The story which I want to tell you about seems particularly significant to me because it helped me learn a lot about myself and how much torture I can take. It also made me appreciate all the small things we commonly take for granted, like having your family and knowing that they are healthy and happy. But they say that whatever does not kill you makes you stronger and I believe this experience did this for me. Life is finally going my way again. Now I wait for life to once again attempt my derailment, or, at least, for that damn sock full of quarters to slap me down again!
On September 11th, 2001 the day started very regularly; my alarm clock rang, and I woke up, showered, and caught an RTA bus, starting my hour-long transit to school, just as every other day that school year. Aimlessly walking through school was part of my daily routine, and I settled amongst my classmates to hear yet another boring lecture about old, wizened men forming what has become today's government for our great nation. Mid period, just as my eyes were getting lazy, and my eyelids quite heavy, my teacher enters the room after a short sojourn to the History Department's lounge. He informs us that the World Trade Center had been hit, but there were no further details. Class droned on as normal, no radio, no TV, no announcement. To the bewilderment of my teacher, nobody believed him; this was a sick joke, right? Throughout the school day, until I could enter the library and view the horrific scene, I was in a state of disbelief. It was quite hard to fathom; the biggest event of the new millennium, and not one classroom was watching the gruesome details unfold?
When I entered the Media Room, and actually saw for myself the planes streaking overhead and destroying human life by smashing into one of New York's trademarks, I was speechless. The feeling in my gut made me sick; I was unable to stand. From the moment that I witnessed over national airwaves the mass destruction terrorists had caused us, I knew that the world around us was about to change, and for the worse. That evening, through the tears in the neighborhood's eyes, and feeling of an uneasy harmony and peace that a disaster had to create to unite those around them, people started going crazy. The gas prices soared so high that the City of Cleveland had to shut down numerous gas stations in the urban area because owners were gouging those trying to prepare themselves for any other disasters that could occur. It was horrible; people trying to help their family in case a sudden disaster took over our area, our home, our"turf", and people were just trying to make a quick buck, I found it incredible. How could people do this to their own fellow Clevelanders? I am very happy that our local government oversaw the operations, and quickly proceeded to set the stations on the right path. Because of this, I was just wondering my impending doom; working on nearly minimum wage, ready to get my license, and I would not even be able to afford gas. even now, gas is extremely expensive, and you find yourself wondering where to come up with a couple extra bucks to make it from point A to point B without being stranded. This topic affected me the most through 9/11.
Another occurrence that affected couch potatoes like me was the censorship that the entire nation was feeling. From songs being pulled from the radio, to episodes of my favorite shows being cut, was all of this really necessary? My favorite"Simpsons" episode, where Homer gets the boot on his car and he can't find the bathroom, so he runs from tower to tower madly in search of the facilities. Also, the never-aired"Friends" episode that I was eagerly awaiting was cancelled. At first I was being selfish amidst the anger, but I soon realized that viewing those images may drudge up the sorrow bottled up in some people that didn't release it at the appropriate time. I was ignorant to the fact that viewing the Trade Center in a comical sort of way could upset those that lost loved ones in the tragedy. Another aspect of the media that was thoroughly censored was the radio. Songs such as"Let the Bodies Hit the Floor","Walk Like an egyptian", and"It's A Wonderful World" were all immediately cancelled from playlists. Finding this very understandable, I was happy that Clear Channel Worldwide, the largest radio community nationwide, had enough common sense to remove disturbing songs with lyrics contrary to the new ways of American life. It had seemed that all of the violent images were suddenly disappearing now that such a great act of manslaughter had commenced. The media was finally clearing up to the family standards that it once used to hold. Another situation that affects my life in a very minor way was air travel. Although my family enjoys long rides in the car, taking side trips on our way to Florida, my extended family is nothing like us. Because I am the youngest slave with a license in my family, I am randomly selected out of a group of one to go to the airport, pass all the security checkpoints, and depart from the airport with another family member. Because of such a significant boost in security measures, check-in times for the airplane are much longer than they used to be. There is no more Home Alone style aircraft boarding procedures. There are metal detectors, bomb detectors, police, guards, and tons of security personnel monitoring everyone's slightest move. Anyone the slightest bit suspicious is immediately interrogated. This is a very large safety measure that, in my personal opinion, soothes the thoughts of terror in the back of everyone's mind.
Terrorist activity has also started many security groups for the well being of the citizens of the United States of America. My father is chairman for Homeland Security (controlling the northern half of Ohio) and any terrorist activity automatically triggers many meetings, part of which is the time that we are used to spending with him. Not only does he travel to Columbus several times per month, my dad has much other work that he completes at home for his own personal benefit, and for the benefit of the organization. If it were not for the terrorists, security groups such as these would be unnecessary, and everyone would be able to live a peaceful life without the threat of war or an attack on innocent civilians. The final way that September 11th has affected my life is the fact that some of my friends and co-workers alike have been discriminated against. When people look at my Middle eastern comrades, feelings of hate and suspicion are always directed at them. From scoffs to a waitress at Malley's that wasn't even Middle eastern, to vexed stares when my co-workers at Panera's speak in their native tongue to one another, the people that I spend my days with are being judged inequitably, these situation make me mad. I think that it is unfair for one group of people to be stereotyped as one thing, especially when they do not carry any of the traits associated with terrorists, except for a likeness of image, not character.
September 11th, 2001 is a day that will unfortunately be remembered throughout the world, and the shocking realization that other countries are jealous at our way of life will continue throughout history, and I am sure that the World Trade Center incident will not be the last attack in attempt to stop the American way of life. We Americans are the proud few that create decent, upstanding lives for ourselves, so that we can live out our days in a peaceful environment. I believe that the most outrageous fact is that it has been one year since the attack on freedom, and we can look back on how much has changed, but also how much hasn't.
Bibliography
1. Noam Chomsky, 9-11. New York: Seven Stories Press, (2001).
2. Peter L. Bergen, Holy War Inc.: Inside the Secret World. New York: Free Press, (2001).
