Current Events > So, The Impact of the 9/11/01 Attack

(+) Yeah! (+)

Sorry if this comes across as rude, but... what made it considered the biggest impact regarding the USA in comparison to, say, The Great Chicago Fire, The Great Depression, the assassination of John F. Kennedy, and others?

The Great Depression was overshadowed I suppose by WWII and the economic rebound, wasn't a small matter though and is certainly remembered

JFK can at most be classified as domestic terrorism but in any case was a one and done deal, though it's still remembered in our culture pretty often I'd say

9/11 was conveyed as a war act by terrorist groups and the media also ran with that, people glued to TV as massive headlines of "AMERICA UNDER ATTACK?" flared, 2000 victims to continuously report on, and a military invasion. At this point unlike previous listings mass communication via internet and 24 hour news was forming too.

Like later posts mention itt serious dread by citizens that they could be next for their livelihood to be attacked, people couldn't know the extent of what would come as far as additional terrorist acts which I suppose spurred the TSA and Homeland Security
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3000 deaths
6000+ injuries
3 plane crashes, 1 shot out of the air
Twin towers falling eventually

It was unlike any event on US soil, except maybe Pearl Harbor. In fact it might as well been Pearl harbor 2

the big diff is it was a deliberate attack on innocents. not an accident or presidential assassination.
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The scale of the attack
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also it was bigger than pearl harbor, targeted civilians instead of soldiers, also it happened on the mainland soil of a US state. when pearl harbor happened, Hawaii was just a territory not a state.

the scale for sure. also it being more recent than the other events certainly helps. like I'm sure it cant compare to what the country felt during ww2, but that was a while ago
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PowerOats posted...

3000 deaths
6000+ injuries
3 plane crashes, 1 shot out of the air
Twin towers falling eventually

It was unlike any event on US soil, except maybe Pearl Harbor. In fact it might as well been Pearl harbor 2

...
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PowerOats posted...

3000 deaths
6000+ injuries
3 plane crashes, 1 shot out of the air
Twin towers falling eventually

It was unlike any event on US soil, except maybe Pearl Harbor. In fact it might as well been Pearl harbor 2

All planes grounded nation wide

Tsa starts taking away our water bottles

Tsa now forces you into xray machine

Oh, I see.

I also get the impression that it also destroyed the American "Spirit."

The Top Crusader posted...

PowerOats posted...

3000 deaths
6000+ injuries
3 plane crashes, 1 shot out of the air
Twin towers falling eventually

It was unlike any event on US soil, except maybe Pearl Harbor. In fact it might as well been Pearl harbor 2

...

I thought i heard one of them being shot down

oh yea, the TSA thing. I think younger people who were too little to remember what airports used to be like, can't understand the change that happened there. before 9/11, getting into an airport was much more lax. I remember people coming to meet those getting off planes could get into the inner areas of the airport and literally be waiting right at the end of that tube you walk through off the plane. you can't do that now. greeters have to wait at the border of the open public area and where the security starts and wait for their friend or family to leave the inner area

you also didn't used to have to take your shoes off

also; you used to be able to get up and talk to the pilots in the cockpit. i did that about 5 times as a kid and loved it. no more :(
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asiacatdogblue posted...

Oh, I see.

I also get the impression that it also destroyed the American "Spirit."

That is a much more complex and nuanced question to answer. Doubtless there was a shift in culture and self-understanding but one question you have to ask is, if you think an American "Spirit" was broken, whether that spirit was real or an illusion or construct.
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Doe posted...

That is a much more complex and nuanced question to answer. Doubtless there was a shift in culture and self-understanding but one question you have to ask is, if you think an American "Spirit" was broken, whether that spirit was real or an illusion or construct.

Well, from what I get, The USA doesn't feel as optimistic as before.

Some say the internet is to blame, though.

asiacatdogblue posted...

Oh, I see.

I also get the impression that it also destroyed the American "Spirit."

In essence, it kinda did. Before 9/11, I recall a lot of optimism and enthusiasm. Hope. When 9/11 happened, the atmosphere in the country shifted. People got paranoid, scared, worried. We had been attacked while our guard was down, and ever since we haven't dropped it again.

In some respect, the terrorists won in that regard. If their aim was to undermine the American spirit, I'd argue it worked.
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