planet had some kind of reaction"?

[stephenite]

What other event grabbed the attention of the world in such a fashion, at least in the lifetimes of the members of this board?

Collapse of the Berlin Wall was a fairly huge and symbolic thing - but I take your point re the scale of the thing

I did say "since the fall of the Soviet Union". Is the collapse of the Berlin Wall not implied?

At a stretch I suppose - to me the memories of normal people talking sledgehammers to the wall were hugely symbolic and one of the defining moments of my generation. I don't really equate the two in my own mind but yes, they are inextricably linked.

Different people will have different things that leave indelible images, and 9/11 would certainly be in that category for me, moreso that the Rwanda massacre, perhaps I should put that down to the media coverage that I consumed at the time. People might understandably resent that given the large disparity in fatalaties, indeed I probably resent myself for it.

[J70]

What other event grabbed the attention of the world in such a fashion, at least in the lifetimes of the members of this board?

Collapse of the Berlin Wall was a fairly huge and symbolic thing - but I take your point re the scale of the thing

I did say "since the fall of the Soviet Union". Is the collapse of the Berlin Wall not implied?

At a stretch I suppose - to me the memories of normal people talking sledgehammers to the wall were hugely symbolic and one of the defining moments of my generation. I don't really equate the two in my own mind but yes, they are inextricably linked.

Different people will have different things that leave indelible images, and 9/11 would certainly be in that category for me, moreso that the Rwanda massacre, perhaps I should put that down to the media coverage that I consumed at the time. People might understandably resent that given the large disparity in fatalaties, indeed I probably resent myself for it.

The Berlin wall and the collapse of the Iron Curtain is all part of the end of the Soviet Union for me.  Maybe its living in the states and hearing Reagan say "Mr Gorbachev, tear down this wall" every five minutes, but it was all part of one big domino effect to me (i.e. the end of the Soviet Union, not the role of Reagan, before someone takes off down that particular road!).

As to the our different reactions to various genocides and terrorist acts and so on, like any people anywhere, we are touched more by what is familiar and more present in our everyday lives. I'm sure the Bali bombings were a much bigger thing for someone like yourself who lives in Oz than perhaps others on this board. I would be surprised if anyone (or at least more than a couple) on the board was even indirectly affected by what happened in Rwanda or Darfur, beyond being appalled for a little while at such atrocities happening somewhere they otherwise had little knowledge of. That doesn't mean that people think that some deaths or massacres are necessarily more tragic than others, but there is no denying that some are more noteworthy than others.

[Puckoon]

I dont think Fear ón Srath Bán meant the people that died had it coming, rather America itself.

Thank you Down Gael, exactly.

America is the people

[Sideshow Bob]

I dont think Fear ón Srath Bán meant the people that died had it coming, rather America itself.

Thank you Down Gael, exactly.

America is the people

Don`t you mean Americaare the people?

And therein lies the problem. Americans think the world revolves around them. They are very inward looking, yet consider themselves to be a self appointed world police. September 11 should have been a wake up call, not an excuse for more bloodshed. While lapdogs like Blair and Ahern offered support and condolence, many of their people secretly rejoiced. They got a taste of their own medicine on September 11 and their people didn`t like it. Now they know how the vicitims of American bombs and bullets feel, from Hiroshima to Vietnam and Iraq and Afghanistan.
Time and again we are drip fed images of fallen man and heroic firefighters, while Iraqis, Afghans and countless other races suffer beyond the media spotlight.

Was so depressed last night that I rang the Samaritans. Got through to a call centre in Pakistan.
Told them I was suicidal, they got all excited and asked if I could fly a plane......

[KCGaelicFootball]

Good one J70, you have me in stitches here.

Fancy a serious tilt at that particular question? I.e., Why should that loss of unfortunate life so outweigh the loss of much more significant life elsewhere before and since.

You asked what was so special about 9/11 i.e. why we remember where we were when it happened. At least that is the meaning I took given the context of the thread. And I have answered the question under that interpretation i.e. it is fairly obvious, hence the stupid comment.

As to your question as stated above, the bleeding obvious answer is that there is no reason that the 9/11 deaths should outweigh those other deaths other than the context i.e. again, where and how they happened and the influence of that nation and her media all over the world. All such deaths are tragic, but they do not all have the same newsworthiness and relevance in different parts of the world. Sad, but true.

I agree that it sould not out weigh any one thing, what about the un-armed innocent people that were killed on Bloody Sunday or the people at croke park that were shot down in the stadium at a Gaelic football match?? But it is a trajic thing and there are other trajic things happening in other countries. A lot of this story is one sided coming from the Irish people and I am not sure what to say if I am mad from reading this on here but I respect your opinion.

[Puckoon]

I dont think Fear ón Srath Bán meant the people that died had it coming, rather America itself.

Thank you Down Gael, exactly.

America is the people

Don`t you mean Americaare the people?

And therein lies the problem. Americans think the world revolves around them. They are very inward looking, yet consider themselves to be a self appointed world police. September 11 should have been a wake up call, not an excuse for more bloodshed. While lapdogs like Blair and Ahern offered support and condolence, many of their people secretly rejoiced. They got a taste of their own medicine on September 11 and their people didn`t like it. Now they know how the vicitims of American bombs and bullets feel, from Hiroshima to Vietnam and Iraq and Afghanistan.
Time and again we are drip fed images of fallen man and heroic firefighters, while Iraqis, Afghans and countless other races suffer beyond the media spotlight.

Was so depressed last night that I rang the Samaritans. Got through to a call centre in Pakistan.
Told them I was suicidal, they got all excited and asked if I could fly a plane......

You might want to have it correct before you dispense grammatical advice. Ill save you further embarrassment and let you correct highlighted part yourself.

No matter what America has done, these people (and many others, from countries the world over) did not deserve to die like that.

If your father is a complete c**t - does that make shooting you fair game?

Ive yet to meet an American who thinks the world resolves around them any more than any other race, and Ive met many.

[J70]

Good one J70, you have me in stitches here.

Fancy a serious tilt at that particular question? I.e., Why should that loss of unfortunate life so outweigh the loss of much more significant life elsewhere before and since.

You asked what was so special about 9/11 i.e. why we remember where we were when it happened. At least that is the meaning I took given the context of the thread. And I have answered the question under that interpretation i.e. it is fairly obvious, hence the stupid comment.

As to your question as stated above, the bleeding obvious answer is that there is no reason that the 9/11 deaths should outweigh those other deaths other than the context i.e. again, where and how they happened and the influence of that nation and her media all over the world. All such deaths are tragic, but they do not all have the same newsworthiness and relevance in different parts of the world. Sad, but true.

I agree that it sould not out weigh any one thing, what about the un-armed innocent people that were killed on Bloody Sunday or the people at croke park that were shot down in the stadium at a Gaelic football match?? But it is a trajic thing and there are other trajic things happening in other countries. A lot of this story is one sided coming from the Irish people and I am not sure what to say if I am mad from reading this on here but I respect your opinion.

If you disagree with something I say or it pisses you off, say why. Its a discussion board! Your opinion is as valid as everyone else's here, provided you back it up. Not sure exactly what you're saying here though!

[KCGaelicFootball]

Good one J70, you have me in stitches here.

Fancy a serious tilt at that particular question? I.e., Why should that loss of unfortunate life so outweigh the loss of much more significant life elsewhere before and since.

You asked what was so special about 9/11 i.e. why we remember where we were when it happened. At least that is the meaning I took given the context of the thread. And I have answered the question under that interpretation i.e. it is fairly obvious, hence the stupid comment.

As to your question as stated above, the bleeding obvious answer is that there is no reason that the 9/11 deaths should outweigh those other deaths other than the context i.e. again, where and how they happened and the influence of that nation and her media all over the world. All such deaths are tragic, but they do not all have the same newsworthiness and relevance in different parts of the world. Sad, but true.

I agree that it sould not out weigh any one thing, what about the un-armed innocent people that were killed on Bloody Sunday or the people at croke park that were shot down in the stadium at a Gaelic football match?? But it is a trajic thing and there are other trajic things happening in other countries. A lot of this story is one sided coming from the Irish people and I am not sure what to say if I am mad from reading this on here but I respect your opinion.

If you disagree with something I say or it pisses you off, say why. Its a discussion board! Your opinion is as valid as everyone else's here, provided you back it up. Not sure exactly what you're saying here though!

I am not sure what I want to say I am a little pissed off about what people said in here . I can see their point and that is it.

[Puckoon]

I dont blame you KC, if people came on here spouting that innocent catholics "got a taste of their own medicine and didnt like it" with the loyalist retaliations for an IRA atrocity like kingsmill - there would be f**king uproar from the same posters who are quite content to dumb down the humanitarian atrocity that was 9/11 just to have an off the beat view point.


Plenty of american acts have been totally and utterly wrong - that does not make 9/11 a non runner in the tragedy/world-changing/atrocity stakes.

[J70]

I dont think Fear ón Srath Bán meant the people that died had it coming, rather America itself.

Thank you Down Gael, exactly.

America is the people

Don`t you mean Americaare the people?

And therein lies the problem. Americans think the world revolves around them. They are very inward looking, yet consider themselves to be a self appointed world police. September 11 should have been a wake up call, not an excuse for more bloodshed. While lapdogs like Blair and Ahern offered support and condolence, many of their people secretly rejoiced. They got a taste of their own medicine on September 11 and their people didn`t like it. Now they know how the vicitims of American bombs and bullets feel, from Hiroshima to Vietnam and Iraq and Afghanistan.
Time and again we are drip fed images of fallen man and heroic firefighters, while Iraqis, Afghans and countless other races suffer beyond the media spotlight.

Was so depressed last night that I rang the Samaritans. Got through to a call centre in Pakistan.
Told them I was suicidal, they got all excited and asked if I could fly a plane......

What would have been the correct response to 9/11?

(Consider it a given, from my point of view at least, that they should never have went into Iraq).