There is no doubt that every American remembers every aspect of their daily life when al Qaeda terrorists over took 4 airplanes and inflicted pain and horror upon our soil 11 years ago. If not, the Media will help you remember what you forgot.
For the past 11 years, Media and Social outlets help us to “never forget” with visuals from sorrowful political figureheads giving heartbreaking accounts or documentaries of that day’s event.
On Sept 11, 2001, we woke up to a political partisan divide after a highly contested Presidential election and shortly after the first plane hit the World Trade Center, we became “united in patriotism” that lasted roughly 24 hours before the Media started to pick apart the story and lay blame to this/that person and to this/that political party.
Hey this ain’t your grandparents America any longer; this is the new Millennia America, where a “united patriotism” lasts as quickly as the partisan Media will allow.
I expect to take heat for this blog, for questioning the patriotism of this country that I’m proud to live in, but just because you raise Old Glory every morning and bake apple pies doesn’t mean you are any more/less as American than your neighbor who doesn’t.
Shortly after the 9/11 attacks, Media and political punditry were vehemently pointing fingers at either Pres Clinton or Pres Bush. Some harshly mocked Pres Bush for staying at Booker Elementary School in Florida and reading the book “My Pet Goat.”
What was the man to do, jump up and yell “take cover we’re under attack” and run out the door?
No, Pres Bush did exactly what I expect any President to do, stay calm in his surroundings and not force in fear.
I don’t fault Pres Bush’s actions on Sept 11, he did an excellent job keeping this country together and the most harden Bush-hater should give him praise.
Yet the conspiracy theories flew and those people were called “loons” or part of the “liberal establishment to besmirch” Pres Bush, yet ignoring their own who agree with such theories.
I’m no fan of Michael Moore or his “Fahrenheit 9/11” movie, but people ran to the theatres to see it. Moore is as corrupt as his movies portray others to be, but the whole 9/11 Truther brigade belongs to both sides of the aisle.
Right wing pundits will spend obscene amounts of time discrediting Moore, while ignoring their own in Alex Jones, he of so many conspiracy theories that he is considered the authority on 9/11 being an inside job, yet no one takes him to task as they did Van Jones. (Hello Mr. Beck)
It didn’t take long for email boxes to be littered with spam entitled “Nostradamus predicted 9/11” or “Col North Warned Us of Osama bin Laden during the Iran-Contra hearings in 1987.”
Many of these were forwarded on obnoxiously and each time debunked. Hell even Col North debunked them. But people still forwarded them because somewhere, someone will believe it because Uncle Joe sent it and Uncle Joe doesn’t lie.
After 9/11, many found a so-called awakening, a “born-again Republicanism.” Many were pleased with Pres Bush’s actions and the blame game towards Democrats and Pres Clinton that they immediately re-registered or registered as Republican.
The “born again Republicanism” theory lacks legs because statistics show that prior to any September during an election cycle there are more Democrats registered, then after September more Republicans are registered.
Skipping forward 11 years later, Media and Social outlets are larger and have a greater hold on the American public. Many of these outlets held a 9/11 remembrance in their own fashion. Well except for NBC.
For a network trying to redefine itself as a News leader with slipping ratings, the stupidity to hold an interview with Kardashian clan leader Kris Jenner at 8:46am, while other networks held a moment of silence only cements why their ratings are dropping against the likes of Sid the Science Kid on PBS.
Maybe, had NBC interviewed former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani or former DHS Sec Tom Ridge, there would be less uproar.
However, it’s very disturbing that after 11 years, the Media pushes 9/11 on their viewers. On Sept 11, 2012, MSNBC ran a rebroadcast of the attacks while FOX and CNN ran the remembrance speeches from Pres Obama and VP Biden.
But as I listened and flipped around the multitude of media outlets yesterday, I began to wonder, why are these outlets not performing the same coverage on Dec 7?
Generations later, are we that disconnected by the tragic event of Pearl Harbor?
Nowadays, Media gives respect to Pearl Harbor as an afterthought, a quick 10 minute sound bite with a moment of silence and then right back into political banter or the latest Pop Culture phenom.
Dec 7, 1941 has been tagged “as a day that will live in infamy,” yet barely discussed today. Is because America had closure with entrance into WWII and victory over Japan a few years later?
One has to think how the “greatest generation” feels to be pushed aside as forgotten, how American patriotism didn’t point fingers a mere 24 hours later, but pulled together, put all aspects of life aside and trumpeted a call to move victoriously forward.
America received closure on May 2, 2011 when members of SEAL Team 6 finally captured and killed Osama bin Laden, the leader of al Qaeda. But once again, it took Media mere hours to decimate the “15 minutes of patriotism” when all were jubilant of his death.
Heck it took less than that as many cried a conspiracy theory that the networks interrupted the final minutes of Donald Trump’s Celebrity Apprentice with the breaking news. Because, after all, it’s more important to know which 3rd rate pseudo celebrity was about to be told “you’re fired.”
It does not matter how “united” we perceive ourselves to be after a tragic event, we are not our grandparents, meaning patriotism of events only happens in a quick spurt and then fades into a blame game to keep you from changing the channel.
That’s it, Slap the Tap of the Sam Adams Oktoberfest brew, and thank those in uniform, both military and emergency services alike, for their dedication to preserve our safety and freedoms.
Cheers!
*you can follow more of my rambling and ranting on facebook and twitter*
Facebook- todd kelly
Twitter- @bigpopapolitics
http://www.factcheck.org/2009/04/warned-about-bin-laden/
http://www.futurity.org/society-culture/after-911-new-crop-of-loyal-republicans/
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/09/11/the-bush-administration-know-it-alls-who-failed-to-heed-warnings-before-9-11.html
http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/blnorth.htm
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