ARCHIVED ARTICLE

September 11 , 2002



A Year of Change
September 11, 2001 has become known as the day that "everything changed." The day we "lost our innocence." We could call it a day "that will live in infamy," but that was taken the last time US soil was attacked, and by a legitimately elected president, at that.

Whatever catch phrase or soundbyte you prefer, it's a day that has had a profound effect on Americans and foreigners alike, and even more so for the families and friends of the 3,000-plus people whose lives were lost.

In the last year, many of us have dealt with what's happened in a variety of ways. Many have mourned. Many have spent a good deal of time in deep introspection. Many others have wrapped themselves in the flag. Many have indulged in a new form of hero worship. Still, others have merely become more aware of the fragility of life. In other words, America has changed.

So What's Different?
On September 12, everyone's perspective changed. The populace became more patriotic and unified - more so than the US volleyball team that shaved their heads, even. An unprecedented dialog opened between the Arab-American community and "the rest of us," although some of the cultural exchanges consisted of beating up convenience store owners and burning down churches. Diversity was embraced - so much that in the hunt for culprits, the Christian right volunteered not only Arabs as suspects, but a cast of Jews, homosexuals, and drug-users, as well. Traveling has become ultra-secure - never mind that it's harder to catch a flight on time than it is to get a table at Spago. The war on drugs has a new theme - linking the purchase of drugs to the support of terrorism. Never mind that Noelle Bush was just busted with a bag of crack.

In other words, as a result of an hour or so of our own planes being used as giant fuel-bombs against us, we became very resolute, more united, a little paranoid, and utterly fucking confused.

From the Top
Some of the most notable changes have come in how we view our government. The people at large have gained nothing but scars, pain, and inconvenience (including our military personnel and the middle eastern people shaking at their feet). The biggest boon of the tragedy has come to those at whom the message - if there indeed was one - was directed: Our politicians.

The first beneficiary was our pal Rudy Giuliani. In an instant, he went from a hateful, anti-First Amendment, big money-oriented jerk who cheats on his wife to America's mascot. Move over Mickey Mouse. There's a new nice guy in Times Square. Suddenly, the man was a symbol of all that is good and right with the USA. Rarely do I quote the buffoonish Reverend Al Sharpton, but I think he summarized it best when he said, "Bozo the Clown could've been mayor of New York and he'd have been a hero after that."

Speaking of clowns, another beneficiary of the attacks was our not-exactly-elected president, George W. Bush himself. With no economic turn-around in sight, a mess in various peace processes around the world, and corporate scandals starting to rear their ugly heads, four stolen Boeing jets did something that half of the country's voting populaton couldn't find the gall to do: Legitimize Junior's presidency. In an instant, we practically crowned him King George II.

Of course, a king needs a court and charges to enforce his rule. Thus, Dubya found his Sherrif of Nottingham in a snake-handling Pentacostal hatemonger from the Missouri backwoods named John Ashcroft. Despite his dubious ascension to the post of Attorney General, in the blink of an eye, he was given enough power to transform into a modern-day Heinrich Himmler.

With the so-called "Patriot Act," TIPS program and other I-Can't-Believe-It's-Not-Unconstitutional policies in place, a clear path was paved with anti-terrorism gold to propose some of the most invasive legislation ever to come out of Capitol Hill. At a time when the Internet and digital technology were being hailed as the new instruments for Freedom of Information, our senators and congressmen/women have been given new ways to strip us of our freedoms, while at the same time lining the pockets of their corporate benefactors.

So when El Presidente declared that "these people" (referring to terrorists) hated our freedoms and wanted to take them away from us, he was right. Considering that they want - on the back of counter-terrorism initiatives - to make file-sharing, raves, and taking too long a dump in an airplane lavatory illegal, the terrorists have succeeded handsomely.

The New Sensitivity
In the days following the attacks, our media organizations suddenly grew a conscience. It wasn't enough to cease regular programming on TV for a short time. Radio stations altered their playlists. The "liberal" news media wasn't so liberal anymore. MTV got serious. Dan Rather broke down and cried on The Late Show with David Letterman. "I hate myself because of my rotten childhood" acts like Staind and Korn and bling-bling hip hoppers fell off the music charts, replaced by patriotic, everyman artists like Ryan Adams and Alan Jackson.

Suddenly, the media addressed the nation's feeling that there was something grander than our petty everyday lives. It became important for us to sympathize less with the castaways on Survivor and more with the victims and their families. Rather than obsess over the stats of our favorite weekend warrior on the gridiron, we had to acknowledge the risk-taking heroism of our police officers, firefighters, and paramedics. Instead of fretting over whether or not Britney and Justin would survive, we had to think more about our position in the global community.

It's amazing how things have changed. Just a week ago, our nation's attention turned toward the things that really mattered now. Who'll win Big Brother? How did Justin Timberlake's solo performance go? Yes! Eminem has the top of the charts again! Oops.

Alright, so save for today, our media-guzzling, consumerized selves are back where we were on September 10, 2001. But the new sensitivity still is in place. Really. Go ahead, say something nice about an Arab country or Palestinians. Say something bad about the government. It's a guarantee that somone will shush you before you can hand them a piece of toilet paper with the Bill of Rights printed on it. Because it's just not right. Never mind that sedition laws were abolished centuries ago. If you're not on board, then you're obviously one of them.

Who is Them?
For a moment, ignore the fact that no one in our vast (and may I say, superior) intelligence community had any kind of heads-up on the attacks. We did know within an hour, for sure, that Osama Bin Laden and the Al-Qaeda terrorist network were behind this. We didn't need evidence or a claim of responsibility to corroborate this. It was clear as day, right? So it wasn't without reason that many people (myself included) were ready to sign up to pound this guy's hairy ass like a tight young virgin in the back room of his first circuit party. Figuratively speaking, of course.

Despite the subsequent conspiracy theories that our own government had a hand in it, or that the Israelis were behind it (that one's been debunked already), or that it was really a well-trained domestic militia who did the dirty work - we were absolutely sure that Bin Laden was public enemy number one. Just look at all the Calvin-Pissing-on-Osama stickers on the back windows of trucks. We want this guy's head on a platter, unless we can't get it because it's been disintegrated by a well-deserved nuclear blast.

Recently, CNN got a hold of videotapes showing Al-Qaeda claiming responsibility and celebrating their "handiwork." So now we know for damn sure who's Public Enemy Number One, right? Saddam Hussein. What? Well, that's what Dubya and his lap dog Tony Blair would like us to believe. Osama apparently doesn't have oil fields that would help satiate our appetite for oversized SUVs.

Now I know that our attention span has been shortened and our memories destroyed by years of vegging out in front of the TV and getting our news force-fed to us when we'd rather be watching Pop-Up Video. A week ago, we were more concerned about a potential baseball strike putting some overpaid crybabies' salaries in danger than a potential air strike over the middle east putting the lives of thousands of troops and crying babies in danger. But does our government seriously believe that our memories are flawed enough to forget who it is we want justice - nay - retribution from?

How Am I Dealing With It?
If a good portion of us have approached today with a healthy dose of cynicism, nobody should be surprised. Some of us scoff at the thought of a president with a 2nd grade vocabulary giving a speech to commemorate the dead. On a day of solemn remembrance that's filled with tributes and stories, there are many of us who will not even turn on the TV, listen to any webcast addresses, or even bother with the news. In times of difficulty, everyone has their own ways of dealing with grief, shock, and other nastiness. Quite frankly, I'm not one to be told how to commemorate anything. There's no nylon flag hoisted from my antenna. I'm not hugging any firefighters. I sure as hell am not putting on the duet of Fred Durst and what's-his-face doing Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here."

I'm dealing with 09/11/02 by writing this. By recounting, mostly for myself, what's happened in the last year, and seeing what perspective I can gain from it. Maybe it'll be interesting reading for some, overly cynical for others. Either way, if you've read this far, I appreciate it.

I'm also commemorating the day with a spoof. A year ago, I had expressed hopes in several public forums that this event would give people new perspectives and open dialog among people, giving true meaning to the Unitied States of America. I fear that in too quickly getting on with our fast-paced lives and not keeping an eye on the powers that be, we are evolving into the Police States of America. This doctored image of George W. Bush is my contribution to the social and political history of our country since September 11th. And no, I did not doctor that arm pose, just the background. Tasteless? Maybe. True? Not yet. Scary? Absolutely. I hope it maybe invokes some thought in whomever views it.

Finally, I made a donation, and not to the Red Cross or victim's family funds or what not. They already raked in billions, and the families will be getting from hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars in reparation payments, and this is not including the frivolous lawsuit against various countries. Today, I pledged my money to the Breast Cancer Fund*. After all, if we're going to end up in a war to preserve our way of life, we can mourn those who have passed, but we should all put forth our best effort to make sure that those of us who still have a chance to live will be around to appreciate it.

*If you are interested in contributing to the fight against breast cancer, click here to donate via one of my co-workers, who is participating in TBCF's peak hike in October.

Omid is currently being tracked by three government agencies for making that picture of Der Fuhr.. er.. President. In the meantime, although he's no flag-waving jingoist, he wore red, white, and blue to work today - in the form of stylish Budweiser swim trunks.