# Should I be upset...? (Sept. 11 initial reactions) **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 11, 2002, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-be-upset-sept-11-initial-reactions/127931 "2002-09-11T05:10:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2002, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-be-upset-sept-11-initial-reactions/127931/1 "2002-09-11T05:10:01Z")
[This story](http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2002/09/11/forbidden_letters/index.html) at [salon.com](http://salon.com), plus the article that started it, is fairly interesting. What’s more interesting, in my opinion, is the average reader’s reactions to it. Should I be upset? Chalk it up to human nature or personal politics? Is there a “right” or “better” way to deal with a sudden tragedy? Sure, I was mad at the person who hoped as many Federal agents died as possible, but I could certainly understand why someone would feel that way… I just don’t agree with it. None of these people is necessarily bad, I don’t think… Is it just human nature? ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2002, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-be-upset-sept-11-initial-reactions/127931/2 "2002-09-11T05:46:17Z")
I think it is human nature, and I give Salon all kinds of props for going there. Good for them. ---
**Author:** ![grimpixie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecb155/32.png) [@grimpixie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grimpixie)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2002, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-be-upset-sept-11-initial-reactions/127931/3 "2002-09-11T07:40:46Z")
This one struck me: > [@](#): > > I’ll admit my first thought was, Thank God, I won’t have to hear [name withheld] bitch about her marriage anymore. Her husband worked in the WTC and they were on the road to a messy divorce. Of course, then I spoke to my friend, who was now the proud widow of a martyr – and has since claimed full benefits. The hypocrisy of her attitude, especially as she spoke about him in the reverent tone normally reserved for saints when he was once known as TB (short for ‘The Bastard’), nearly made me physically ill. It is sad how some people will mis-use a tragedy like this - and this person is, unfortunately, not alone… Grim ---
**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2002, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-be-upset-sept-11-initial-reactions/127931/4 "2002-09-11T08:01:36Z")
I thought it was a very interesting read, and very worthwhile. These were real thoughts real people had, unpleasant or not, and to pretend that people were only filled with ‘good’ or ‘pure’ emotions is to misrepresent what happened. I would rather we remembered events honestly than some sanitised version. ---
**Author:** ![Karellen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/779978/32.png) [@Karellen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Karellen)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2002, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-be-upset-sept-11-initial-reactions/127931/5 "2002-09-11T08:27:03Z")
Heh. Funny stuff. And very true. I can see how the mainstream press isn’t going to go anywhere near this stuff–just as they won’t go near any examination of Middle Eastern policy or denunciation of the House of Saud–but I’m glad Salon did. I remember personally feeling more pity for the undocumented Windows on the World busboys than the Morgan Stanley stockbrokers, and wondering if that was wrong of me. I like this one: “I love to watch the footage, over and over. I’m looking forward to the anniversary just because the videos will be played again. People claim they don’t like to see the images, but I don’t believe it for a second. I was sorry I missed footage of people jumping, because you just don’t see that too often and that is rarely replayed.” I feel that way too. I can’t help it. No one I knew died in the attack so to me it’s like watching films of atomic bomb testing on the History Channel, or volcanic eruptions on Discovery, or that video junk on Real TV, or computer animations of the comet wiping out the dinosaurs. If anyone personally experienced real tragedy on September 11 (or from a volcano or atomic bomb for that matter), feel free to jump in and smack me around. I have no defense beyond my confession. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2002, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-be-upset-sept-11-initial-reactions/127931/6 "2002-09-11T10:22:44Z")
I personally find it refreshing to view the ideas of real people. I’m so sick of the sanitized version of this that everyone seems to spout. They seem to revel in the idea of their new victim status, even if they have no real connection to the events. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2002, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-be-upset-sept-11-initial-reactions/127931/7 "2002-09-11T15:10:55Z")
I found some of the opinions wince-worthy and horrendous and unforgivable; others funny and understandable, and I’m glad it was printed. Yes, it’s upsetting, but it’s a refreshing change from the sanctimonious claptrap _most_ of the press is spewing forth. The _NY Post_ today has a photo of the WTC on the cover and the headline, “Lest We Forget.” Gee, thanks—it had _entirely slipped my mind_ till you brought it up! ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2002, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-be-upset-sept-11-initial-reactions/127931/8 "2002-09-11T18:12:32Z")
\*\* Eve, \*\* I’d be curious to know which of the opinions you found horrendous and unforgivable, if you’d be willing to share. Just curious, because I don’t recall finding any of them unforgivable. The only such thought I could imagine finding unforgivable would be something along the lines of “Yay! They all deserved to die horrible flaming deaths! More!” and I don’t recall anything like that. And I’m not being contentious or anything, I’m genuinely interested in knowing where other people’s lines are. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2002, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-be-upset-sept-11-initial-reactions/127931/9 "2002-09-11T18:41:40Z")
The ones about for example, “It’s not my problem, it was just a bunch of white people.” “I hate the Towers and I hate the Taliban, 2001 was great!” Someone was cheering about the fact that law enforcement officials died-and still is, it seems. Those were rather crass, and had a sort of, “I’m better than everyone else, hehehe…” sort of thing. Even if they occurred to someone, still, it was the way it was expressed. I think we should send a link to our Onion articles, and **Lucky** ’s Pit thread, where she waxes on how, despite the fact that she hates him, she can’t help but find Osama Bin Laden attractive. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2002, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-be-upset-sept-11-initial-reactions/127931/10 "2002-09-11T18:51:44Z")
Pretty much the ones **Guin** pointed out, I think, **Stoid** —honest, I read it yesterday and my short-term memory ain’t what it used to be. At least, I don’t _think_ it is; I forget . . . ---
**Author:** ![ElJeffe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/958977/32.png) [@ElJeffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElJeffe)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2002, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-be-upset-sept-11-initial-reactions/127931/11 "2002-09-11T20:01:18Z")
> [@](#): > > The NY Post today has a photo of the WTC on the cover and the headline, “Lest We Forget.” Gee, thanks—it had entirely slipped my mind till you brought it up! Sadly enough, a lot of people _have_ forgotten, or at least pushed it to the part of their memory where they don’t have to acknowledge that it happened. I know people who, within a couple weeks of the event, were whining about how the news was still talking about the terrorist attacks, as if it was some minor detail that we should push under the rug and ignore. I think, in general, it’s important that we remind folks of exactly how awful this event was. Certainly nobody will forget that it happened, but they may forget the significance. They may classify it as Another Bad Spot In History, along with the bombing of Pearl Harbor, and that would be a mistake. We can afford to view Pearl Harbor in that light, because we’ve dealt with that problem, and the enemy in question no longer exists. Look at it, learn from it, move on. But 9/11 isn’t over yet - the enemy is still out there, and they still want us dead. If we, as a nation, forget that, and just go on with our lives as normal, and pretend it didn’t happen, then something else just as bad will happen in the future. So for the sake of the people who want to forget, who want to ignore what happened, please, let’s stir up the old memories. Let’s broadcast images of people jumping out of the 80th story window, holding hands with someone as they fall to their deaths, so that we can renew the sense of horror and revulsion that we should rightly have. Anyway, sorry for the mini-rant, I’m just really tired of hearing people sigh exasperatedly at the idea of having to acknowledge that something kinda bad happened a year ago. Jeff ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2002, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-be-upset-sept-11-initial-reactions/127931/12 "2002-09-11T20:45:43Z")
Well, yeah, but **Jeffe** , I’m talking about New Yorkers here. Goodness knows, most of us would love to have a day or two where we _could_ forget about it! Same goes for people in D.C., I imagine. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2002, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-be-upset-sept-11-initial-reactions/127931/13 "2002-09-11T20:59:38Z")
Wow! Glad to know I’m not the shallowest person on the face of the planet! ---
**Author:** ![Mojo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Mojo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mojo)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2002, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-be-upset-sept-11-initial-reactions/127931/14 "2002-09-11T21:18:04Z")
Stoid: I’d be curious to know which of the opinions you found horrendous and unforgivable… > [@](#): > > The first thing I did when I saw the first tower fall on 9/11 was whoop and holler with joy. I know for a fact that there were federal law enforcement agents in the WTC (including FBI and Customs). My family and I were victimized by the feds for a victimless crime in the past. I am an American citizen, but I hoped that as many of them would die as possible. and another: > [@](#): > > I watched from my window, not on television, as the twin towers fell. As shocked as I was, I felt that this was not my problem as a black person. The people who worked at the World Trade Center were mostly white men, and so they had nothing to do with me as a black woman… > To me, 9/11 was just another example of the American paradigm of deservedness and white entitlement. We are not all Americans; the white investment banker, the white fireman, the white police officer, the white EMT, they are Americans. Gee, when I first heard the news, the first thing that popped in my mind was “were they white?” ---
**Author:** ![jbird3000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/aeb1de/32.png) [@jbird3000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jbird3000)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2002, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-be-upset-sept-11-initial-reactions/127931/15 "2002-09-11T21:20:32Z")
The way I think is… Shit happens every day. Thousands of people die every day around the world. The only time it matters much to me is when it’s someone i know. Why would 9/11 be different? ---
**Author:** ![Phoenix\_Dragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/65b543/32.png) [@Phoenix\_Dragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phoenix_Dragon)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2002, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-be-upset-sept-11-initial-reactions/127931/16 "2002-09-11T21:45:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ElJeffe \* > \*\*I know people who, within a couple weeks of the event, were whining about how the news was still talking about the terrorist attacks, as if it was some minor detail that we should push under the rug and ignore. \*\* I don’t know anyone who did that. I do know several people who complained, a couple weeks after the event, that there was _nothing else_ going on. Of course, we’d all gotten pretty much sick of media blinders due to earlier events, but the media made it seem like the entire rest of the world just stopped everything for a month. ---
**Author:** ![Cosmopolitan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/94ad74/32.png) [@Cosmopolitan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cosmopolitan)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2002, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-be-upset-sept-11-initial-reactions/127931/17 "2002-09-11T21:49:39Z")
I’m not a holier-than-thou type (at least I certainly hope not), yet it truly turned my stomach to read many of the comments. I’m no fan of the news media, and the stories/comments here certainly are different, but I still had a general feeling of revulsion after I got done with the link. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2002, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-be-upset-sept-11-initial-reactions/127931/18 "2002-09-11T22:01:09Z")
“Thousands of people die every day around the world. The only time it matters much to me is when it’s someone i know. Why would 9/11 be different?” —It’s called “empathy,” dear heart. Try it. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2002, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-be-upset-sept-11-initial-reactions/127931/19 "2002-09-11T22:11:59Z")
Regarding complaints of media coverage regarding 9/11: I doubt people are bored with it and want some new form of entertainment. At least, that’s not a lot of them. It’s just that we spent at least 16 hours a day patting ourselves on the back about what glorious victims we were, and eventually, we got the point. We didn’t need to have life revolve around 9/11. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2002, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-be-upset-sept-11-initial-reactions/127931/20 "2002-09-11T22:13:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Eve \* > \*\*“Thousands of people die every day around the world. The only time it matters much to me is when it’s someone i know. Why would 9/11 be different?” > > —It’s called “empathy,” dear heart. Try it. \*\* Is it morally superior to empthazie with New Yorkers because they’re “our people”, but neglect to empathize with every other tragic incident in the world, because they’re not our people? If everyone started getting distraught over events that didn’t directly affect them in any way, we’d have lots of non-functional people wrecked with nervous breakdowns. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-be-upset-sept-11-initial-reactions/127931.md?page=2)