9/11 Memorials

by Jessica Holyoke

September the 11th came around once again, and this year it fell on a Tuesday, just as it did in 2001. For some, 9-11 is a precursor to Madrid’s March 11th or London’s July 7th. For others, it is the greatest controversy of our time. But ignoring for a day the wars and legal changes that have occurred since that September morning, we remember that the majority of the world was once united in mourning for the loss of over 3,000 people.

I was reminded of international solidarity today when I went to one of many World Trade Center memorial sites. At the aptly named World Trade Center, a long wall stood with the names of those who fell victim to the attacks. Behind the wall were faces of the victims in happy, more carefree times. Surrounding the wall this morning were more than just Americans, noticeably Germans, Italians and Spaniards, taking part in the ability to remember the event without going to lower Manhattan, Alexandria or Western Pennsylvania.

I traveled to a few more sites that also sought to remember the fallen.

In Elegua, there are two gleaming towers rising up with the ribbon worn to remember.

In Foresta, there was another set of towers, but this one had an observation deck containing pictures of the towers before and after the attacks, as well as of the people who observed the horror and the hope that day.

A smaller site was located in Songnisan. No crowds were there. No babbler was needed. Only a small simple replica stood as a reminder to what was and a reminder as to the good in people and in Second Life.

Comments

[Alyx Stoklitsky]

In b4 PN hits it like the fist of an angry god.

[marilyn murphy]

interesting statement? pn has never hit anything like an angry god. pn slaps at peoples interests and pleasures like mean spirited little grade school girls.

[Alyx Stoklitsky]

Marilyn: It was a meme reference.

[Witness X]

"Marilyn: It was a meme reference."

Not a very good excuse for a still idiotic remark.

[Azzu Manga]

Idiotic, yet so very true.

[LOL DONGZZZ]

"Witness X "
Sup Mald?

[Witness X]

im super srs

[notAlyxStoklitsky]

it's a pity Alyx wasn't caught in 7/7. There would be one less asshole in the world.

[Corona]

the 11th of Sept is 11/9

9/11
is the 9th of November

Why the Muslims should attack on the anniversary of the 1938 'Kristalnacht' when jewish businesses were attacked by the Nazis is open to interpretation

[Corona]

if the PN does attack a twin towers memorial then it leaves it open to question as to what the 'patriotic' part of their title is alluding to - allegiance to America or to Al Qeida ?

[Corona]

plewase could Marilyn clarify 'little' in

'mean spirited little grade school girls.'

does she mean

school girls whose lesson grades are few or not very good

OR

grade school girls whose physique/height is unremarkable

[Corona]

Ps - Is there a similar wall in SL for all the Iraqi civilian casualties who have died

in a war [which was probably illegal]fought against an enemy who had nothing whatsoever to do with the twin towers attack.

[mootykips]

I, for one, am proud of being a meanspirited little schoolgirl.

[Alyx Stoklitsky]

it's a pity notAlyx wasn't caught in 9/11. There would be one less asshole in the world.

[marilyn murphy]

oh, lol. you guys take urselves so seriously. wheres the lulz? look, when u start saying that you strike with the vengeance of a god, it's just so stupid i had to point out that your god's vengeance is like a slap from a school girl in actual fact.

raining particle effects on people?? oh yes, the replicating prims? watch out, they are going to crash your sim!! ha ha. i realize these little slaps have you clapping your little hands in glee because some people do get upset.

eh. long before you guys came along this sort of stuff was happening often, and was linden labs fault. anyone remember the self replicating bass? or how suddenly your on line notifications would be flooded with people going off line due to sim crash?

yes i know, you can upset people. again, this is not the vengeance of a god. lol. thats so funny a comparison. its a slap from children. petulant mean spirited children. that some want to get upset over your little tantrums just makes you do more.
nothing is going to stop your sad behavior til you mature im sure. so go ahead. if and when you mature you will look back on this time as an abberation, and you will try to make your own children avoid this sort of behavior.

[Anonymous]

I thought comments were moderated. How did half of these comments (Pity Alyx wasn't killed blah blah) end up here?

[Yak]

With all due respect for the people that memorize 9-11...
When are the monuments for Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Dresden, Vietnam, Irak, to name a view... going to be erected ?

[marilyn murphy]

yak...they have been erected. well except for iraq, and that will probably be erected in 15 or 20 years.

whats the point you are trying to make?

you want memorials to every war ever fought. most wars since the advent of the 19th century have memorials. you want memorials to every attack on civilian populations that have occurred during wars? the tokyo fire bombings killed many more than the hiroshima bombing did. theres a memorial to that also.
are you just wanting memorials to the populations attacked by the U.S. during warfare?

you dont mention nanking or stalingrad. they were not american assaults so thats not an issue i am guessing. oh, to address your supposed concern here, they have memorials also.

[Yak]

Marilyn, I want NO memorials. Memorizing is so often misused to foster nationalistic feelings or political means.

Just look how Israel abuses the memory of the holocaust victims (read the books by Norman Finkelstein)to keep their population in fear and therefore boost their expansionist policies (and do not call me an anti-semite... I am Jewish).

I simply want no War and want Homo to finally beome Sapiens !!!

[marilyn murphy]

yak. i can only refer to your first post where you are asking for more memorials. now u totally switch from this stance to a general anti war, anti nationalistic stance. ok.
i agree with your second post totally. your first post listed only american battles/police actions/wars/whatever each military action is called at the time. you did not mention pearl harbor or tibet. it led me to believe it was an anti american stance and i sorta reacted to that.
i simply dont want a list of military activities to only name americas. other countries, to be fair, should also be listed. where is the outrage at darfur?
war is upon us all. i dont believe in our lifetimes we will escape it. i hope our children can, but i have a son who is just reaching military age and is discussing this. my husband was in vietnam. maybe our grandchildren?

[Yak]

Marilyn, Perhaps I did not make it too clear that the call for more memorials was ment sarcastically.

I'm not anti American, nor anti-Israeli I'm concerned about any people who, by npot aplying enough critical thought, believe anything that governments feed as 'truth and motivation' to them.

We do actually agree and your referring to Darfur is also right on.
I know the score. I've been in wars too, like your husband, although I'm not an american.

SL as a medium that cuts through cultures, race, age, and upbringing, may help establish in the minds of people a better concept of unity and less fear of they who are/think different (right... I am an old hippy and a bit of an utopist...).

Memorizing clings to the past... Here and now is the way to a better future for all of us...

[Father Time]

The past, and memorials, are important because they contain wise lessons... Dont let it happen again.

Unfortunately, as this very 'newsblog' demonstrates in articles and all the comments, humanity is afraid of what it does not understand, and hateful towards anything different.

There's exceptions, thankfully, but not enough. A world with humans without war? I don't see it happening, ever. Not while we're still this very undeveloped as a species.

[marilyn murphy]

good.
i can't really come up with anything intelligent to say. memorials are important to those who are personally touched by the death of loved ones.
they want something there so others wont forget their loss.
what governments do with this emotionally charged issue is beyond my ability to comment on.