Lest we never forget.
I’m sad today. It hurts. Because I remember the day with crystal clarity. I was at work and my Manager came through almost in tears, not because of what had happened, but the destruction and the lives lost that the act she was describing had taken. I remember the very thought of the act spilling forth like a torrent of blood rage through my veins. Hell. I didn’t even live in the US at the time. I was a bottom feeder at work then, and had a lot to learn.
Apparently 9/11 was caused by Osama Bin Laden, and it wasn’t long before people all over western society were outraged, it didn’t take them long to find the culprit through a message he sent to us via satellite in his cave. Fucking cunt I thought to myself as I let the rage boil over and imagined putting one in his heart and two in the head. America were our friends. I had many friends over there at the time.
It certainly wasn’t long before the rumours started happening, about a Muslim on the train, or a suspicious Muslim someone saw on the street. We all believed it. Pulled into the emotional porn that the situation had essentially created. We were angry, everyone was angry. We needed someone to blame. We wanted to murder every Muslim we came across. They were dirty towel head bastards.
Yet thinking deeper into the situation please let’s take a moment to think about the good, helpful and honest Muslim citizens that this act pointed a great dirty big crosshair on. And I know there are a few because I have a few as friends. For instance, our local shop owner would join us after work for a drink. He was Muslim. He was nice. Wouldn’t hurt a fly.
And there’s the gentlemen I used to work with in my last job, they were Muslim. Yet we would crack jokes together, visit each other’s houses and I dare say swap the occasional naughty film.
Of course though, these are just a few isolated examples. But I’m sure this is the same the world over. There is good and bad everywhere. We tend to generalise and stereotype when we’re scared, and we’re generally scared of the unknown. I am. I’m scared of walking down a neighbourhood I don’t know. Stems from my childhood years when people were more territorial than they are now.
And whilst I completely despise the fact that the Twin Towers were attacked and brought down, and think those that designed and planned it should be brought to justice, if they haven’t already (I actually don’t know, I don’t keep track of these things) I cannot and will not condone violence against Muslims for the actions of a Madman. It would be like me blaming Americans for The Westboro Baptist Church, or the entire UK for the British National Party.
But yup, lest we never forget. Because it was a sad day in history. And I remember thousands of lives were lost, and people are still suffering today because of the event. Definitely not trying to minimise the situation, it was horrific, unjust and unfair.
War seems to have changed from attacking veterans, to cross-hairing the public. It’s sick.