Nought But the Day and Time Since
I probably won’t be going to see United 93 at the theaters. I’m not sure with how many folks who’ve made a similar decision I share my reasons, though. One of the blogs I read irregularly (given that I irregularly interact with the blogosphere in general anymore) included a post discussing how inappropriately timed is this feature film release.
I’m not sure how long I’d expect people to wait before putting out detailed re-enactments of those particular events, but my immediate reaction is that five years isn’t really long enough.
While this sort of impassioned detachment—a detachment to preserve some emotional integrity—doesn’t itself befuddle me, I’m curious as to why our oft-reported retributive solidarity shouldn’t have us requiring this sooner than later.
And personally, I could live a long and happy life without ever seeing any of that footage again, let alone re-enactments of it. And don’t even think about posting comments about how we should “never forget.” There’s no danger of that– any time I want to ruin a morning, all I have to do is close my eyes, and I can see it frame by horrible frame.
I could very well have developed an Asperger-like detachment to these sorts of things; but there’s no chance that revisiting the footage—in any depth—would ruin my morning. I never truly wondered for the safety of the country (in part because I don’t identify with a patriotic tribal fanaticism), nor my family, nor myself. I experienced a sympathy for the victims (direct and indirect), but I can’t say I felt much more than that.
The event marks a cataclysmic memory for thousands of people, I’m certain; and I don’t intend to minimize that (as if I have any power to do so). However, I get a little frustrated with the memetic hand-wringing about September 11th, and the frenzy to attach oneself to the events of that day, becoming some crude döppelganger in the hopes of living such grand drama and grief vicariously through the misery of those inside the periphery. Note that the former and the latter are not necessarily concurrent; and I don’t think Chad’s riding that particular bandwagon. His comment just touched on a sore spot.
In the end, September 11th happened, and is over. There are legitimate reasons for alarm and investigation, and possibly even retribution of one sort or another. But that day is indelibly marked in history, and no film nor novelization nor other media cash-in is really relevant to that. Further, unless I’m really harboring an evil core (in relative terms—take that how you will), I imagine that most people are pretty indifferent to the topic anymore, whether or not they own up to it out loud.
What do you think?
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