# What form should the memorial to the WTC victims take? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 13, 2001, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-form-should-the-memorial-to-the-wtc-victims-take/81413 "2001-09-13T19:05:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lizard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@Lizard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lizard)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2001, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-form-should-the-memorial-to-the-wtc-victims-take/81413/1 "2001-09-13T19:05:01Z")
Personally, I think that the entire site where one of the building stood should be dedicated to a park, with a world-class statue in the middle of it. What kind of statue could properly memorlialize this though, I have no idea. Any thoughts? ---
**Author:** ![Lizard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@Lizard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lizard)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2001, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-form-should-the-memorial-to-the-wtc-victims-take/81413/2 "2001-09-13T19:06:31Z")
Dammit, wrong forum. Mod, could you please move this to IMHO? ---
**Author:** ![Cheese\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Cheese\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheese_Head)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2001, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-form-should-the-memorial-to-the-wtc-victims-take/81413/3 "2001-09-13T22:10:09Z")
A giant statue of a dollar bill, because the greedy people who worked in the WTC, a known terrorist target, risked their lives trying to get rich. Well, except for the brave firemen and policemen. They need a better memorial. ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2001, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-form-should-the-memorial-to-the-wtc-victims-take/81413/4 "2001-09-13T22:11:11Z")
Yup. Off it goes. ---
**Author:** ![Monkeypants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@Monkeypants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monkeypants)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2001, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-form-should-the-memorial-to-the-wtc-victims-take/81413/5 "2001-09-13T22:16:39Z")
Of Course, Cheese Head, you are just one of the contrarians who have emerged in these past few days. I urge you to visit us over on the West Side Highway, or perhaps at 34th and Ninth, where two bomb scares today cause thousands to run down the street, and where police academy CADETS restored order and calm, and utter your sentiments. I suppose your post doesn’t merit a response, but just some food for thought: cleaning people and maintenance people were killed on Tuesday. Greedy, huh? ---
**Author:** ![dave316](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/76d3ee/32.png) [@dave316](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dave316)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2001, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-form-should-the-memorial-to-the-wtc-victims-take/81413/6 "2001-09-13T22:31:01Z")
a statue of Obi-wan Kenobi with the inscription You can’t win, . If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine. ---
**Author:** ![bernse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@bernse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bernse)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2001, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-form-should-the-memorial-to-the-wtc-victims-take/81413/7 "2001-09-13T22:31:25Z")
Cheese head has been nothing but a troll for the past day. Ignore him, or better yet mods plase ban him. :rolleyes: Somebody needs some attention I guess. Pretty sad. ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2001, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-form-should-the-memorial-to-the-wtc-victims-take/81413/8 "2001-09-13T22:41:15Z")
I vote for a park. In Battery Park, there’s a memorial to some WWII casualties, and it could look similar. A statue would be nice. And trees around the edge. It’d be nice if the whole area became a park, but that’s not gonna happen, so I’ll settle for at least an acre. Maybe in the new buildings, a ground floor or so could be a museum. At the Pentagon, maybe a brass plaque on the outside wall (or on a big rock) with the names. ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2001, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-form-should-the-memorial-to-the-wtc-victims-take/81413/9 "2001-09-13T22:51:02Z")
A memorial? Well, I think we should definitely place a couple more buildings back on the lot (that’s a BIG lot). A means of saying “Fuck you… you knock us down, we get back up.” And as soon as we find out the names of everyone who died, we inscribe those names along the walls of the building lobbies. Finally, in the plaza between the two buildings, a giant, upraised bronze fist holding a facsimile of Bin Laden’s dismembered head aloft. Okay, that last bit was just me getting carried away again. But in any case, I think we should plant new building constructions on the site, in addition to any memorial we place. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2001, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-form-should-the-memorial-to-the-wtc-victims-take/81413/10 "2001-09-13T22:51:10Z")
Osama Bin Laden’s rotting corpse on a skewer. Not a statue. His actual corpse. Part of me thinks there should be a park. Though I’ve never been there, there seems to be too many buildings on the island as it is. There could be a quiet, contemplative place in the city where people could remember. Another part of me thinks the WTC buildings should be rebuilt. Sort of a giant “Up yours!” to terrorists. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2001, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-form-should-the-memorial-to-the-wtc-victims-take/81413/11 "2001-09-13T22:52:55Z")
Ah, **SPOOFE**. I always knew there was a reason I liked you. But I think my idea of his actual corpse is better than a statue of his head. ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2001, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-form-should-the-memorial-to-the-wtc-victims-take/81413/12 "2001-09-14T00:24:08Z")
Well, Johnny, that’s all well and good, but after a few months, his body will be so hopelessly rotted that it’ll fall off the pike. Then carrion and insects will take it away, and all we’ll be left with is the pike. Perhaps we should encase his body in bronze, as well, to preserve it. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2001, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-form-should-the-memorial-to-the-wtc-victims-take/81413/13 "2001-09-14T00:33:02Z")
When the body rots off of the pole (and what’s wrong with him being eaten by cockroaches and rats? They could even be enticed to the meal by stuffing his body with pork rinds and bacon.) and there is nothing left but bones, they could use it as the designated pooping area for the dogs people bring to the park. Or for the dogs people bring by the building you suggest with the names inscribed. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2001, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-form-should-the-memorial-to-the-wtc-victims-take/81413/14 "2001-09-14T00:35:12Z")
Oops. That bit about the pork was insensitive to Muslims who visit here. I retract it and ask for forgiveness. In any case, what I _really_ think we should do is rebuild the buildings and use **SPOOFE** ’s suggestion of inscribing the names, or make a memorial park. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2001, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-form-should-the-memorial-to-the-wtc-victims-take/81413/15 "2001-09-14T02:58:32Z")
The World Trace Enter MUST be rebuilt. It is a defeat if they are not. Three towers should be built in place of two, and they should all have one side facing inwards to a small wooded park (there’ll be room, since the other buildings have all fallen down or burned out.) The park should be quiet and shaded with trees, ringed by a simple brick sidewalk. It should be accessible from all three directions (the spaces between the buildings.) The spaces between the corners of the buildings should have trees or other baffles so that the street noise is minimized, and the park is peaceful and quiet. Flowerbeds and attractive ferns, and meticulously cut grass. In the center should be a simple black marble slab, square and shone, eight feet high, eight feet wide, one foot thick, oriented north-south. On the west side of the slab should be inscribed the names of every single person killed in the attack on September 11, 2001, in alphabetical order. On the other side should be inscribed the words IN REMEMBRANCE Of those slain here on September 11, 2001 In the attack on the World Trade Center This New World Trade Center has been constructed On the same place as the last That we may show our defiance That we may enjoy our freedom And that our lost children may live forever There should be small pedestals and guidebooks at the entrances so that you can find a certain name, and signs saying “Please be quiet,” because it would be very hallowed ground. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2001, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-form-should-the-memorial-to-the-wtc-victims-take/81413/16 "2001-09-14T03:34:20Z")
Rick, you are to go immediately to your nearest university, get a degree in architecture and design (purely as a formality, of course), submit that idea to the memorial board in ten years’ time, win, and become the next Maya Lin. Wonderful job. ---
**Author:** ![Dijon\_Warlock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9a28c/32.png) [@Dijon\_Warlock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dijon_Warlock)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2001, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-form-should-the-memorial-to-the-wtc-victims-take/81413/17 "2001-09-14T09:35:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SPOOFE \* > \*\*Perhaps we should encase his body in bronze, as well, to preserve it. \*\* Or lucite. Sorry, I’d be serious, but everybody else has done better than I already. ---
**Author:** ![zuma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9c0ed/32.png) [@zuma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zuma)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2001, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-form-should-the-memorial-to-the-wtc-victims-take/81413/18 "2001-09-14T11:56:37Z")
I think it’s way too early, and we are all way too emotional to think of a fitting memorial. However, the thought did cross my mind, and to illustrate the emotions I still have, this was my first idea: 1. Rebuild the WTC. My thought was that if I had died in the towers, I would not want everyone to roll over, give up, and give in to terror. 2. Gather up everyone responsible for this despicable act, and throw them in jail, where they shall remain while the building process proceeds. 3. When the WTC is re-opened, those responsible would be taken to the top of the building, and thrown off. 4. Put short fence around their bodies, and let their bones sit in the courtyard for eternity. OK, 2-4 are just my raw rage speaking, but I’m still all for #1. Some sort of memorial should be put on the site… I just don’t know what. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2001, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-form-should-the-memorial-to-the-wtc-victims-take/81413/19 "2001-09-14T13:13:52Z")
Would it be possible to rebuild it as five towers? Four short ones, and one long one in the middle, so it would look like someone flipping the bird? ---
**Author:** ![zuma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9c0ed/32.png) [@zuma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zuma)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2001, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-form-should-the-memorial-to-the-wtc-victims-take/81413/20 "2001-09-14T13:27:33Z")
Annie, are you proposing something such as this? [http://clanbty.hypermart.net/](http://clanbty.hypermart.net/) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-form-should-the-memorial-to-the-wtc-victims-take/81413.md?page=2)