On the morning of September 11, 2001, I was an awkward twelve-year-old, sitting in Ms. Pape's art class. It was normal for her to have the radio on but never the television. When I saw the smoking Twin Towers on the screen, I didn't understand what was going on, but maybe no one watching really did. It was a long time before I fully understood the scope of what happened that day.
It was so strange to know that the United States wasn't invincable-- whether that was an idea I'd been taught or just something every kid believed, I don't know. I wouldn't go as far as to say I wasn't a kid after September 11, but something definitely changed, as I'm sure was the case for many.
When I watched the initial bombing of Iraq on CBS with my parents, I thought the conflict couldn't possibly last long: just looking at a map reassured me. That was obviously not the case, though. As the years passed and the United States remained in wars, I became sort of numb to hearing bad news on television: "Thirteen killed in roadside bombing" might as well have been the daily weather report. And as more people began to oppose the wars, I became confused. I didn't know if I wanted to "END THIS WAR" or "SUPPORT OUR TROOPS."
To complicate things, a couple years ago I discovered a 2007 Peter Joseph documentary called Zeitgeist. The film is controversial, so you'll find many critics and supporters if you do some research. It's made me question much of what I believed about September 11 and many other "truths." As I haven't personally researched each claim, however, I can't guarantee accuracy. I'm going to post two parts of the 9/11 attack section, though I recommend you view the whole thing when you have time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_E4N5YIycI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECMJ2LBK90Q
I guess I'm still figuring out all the ways that my twelfth year has shaped me, personally. Perhaps it made me feel less secure growing up or caused me to have thicker skin; or maybe it humbled me and those around me, or made me trust less.
In terms of the larger effects of September 11, 2001, discrimination has seemed to increase against people of Middle-Eastern descent. In fact, at the time of the attacks, my sister was married to a man whose parents were from Iran, and my classmates jokingly called him a terrorist.
Also, patriotism seemed to reach an all time high after the attacks in a way that I'd not seen before. For the first time, people around me began expressing interest in joining the military. Before the time of the attacks, I would have never guessed so many of my peers would spend time in Iraq and Afghanistan. My brother, in his last month of being a part of the reserve, was sent to Afghanistan for a year. When he returned, he was different-- angry and distant. He's since returned more to his old self, but he's not the same. It's possible that this has affected many veterans, which certainly has had an impact on life here.
I truly believe we have yet to discover all the ways September 11 has impacted and continues to impact lives. Hopefully, though, 100 years from now, children will read about it in history text books, and all the answers will be there.
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