How do you feel about the encyclopedic dictionary I just saw, whose (only) picture for the Nueva York entry (it was a Spanish dictionary, this being Spain) was the WTC attacks?
Goodness me, I still have the Time magazine issue which was published immediately after September 11. Like it or not, those images of the WTC (does everyone always forget the Pentagon and Pennsylvania were also part of that day’s events?) have been marketed over and over and over again since September 11. Pre-September 11 images - there’s a market for them, the skyline is NEVER going to look that way again. Images from the day itself - “collector’s items”.
Yes, it’s horrendous exploitation of a tragic event, but it’s the buying public which is creating the demand - pretty much ANYTHING associated with September 11, 2001 can still find a market because the wound is so raw.
At least you seem to have been spared the tacky handbags which were on sale here for a while.
I’m sorry to say this, but I’d bet money that there are a whole lot of companies gearing up right now to produce items for sale on the “first anniversary” of this event - and people WILL buy the merchandise they produce.
My above post sounded quite snippy, and I apologise for that.
My intention was more along the lines of pointing out that come mid-September this year there will almost certainly be compilation programmes put together by US TV networks and special “one year on” editions published by major US magazines which graphically document in pictorial fashion the changes in the NYC skyline over a 12 month period.
Those “specials” will include September 11 pics, pics of the planes hitting the buildings, pics of the towers collapsing, people jumping, the rescue attempts, the “finishing” of the clean-up. And people will watch those anniversary programmes and buy those special editions in droves.
By virtue of being one of the most televised tragedies in history, the WTC attacks have also become one of the most MARKETABLE tragedies in history - if we don’t want that to always be the case, we need to think about what we “consume” in relation to the events of September 11 last year and whether by our consumption we are diminishing the significance of that day.
I don’t!
It always tugs at my heartstrings when I see a shot of the WTC in re-runs…Friends, Sports Night, etc. It jerks me out of the sit-com for a second…but no, they should not go back and re-edit the shows. We need to remember, Goddammit, that they used to be there and why they’re not any more.
I absolutely agree. On the Fourth of July, I happened to be watching “Independence Day”. There are quite a few shots of the WTC. It distracted my attention from the film every time they appeared.
I think for some, pre-9/11 pictures comfort them, similar to how a picture of a deceased love one might. It’s ok to want to remember a happier time in our life.
I do however think that if you are going to be selling products that “memorialize” this event, it would be nice to see at least a portion of the profits go to help those that have been affected by 9/11. Obviously, there is no legal obligation to do so, but perhaps a moral one, whether it be t-shirts or a picture of President Bush on Air Force One.
I think everybody should have a before, during, and after photo. Makes a nice reminder that the earth we live on isn’t a quiet peaceful place. It would be nice if it was but that little reminder will bring you back to reality.