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3 months later and how do you feel?

Ground Zero

19:35 / 11.12.01

Can you believe it? What a horrendous 90 some odd days.How do you feel know? A little more possitive?
Looking back, did we overreact or not enough?
And what about that tape??

Comments please and thank u.

Harold Washington died for you

02:13 / 12.12.01

I miss the Twin Towers. Unspeakably horrable about all the people that died, but the loss of those buildings is almost too much to take. I was born and spent many summers in NYC. The Manhattan skyline always filled me with awe and that 'wow, anything is possible' feeling.

Now to see that amazing city with a big gap in it really pisses me off. And 'anything is possible' is a dark prospect indeed.

06:49 / 12.12.01

I'm tired of companies blaming layoffs and cuts in employee benefits on terrorists. My girlfriend works at a bookstore that didn't hire any extra people for the holiday season this year "because of the way the economy has been since the terrorist attacks". Nevermind that sales are up from last year (and the employees that are there have to deal with the customers who don't understand why anyone isn't there to help them).

The terrorist boogeyman = increased profit margin.

Bastards.

Haus about we all give each other a big lovely huggle?

10:35 / 12.12.01

I saw an advert on TV for a WTC memorial plate - pure Franklin Mint. It was really depressing.

12:17 / 12.12.01

i still glare suspiciously at low flying planes.

and i'm not sure how to handle the 'have a good christmas even tho your friend died in the wtc' conversation i will have to have at some point.

13:49 / 12.12.01

pessimistic & confused.

14:20 / 12.12.01

A crap-load safer. If they had stuck Lex Luther or Dr. Doom in jail, it wouldn't have been a bigger relief.
I had friends die in Kenya when Benjamin Laden had the embassies bombed - about the same time President Clinton had brokered a new Palestinian state.
But it's a momentary relief. New US whipping boys, Musharaaf and Kharzai, are probably reading up on Stalin, Pol Pot, and Osama himself to polish-up on 'turning US-presidential-backing into pogrom and profit.'
That and the annoyance of my home slowly slide into a police state.
Thanks, Osama and Dark Lord 'W', for turning the US into another Brazil.
<Uses the remote robot arms to open his personal mail, lying in the hermetically-sealed vacuum chamber>

Regrettable Juvenilia

14:34 / 12.12.01

[ 12-12-2001: Message edited by: Flyboy ]

Matthew Fluxington

14:57 / 12.12.01

Numb, usually. I really make a strong effort to think about as little as possible, which I know sounds horrible, but it's good for keeping sane.

Last week I was in the area around the WTC for the first time since a month before it happened. You can see the skeletal remants of the buildings from the street on Broadway...there are always tourists there snapping pictures of it, and the smoke still rising...

When I'm on the street and look downtown I try to remember how it used to look when there were giant towers in the distance...

My fear of terrorists is practically nonexistant at this point...I'm about as scared of them as I am of the possibility of being mugged or something, which is to say, the paranoia is there, but I don't have a realistic expectation of it happening at any given moment. The first month after it happened, I was constantly nervous when I was on the subway or near important places...

The lowflying planes freak me out though, still...

Foxxy Feminist Fury

16:11 / 12.12.01

I spent the entire month of August in Wisconsin, not too far from the local airport. I'd often be outside, reading or talking on the phone or having a smoke. Every time a plane went by, I'd look up and just be in awe at its beauty.

Shortly after this happened, I saw a plane and I thought, "I STILL love airplanes." Seeing them makes me happy, like we're continuing on. Still, sometimes when I see one at a certain angle, like last week when I was walking to work and I saw a plane that looked suspiciously too low to the Loop, I get a little nervous, and I have to watch and make sure it's not going to hit any buildings.

Looking back at immediately afterward, I'm amazed at how horrible it really was. I don't think it really hit me at the time. I hate seeing the footage of those buildings exploding. I especially hate seeing those horrible fliers of "missing" people.

I remember the week it happened, we went out for my friend's birthday (whose b-day was 911), and noticing that it was very easy to see what everyone's coping style was. Half of us were inside the bar, talking about what had happened, and the other half was outside, talking about ANYTHING other than what had happened (I was inside rehashing it to death).

I hate all the patriotism crap. I hate hate hate it. I'm still afraid of fascism, and I am afraid of what the U.S. will do next. I hate these businesses claiming they're not having the office Christmas party because "we're not in a mood for celebrating," when the reality is they don't want to spend the damn money. Pricks. I hate that businesses are getting bailed out in every conceivable way while poor folks in the service industry run out of options.

It's strange.

17:18 / 12.12.01

I work in a warehouse without indoor plumbing.

18:01 / 12.12.01

Hmm. This keeps coming up. Terrorism as an excuse for an increased profit margin. If there are any unmentioned examples, I'd be glad to hear them... This sounds like quite the pheonominon. I mean, it should be said that there's definately some legitimacy in the financial concerns companies have right now. But something seems... Off kilter.

It's all very weird.

18:36 / 12.12.01

I heard that bible sales are way up, especially bibles w/ covers featuring the American flag. Also heard that Martha Stewart tried to force her employees to throw their own mini-holiday parties, and she told them if they didn't then that meant the terrorists have won. That's what gets me: 'if we don't blah blah blah, then the terrorists have won.' That plus how Bush is so smart now.

pointless and uncalled for

18:38 / 12.12.01

I'm fairly much back to normal. Have been for sometime.

I purchased my plane ticket for my trip to England this Christmas about 3 days after the fact. I wasn't about to change my life because of terrorist actions and still hold to that ideal. I have no fear of flying.

It's strange when I catch reruns of programs that show the WTC Towers, knowing that they're not thier.

I occasionally get pissed about the war but in a way I understand that it going to happen.

I sometimes remember this teddy bear that I saw outside of the Embassy as part of the tribute. On it there was a note that read "Please give me to someone who has lost a mommy or a daddy" that was the most upsetting image for me.

I sometimes remember the look on my co-workers face when I told him that the second tower had fallen.

These aren't nightmares to me, just brief reminders of what happend and what it means.

19:06 / 12.12.01

The incessant, empty flag-waving annoys me. Thinking about the dead, and their familes, particularly their attempts to cope around the holidays depresses me.
This same train of thought reminds me to be grateful, for my friends and families, for my own life.
The thought of more dead frightens me.
The calls for revenge reminds me of the potential for deadly hatred in people that I sometimes manage to forget.

But hell, life goes on, doesn't it.

Matthew Fluxington

19:35 / 12.12.01

I'm starting to think that maybe we *should* let Ghostface be in charge of the war.

12:05 / 13.12.01

I was "over" the attacks by September 12th. We Americans feel the need to "remember" this tragedy at every turn. Are we going to commemorate the 11th of Every Month??? It's time to move on.
www.harplander.com

12:31 / 13.12.01

Time to move on to what, though? Listening to NPR right now and they're talking about the Indian Point Nuclear Facility that's 22 miles outside of NYC and all the terrorist scenarios, how they're saying that there are 20 million people w/in the 50 mile 'jeopardy zone', how if there's a meltdown then NYC will be permanently uninhabitable, millions will die.

Matthew Fluxington

12:49 / 13.12.01

I hope that if that were to ever happen, I would be killed, because an accident at Indian Point (directly across the river from my hometown) would kill and destroy my entire family, all of my best friends, and every place that's ever been home to me. It is my ultimate nightmare. I simply would not want to live after something like that...

12:57 / 13.12.01

There are people trying to get it shut down until they've come up w/ some sort of viable terrorist/emergency meltdown plan. They don't really have a plan right now.

Matthew Fluxington

13:15 / 13.12.01

My mom is very scared about it, probably because she sees it on the way home from work every day... I see it on the train ride to my parents house...

they have jets protecting it, they have high security, but that can only do so much good. I don't know if anyone is so crazy to actually try to do it, though. I can't imagine anyone really wanting to cause what would be the worst disaster in human history... something that could lead to massive ecological damage, total worldwide political and economic collapse...it would help NO ONE. No one at all...

pointless and uncalled for

13:21 / 13.12.01

Except those that die and go to heaven for waging a religious war.

Matthew Fluxington

13:29 / 13.12.01

quote:Originally posted by potus:
Except those that die and go to heaven for waging a religious war.

no, I mean as far as strategy in a holy war, there is nothing to be gained from an attack like that...they would be hurting themselves as much as their enemy. Anyone with the intelligence required for planning an attack on Indian Point would surely be aware of the massive negative impact on the entire planet, an impact that its own people would be feeling for centuries to come...

13:32 / 13.12.01

I don't like thinking about the horror something like that would cause, but isn't that sort of destruction against the US exactly what the terrorists want, or am I buying too much into what the gov't/media's been telling me for the past 3 months?

pointless and uncalled for

13:33 / 13.12.01

I was implying that certain fanatics might believe that's worth doing because they don't consider the long-term implications or even understand the reality of the havoc they will cause.

18:46 / 13.12.01

I just think we're so pompous in America to proclaim that these are the Worst Tragedies. If we did have a meltdown, yes it would be horrific, but it wouldn't be the worst tragedy in human history. Oh wait, maybe it would be because so many americans would die, and their lives are much more important than the rest of the world.

When I say "move on" I mean, get over it. There has and always will be tragedies, violence, and war. And no, none of it is "explainable" or with valid reason. Even our own violent pursuits.

We're acting like a victim that never overcomes his/her tragedy, and lets it rule his/her judgement for the rest of his/her life.

....

Matthew Fluxington

19:01 / 13.12.01

So you're saying that the nuclear meltdown of the entirety of southern New York State and the irradiation of most of the rest of the northeastern section of the United States and Canada, resulting in the destruction of that entire ecosystem, the cultural and financial capital of Western Civilization, not to mention the United Nations, millions of important services, politicians, scientists, businesspeople, artists, broadcasters, publishers, etc etc, PLUS wiping out untold millions of other lives, PLUS throwing the US and all nations dependent upon the US into financial ruin, PLUS giving the remaining Western powers no option but to likely DESTROY and SUBJUGATE the entirety of the Middle East in retaliation...

that would be no big deal?

19:21 / 13.12.01

I must have missed something, Devin.
1 - Flux described his/her/its/their "ultimate nightmare".
2 - The title of the thread is '... how do you feel?'
Where the hell did 'critiquing Flux's fears and emotions' come from?
If you THINK the US is pompous, and you feel 'resentful', then say it.
I can FEEL sad, mad, glad, fearful, or any other emotion. My emotions are 100% true to me, like Flux's emotions are 100% true to him/her/them/it. They need no justification.
I THINK solid sentences, like 'Flux is whacky' or 'W' looks like a doofus. It may or may not be true.
I THINK I'll get off the soap box and stop bashing people who invalidate or question the emotions of others.
<nothing funny to say>

[ 14-12-2001: Message edited by: Sharkgrin ]

02:33 / 14.12.01

I'm pissed off: Junior got smarter, America's new justification of their invulnerability to criticism, the continental denial of critical thinking. I'm angry at seeing just how much of the collective consciousness is decided by TV, and how little the spirited debates of the internet filter into it. The commercialization of tragedy, the recontextualization of history (the recession began last fucking year, circa the election results)... the list goes on. The event was hideous, but the effects are still scaring the hell out of me. All the opportunists jumping in while last year's opportunists jump out with piles of cash.... I'm feeling like pointing and laughing, except it never helps, and I feel like I need to help. I feel like help would be shot on sight for being different.

Foxxy Feminist Fury

02:41 / 14.12.01

quote:Originally posted by solid_state:
I'm pissed off: Junior got smarter,

A ha ha. No he didn't. His handlers did, but he is as dumb and as idiot king as ever.

And thank you Sharkgrin. Feelings really can't be argued with.

And thank YOU Devin 1984. For not mentioning harplander.com at the end of your post, 'cuz you were really annoying me with your advertising yesterday.

And see? I did it for you!

/drunk time for bed now

Foxxy Feminist Fury

02:47 / 14.12.01

Oh yeah. Security here? RIDICULOUS. My favorite was during the anthrax scare and the poor sods in my building, when they were searching my bags, had to wear rubber gloves. I just thought, "Do you REALLY think those are going to protect you from anthrax? You're kidding yourselves." But naturally I didn't say that.

Now they're back to bare-handed searches.

But they're still searching my building. Which used to have 8 entrances, and now has two, and quite frankly, I miss the other six.

gentleman loser

23:34 / 22.12.01

I'm late to the party, but what solid_state said largely sums up my feelings.

The events of the past three months have confirmed all of my worst fears about the total cluelessness of the public.

Invade our privacy? Yes, please do!

Internment camps for non-americans? Why not!

Military tribunals? Absolutely!

Shred the Constitution? Fine with us, it's not like we've ever read the damn thing!

Do whatever you like, frankly we don't care as long you don't inconvenience us and make us consider anything that happens outside of our quiet little suburban fantasy world. Just make sure we have plenty of Chinese sweatshop made American flags to wave!

All propaganda must be popular and its intellectual level must be adjusted to the most limited intelligence among those it is addressed to. Consequently, the greater the mass it is intended to reach, the lower its purely intellectual level will have to be. But if, as in propaganda for sticking out a war, the aim is to influence a whole people, we must avoid excessive intellectual demands on our public, and too much caution cannot be extended in this direction.

The function of propaganda is, for example, not to weigh and ponder the rights of different people, but exclusively to emphasize the one right which it has set out to argue for. Its task is not to make an objective study of the truth, in so far as it favors the enemy, and then set it before the masses with academic fairness; its task is to serve our own right, always and unflinchingly.

Adolf Hitler - Mein Kampf

As Washington, Franklin, Jefferson, Adams and Paine spin furiously in their graves, consider me both horrified and shell shocked.

My greatest disgust is reserved for all of those fine people who betrayed their supposed belief in freedom and liberty and seem only all too happy to embrace the new police state. They have broken my heart just as surely as the actions of the terrorists themselves.

[ 23-12-2001: Message edited by: gentleman loser ]