Hey everyone!
The most recent novel we’ve been reading in our ASTU class is The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid revolves around a young Pakistani man’s journey to the United States and his life before and after the events of 9/11. If you hadn’t guessed already, this means that we’ve been frequently discussing our thoughts and opinions on the events that unfolded that day, and today, I’m going to share them with you.
I’ve never been saddened by the events of 9/11. I know how that may sound. Maybe it’s because I wasn’t personally affected, that I had connection to anyone that died that day. I’ve never even been to New York. Don’t get me wrong, I do understand that the planes that crashed into the twin towers and the pentagon were tragedies, and I understand that these events are upsetting and heartbreaking to many, but I honestly don’t feel the slightest bit of sadness when thinking about it. If I’m being frank with you, it honestly makes me a bit angry, and not because a terrorist group had the nerve to launch an attack on American soil.
My issue with 9/11 is how a terror attack on US soil brings more attention than one in Afghanistan (or anywhere in developing countries) might cause. We will always remember September 11th, because it is something that people put great effort into never forgetting. Yet, we hear about, for example, a school that was bombed in Syria in October 2016, and then a few weeks later we forget it even happened. It honestly boggles my mind how we indirectly value certain people’s lives over the lives of others. We feel the need that these people’s stories need to be told, but those living in the Global South might get as much as an article in an online newspaper, or a quick update on the news ticker. But who are we to place this value? Why do we get to choose who and who doesn’t get remembered? I heard the argument that it was “because that is a part of their reality and not ours”, but how does one even use that as an excuse to justify the horrors these people have to endure (I feel the need to place emphasis on the word people, because it seems that many tend to forget that they are people). It’s not to say I don’t think the lives taken on September 11th shouldn’t be commemorated, but I firmly believe we need to start paying attention to tragedies that are not always based in Western countries.
I read this post on Facebook, from the page Humans of New York, and yes while it is harsh, the man makes some valid points in my opinion. America believed that they invincible, that they could do things without any repercussions. 9/11 served as a wake-up call.
I figured this might not be what people want to read and I hope I don’t get any death threats like the man quoted on Humans of New York, but I wasn’t able to sit back and bite my tongue. I could barely empathize with it, let alone try to come up with a story about how “sad” I think it is. I am sorry that people died that day, but like Isaac Newtown said “every action has an equal and opposite reaction”. I think America needs to consider their actions, when reflecting on September 11th.