Why 9/11 means nothing to me . .
The tragedy of 9/11. Its such a hot topic right now. It was a tragedy. It was horrible, not just for those that died, but for so many people that continue to live with the pain of it, but . . . . I can't feel sad about it. I can't feel sad about it because everyday people die and starve and suffer and we don't seem to mind it because it isn't "celebrated" or memorialised or shown to us in revealing articles.
I imagine if I lost someone that day, it would mean something to me. But for the millions of people that didn't know someone personally who died in the attacks that day, its just another day on earth where people are abused or killed and even more tragic than 9/11 they are forgotten.
Everyday is a tragedy for someone, somewhere.
It makes you think about how lucky you are, or how quickly things can change.
It makes me think about what real suffering is. Is it worse to die or to live a life of suffering?
I remember, when I was 10. I was a cub scout for a year. My parents didn't have enough money to really put me in properly so I never had the right things to bring with me. Used uniform, dues always in late, field trips missed because I never had the money to pay for things.
One time, I paid to go on a waterslide trip with some money I made passing out flyers and running errands at a local lawnmower shop. Not much, just 10 bucks I think.
A couple days before that, a Mexican kid had joined our scout troop named Javier. He barely spoke English and when his mom saw that my mom was Mexican, I was the defacto friend of the kid. I hated it. I had to translate all the time and all the kids made fun of him and me because of it. Like my life wasn't already hard enough!
When we went to the waterslide, Javier was there. We all changed and went up to the slides, everyone but Javier. He didn't have any money so he was just standing there watching all of us with his dirty jeans and used blue cub scout shirt on all by himself.
I asked him why he wasn't coming and he just lowered his head. I felt awful. I was torn. I couldn't leave him there, but I so wanted to finally participate. I walked away and went to the top and saw him just watching everyone. I thought "Why the hell didn't anyone pay for him?" There were other parents there. They didn't do anything. NOTHING. I couldn't believe it. It was one of many experiences I've had of racism, but this time I was more horrified in the lack of humanity in these people.
I got so pissed off. I asked one of the scout leaders to help and he said, "his parents should have given him the money, he's not my son." What??????
I went to the video arcade attached to the building and jimmied the door of one of machines and took some money out and paid for him. I felt no guilt at all. To this day I don't believe I stole, well maybe I do. It haunted me though. How can people see suffering and not do something about it?
This to me is tragedy. Not that Javier couldn't go on a fucking waterslide. Not that 3000 people died on 9/11, but in how everyday so many of us can make a difference and don't do a fucking thing.
Javier ended up in prison, armed robbery and killing 2 people in a shop for a lousy 100 bucks in the register. What a goddam tragedy.
The tragedy of 9/11. Its such a hot topic right now. It was a tragedy. It was horrible, not just for those that died, but for so many people that continue to live with the pain of it, but . . . . I can't feel sad about it. I can't feel sad about it because everyday people die and starve and suffer and we don't seem to mind it because it isn't "celebrated" or memorialised or shown to us in revealing articles.
I imagine if I lost someone that day, it would mean something to me. But for the millions of people that didn't know someone personally who died in the attacks that day, its just another day on earth where people are abused or killed and even more tragic than 9/11 they are forgotten.
Everyday is a tragedy for someone, somewhere.
It makes you think about how lucky you are, or how quickly things can change.
It makes me think about what real suffering is. Is it worse to die or to live a life of suffering?
I remember, when I was 10. I was a cub scout for a year. My parents didn't have enough money to really put me in properly so I never had the right things to bring with me. Used uniform, dues always in late, field trips missed because I never had the money to pay for things.
One time, I paid to go on a waterslide trip with some money I made passing out flyers and running errands at a local lawnmower shop. Not much, just 10 bucks I think.
A couple days before that, a Mexican kid had joined our scout troop named Javier. He barely spoke English and when his mom saw that my mom was Mexican, I was the defacto friend of the kid. I hated it. I had to translate all the time and all the kids made fun of him and me because of it. Like my life wasn't already hard enough!
When we went to the waterslide, Javier was there. We all changed and went up to the slides, everyone but Javier. He didn't have any money so he was just standing there watching all of us with his dirty jeans and used blue cub scout shirt on all by himself.
I asked him why he wasn't coming and he just lowered his head. I felt awful. I was torn. I couldn't leave him there, but I so wanted to finally participate. I walked away and went to the top and saw him just watching everyone. I thought "Why the hell didn't anyone pay for him?" There were other parents there. They didn't do anything. NOTHING. I couldn't believe it. It was one of many experiences I've had of racism, but this time I was more horrified in the lack of humanity in these people.
I got so pissed off. I asked one of the scout leaders to help and he said, "his parents should have given him the money, he's not my son." What??????
I went to the video arcade attached to the building and jimmied the door of one of machines and took some money out and paid for him. I felt no guilt at all. To this day I don't believe I stole, well maybe I do. It haunted me though. How can people see suffering and not do something about it?
This to me is tragedy. Not that Javier couldn't go on a fucking waterslide. Not that 3000 people died on 9/11, but in how everyday so many of us can make a difference and don't do a fucking thing.
Javier ended up in prison, armed robbery and killing 2 people in a shop for a lousy 100 bucks in the register. What a goddam tragedy.
posted by Darrin at 7:54 PM
5 Comments:
hi: Today in the morning, I felt like you. It was a tragedy but how about the countless deaths because of September 11. They are not big news. And the slow death that is happening right now in many countries, has no attention from the press. Lets continue to speak out for the invisible.
9/11 was terrible, appalling, hideous. Yet as many, and more, people have died in Iraq and in Israel in the last 2 years but don't they count? Not taking it away from those who lost loved ones in the two towers, at all. Just think that maybe if there was some perspective on stuff like this then western administrations wouldn't take actions like they have so lightly.
Hi Darrin. i thoought that is hould pop over and say hello! as you probabaly know i am Kerry's sister (yes the bigger bossier one!)
i would just like to say that i feel that 9/11 was a huge tagedy for mankind. i think that it was a hugely public display of terrorism (in the true sense) and that many many people have suffered as a result. i have a close friend whose brother died that day. he was from here in England and had an appointment on Septenber 11th. the first and only time he visted the towers.
however, what does really piss me off, is the way this has been milked over the last 5 years, and i fear will continue to be. we all know that had this happened in Bolivia that no-one would have remembered even 1 year on, let alone 5.
i hate the way that this has been portrayed to be the biggest human catastrophe the world has experienced in the last century.
i remember the thousands of Rwandan women and children raped and murdered....but the world (or at least the so-called big players) seem to have forgotten. they are still living through this now.
how about the mass child graves in Sierra Leone which are still be discovered today.
this shit goes on every single day....and who takes note?
so had to have a rant!!!....
i will pop back on a lighter note soon!!
Darrin, you are right.
9/11 a tragedy? My ass. The US gov't rigged that shit to further its own purposes.
Javier and people like him are the tragedy.
The victims in the Middle East are the tragedy.
The people who died in those buildings 5 years ago -- that is a tragedy. But the event itself was not. It was carefully engineered and is SOLD as a tragedy.
I wish all the boo-hooers would shut the fuck up about "Nine Eleven." How much longer do we have to hear about this shit? More people die of insidious things, of diseases that the government can help prevent, and due to lax gun laws.
Tragedy is around us every day. I for one am not crying over 9/11. In fact, I'm numb to it and was numb to it the very moment I was watching it on TV that morning as I got ready to go to school.
Poor Javier...
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