If 9-11 were to happen today...
 

I asked my kids over dinner if their teachers said anything about the 9-11 attack? Sadly, nope, none, not even in their history or government class. Instead, the typical BS was drilled into them. So I reminded them that we came together as a nation, communities, and caring humans. What if 9-11 happened again today, I asked if they think there will be looting and civil unrest due to what happened with the BLM protest, and how people acted when we have a large disaster. If we can just look at Japan's nuclear disaster, we see orderly folks helping each other. Have we lost our ways and when? My older boy said, yeah they will steal everything they can instead of helping. I ask them to ask their friends about this and the report came back. Both said most of their friends felt the same way about the looting that will for sure take place if it happened again. Sad day are ahead.

1) About 35% of the population of the US either wasn't alive, or was a child (under 8) when that happened.

One third of the US population. This didn't exist to one third of us right now. In less than 10 years, HALF of the population will not have lived it in any reasonable way. I bet that both your kids and their teacher fit in this category.

No amount of "Never Forget" survives time.

2) Did we really...I mean, REALLY...come together afterwards? Or did we just redirect some sort of random personal anger towards a common enemy for a bit, then turn back and almost immediately create Patriot Acts, and closed government buildings, and distrust of our fellow Americans?

"If..."

You'd all be united again (that's all I can say for now).

I'd like to think Peter is right. However, I was born in '43...on every December 7th when school was in session, I was reminded of Pearl Harbor. It really disturbs me that 9-11-01 isn't taught in schools. Must not fit the agenda?

I wonder how old their teachers are? The majority (maybe 75 percent) of my colleagues in the high school where I work are in their late 20s or early 30s. They might not have understood it in the same manner that us older folk did because of how young they were as it unfolded.

I doubt it's an agenda. It's more likely just time marching on. I was born in 1960 and don't recall Pearl Harbor ever being mentioned on a December 7th. Then again, there was also no mention of Gettysburg on July 1st.

I do hear about 9/11 and 12/7, but I'm pretty sure it's mostly from folks in their 40s/50s and up, folks that were fully aware at the time. I also hear about Dec 7, but that's also probably older folks, likely in the same age range. When you're young, most folks either don't care, or more likely are too pre-occuppied with life to be very concerned with "ancient history". Young kids are mostly just not aware of life and the world enough to really understand the impact of most of this sort of thing.

I'm not sure that Gettysburg is quite the same as Pearl Harbor and 9/11 since those are both "attacks on US soil by foreigners" vs a civil war.

It is a major miss for schools to not mention this, at least once the kids are >12 yo. Younger kids, I'm not sure how much they'd really understand or the impact. I just can't remember what is was like to be that young and how much history really registered or impacted me.

All part of the plan

I was in grade school in rural Ohio in the 1960s. We said the Pledge of Allegiance at school assemblies and even said the Lords Prayer on occasion. Sports events started with the National Anthem. But I don't remember them dwelling on Pearl Harbor in history class. It may have been mentioned, but not enough to trip my memory.

Yeah, sure. In a world that is so chaotic and disorganized we can't even agree on the correct time, there is this big, well organized agenda to forget 9-11. :rolleyes::rolleyes:

I was talking with a judge on Monday about where we were on that day. Another attorney walked by and interjected, "I was in kindergarten". Judge and I just shook our heads.

I have a feeling that if something like 9/11 occurred today the response would be similar to the previous response. I know that there's a bunch of crap going on these days, but I think most folks would still react similarly today to how we reacted before.

My concern is if they did teach this then the question of who did this would come up.
We have enough racisms in the world.

that's a point. It should be taught as "terrorists" or "extremists", not "muslims".

We can't NOT teach stuff just because it might trigger something else. The key is to figure out how to teach it to minimize other issues. We can't stop teaching about the holocaust or slavery or any number of other issues that have occurred throughout history just in case. Folks that will take those things and twist them are probably going to figure out how to do that regardless. Normal folks are probably not going to twist them.

Historical events are brought into discussion when someone cares enough to bring the topic up.

Doesn't matter when the event(s) happened.

Guess who it was who brought forward a 9 year old thread on this topic?

https://forums.pelicanparts.com/off-topic-discussions/829366-9-11-a.html

I dont think the reaction would be the same. We weren't any even close to being divided as a nation as we are nowadays.

Another attack like that would only drive the wedge deeper

.

Hopefully we'll never test that. I have but a sliver of hope but if Maui sets an example then we're screwed.

I do realize that the comparison is very weak.

I grew up in NY and was in high school at 9-11. The general feeling amongst people at school was that looting was going to be a huge problem, and the united and positive response was practically treated as a miracle.

I think it's fair to have a pretty low opinion of people in general, but in the face of a specific crisis people will surprise you. It's not like NY was under water for weeks with people starving, fighting over diminishing supplies.

Edit: Thinking back on that is rough. I'm just remembering a few specific kids being called to the office to get news about their parents who worked at the towers.

I have an employee (really good employee) who was not yet born. Blows my mind, and I hate him a little bit for making me feel old. :D

I work with attorneys who were in grade school on that day. I was in court on Long Island arguing a motion when the 2nd plane hit. I remember every detail of that morning, including the judge screaming at me because I walked into his court room with a newspaper in my hand. Time flies.