Heartland

allfear wrote:I think the main difference with what happened to the WTC is that a large majority of people in the world saw it happen live on TV and by seeing it actually happen made it a hell of a lot more chilling

Indeed, plus it is if you like it or not a major influence on current national and international politics. Especially the last couple of years international policies were very much about partaking or not partaking in the 'war on terror'.

Obviously it has been overrated on a worldwide scale but have a look at the influence of one million Africans starving versus a couple thousand being killed in through attacking the US, you'll find the second will be a much bigger influence on your life whereas the first might be many times worse.

allfear wrote:I think the main difference with what happened to the WTC is that a large majority of people in the world saw it happen live on TV and by seeing it actually happen made it a hell of a lot more chilling

Is it wrong that I didn't find it chilling and just saw it as something to watch on the telly because there was nothing else to do?

Catastrophes have never really affected me. I find it hard to relate to people unless I know them somehow; even then it's a challenge.

From the US point of view the War On Terror killed more American soldiers then terror on 9-11 itself killed civilians.
I wonder when theyre gonna sing "we gotta get out of this place" again.
Well... "places" in fact.

I was sat at work thinking 'well, that's a photograph i'll not get a second time'. I'm rather proud of my rooftop montage. Didn't the taxis used to look small?

In the pub with a mate from work. We'd just come out of a course we were both on, and popped in next door for a pint. Someone told us what had just happened and we sat there, pints forgotten about, staring at it being repeated over and over agian on the telly, just not believing what we were seeing. It all seemed like some really really bad-taste joke at the time.

mh wrote: It all seemed like some really really bad-taste joke at the time.

And talking of which...

Q. Which city has the fastest readers in the United States?
A. New York - they go through 110 stories in 3 seconds flat.

(recycled from an old Norman Tebbit/Brighton bombing gag)

As every 11th September before and after it was one f**king day before my birthday. So that was my party down the drain.

canon docre wrote:As every 11th September before and after it was one f**king day before my birthday. So that was my party down the drain.

Call it a wake (choruses from under the rock)


and yes I'll get me coat

At work in Meanwood.

Five years later I was at work - in Meanwood.

Badlander wrote:Of course on 11/09/01 I was utterly shocked. But when millions keep dying in Africa or other dark corners of the Earth and the world doesn't care, just because they're not white and/or rich enough, I can't help feeling sick.

Agreed. I'm just glad we didn't have to go through another enforced f**king 2-minute silence at work. It's not that I don't care about those who died, but I'll remember them in my own way, and when I choose to.

And I know it's becoming a cliche, but after 5 years we're still constantly hearing about "9/11", but never a mention of (for example) the Asian tsunami in 2004. How many people were lost? Over 200,000? Like the man said - not white and/or rich enough...

smiscandlon wrote:

Badlander wrote:Of course on 11/09/01 I was utterly shocked. But when millions keep dying in Africa or other dark corners of the Earth and the world doesn't care, just because they're not white and/or rich enough, I can't help feeling sick.

Agreed. I'm just glad we didn't have to go through another enforced f**king 2-minute silence at work. It's not that I don't care about those who died, but I'll remember them in my own way, and when I choose to.

And I know it's becoming a cliche, but after 5 years we're still constantly hearing about "9/11", but never a mention of (for example) the Asian tsunami in 2004. How many people were lost? Over 200,000? Like the man said - not white and/or rich enough...

I see the oil is not reaching the dipstick

A tsunami = natural disaster

9/11 = terrorist attack

Big fcuking difference!


And this in no way means that I do not feel for the loss of the tsunami victims and families.

9while9 wrote: A tsunami = natural disaster

Not quite so if you consider the fact that this tsunami killed a considerably larger number of people because whole coral reefs and forests had been just ravaged. These things usually attenuate a killer wave's effect. But we got rid of them because they were no good for business.

Please note : I said "attenuate", not "negate".

Badlander wrote:

9while9 wrote: A tsunami = natural disaster

Not quite so if you consider the fact that this tsunami killed a considerably larger number of people because whole coral reefs and forests had been just ravaged. These things usually attenuate a killer wave's effect. But we got rid of them because they were no good for business.

Please note : I said "attenuate", not "negate".

We may not see eye to eye Badlander
but I do understand where you are coming from.

9while9 wrote:A tsunami = natural disaster

9/11 = terrorist attack

Apple = Fruit

Orange = Fruit.

One was human instigated, big deal. Those who carried out the atrocity wanted the constant media hype. Mourn the dead, assess the damage, make necessary security improvements, go on with life. Do not stagnate for half a decade exactly as the terrorists wanted it. The infrastructure damage of 9/11 was cleared up within months, there have probably been 3 times the number of offices in the WTC built in the past year, never mind 5 of them. There is nothing left to dwell on for those of us not personally involved. The IRA made our country an intermittent game of minesweeper for the best part of 20 years - the dead are remembered tastefully on their anniversaries and suitable political effort is put into settling matters in Ireland (albeit tardily). We don't live in Post-IRA Britain or stigmatize people with ginger hair (:roll:).

The tsunami, however, happened in areas where resources were meager at the best of times. This was 2 years ago. Some of the damage still scars the landscape no doubt. Of course, I wouldn't know, because the mass media doesn't give a flying f**k. There's stuff that can still be done to repair the damage in Asia. All that can be done for the WTC has been.

Medicate what needs healing and get it done. Don't go flaunting the battle scars every 5 minutes.

Motz wrote:

9while9 wrote:A tsunami = natural disaster

9/11 = terrorist attack

Apple = Fruit

Orange = Fruit.

One was human instigated, big deal. Those who carried out the atrocity wanted the constant media hype. Mourn the dead, assess the damage, make necessary security improvements, go on with life. Do not stagnate for half a decade exactly as the terrorists wanted it. The infrastructure damage of 9/11 was cleared up within months, there have probably been 3 times the number of offices in the WTC built in the past year, never mind 5 of them. There is nothing left to dwell on for those of us not personally involved. The IRA made our country an intermittent game of minesweeper for the best part of 20 years - the dead are remembered tastefully on their anniversaries and suitable political effort is put into settling matters in Ireland (albeit tardily). We don't live in Post-IRA Britain or stigmatize people with ginger hair (:roll:).

The tsunami, however, happened in areas where resources were meager at the best of times. This was 2 years ago. Some of the damage still scars the landscape no doubt. Of course, I wouldn't know, because the mass media doesn't give a flying f**k. There's stuff that can still be done to repair the damage in Asia. All that can be done for the WTC has been.

Medicate what needs healing and get it done. Don't go flaunting the battle scars every 5 minutes.

Who is flaunting?
I'm just tired of "the man has been keeping me down" mentality and everyone who jumps on the bandwagon.

I've noticed those who cry the loudest seem to swim in deep rivers of there own hypocrisy.

And by the way Terrorism still exists.

9while9 wrote:And by the way Terrorism still exists.

And has existed in one form or another for thousands of years. And will continue to do so.

To return to the original question I was in Leeds (in a computer cluster in the Garstang building to be precise).

Unfortunately I can't say the same now. If there's a bright centre to the UK I'm definitely at the point it's farthest from.

Dark wrote:

9while9 wrote:And by the way Terrorism still exists.

And has existed in one form or another for thousands of years. And will continue to do so.

Yes , and it will continue to exists as long as we treat it with tolerance and act as if those who are outraged by it are some kind of bigot.

Who if they speak out are not considering that there are other atrocities in the world.

edit: It's like someone posting "My mother just died".
And someone replying "So what! I'm sure other people in Africa have lost mothers.

No, it will continue to exist, regardless. As long as someone uses acts of violence to instill fear, there will be terrorism.

No-one ever tolerated terrorism. It'll continue as long as people pander to the goals of said terrorists by indulging in a state of hysteria and/or manipulating others into such a state for their own political game. 9/11 is a fascist government-in-waiting's wet dream.

This topic is like someone posting "My mother died 5 years ago". Yup, it's sad. But it is it worth the media attention? Is it f**k. People die, it's a nasty subject. Giving a particular death an elevated status and a permanent slot on the front page isn't justified. Many worse things have happened since then and for the shadow of 9/11 to journalistically eclipse the vast majority of them is a travesty. The only purpose it serves is to instill unnecessary paranoia in the general populus and convince the vast majority of Europe beyond doubt that the American news-media is one big tabloid.

Though I guess given the media circus surrounding Diana, you'd expect a 9/11 sized fuss from us too

Motz wrote:
Though I guess given the media circus surrounding Diana, you'd expect a 9/11 sized fuss from us too

You see in truth I don't see you as them and me as us.
I don't wield a large brush of generalization.
ie. He's a Brit there fore. or She's black that's why.

Sure those things can influence and shape,
but I look at the individual first.

When large corporations control the media of each country, there'se a very definite "Us and Them". The pronouns are merely in the sense of a local sports team being "Us" and the rest of the world being "Them"

I was at work when I heard the nervous voice of one lady, working in the same hallway as me: "war! now it's war!"

I like terrorism, it's very practical and can be useful for when one wants to jump the cue in Co-Op.

youth, oh youth