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Topic: OT: 9/11 tributes Post ReplyPost New Topic
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Brandon Frye
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Joined: 17 November 2004
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Posted: 11 September 2017 at 5:27pm | IP Logged | 1 post reply

Now that there is 16 years between us and that horrible day, it's natural that the impact of the date itself would diminish over time. There are still beautiful tributes and sad remembrances each anniversary, but there is still one little phrase that makes my jaw clench a bit..

"Never Forget"

I won't forget that day as long as I live and I would imagine most Americans over the age of 30 aren't likely to either. Being told to "never forget" comes across as patronizing, and even a little insulting.

I do understand that is not likely the intent in most cases. So, am I being overly sensitive?



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Joe Zhang
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Posted: 11 September 2017 at 6:25pm | IP Logged | 2 post reply

I think you're being sensitive. 
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Brian O'Neill
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Posted: 11 September 2017 at 6:49pm | IP Logged | 3 post reply

Remember Pearl Harbor...same deal back then. Nobody felt the slogan was unnecessary.
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Christopher Frost
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Posted: 11 September 2017 at 7:51pm | IP Logged | 4 post reply

I don't think you're being overly sensitive. It was a tragedy, to be certain, but some people give it more gravity than larger scale tragedies like the Holocaust.

And no, this isn't some slight against what happened or how it affected people, just a note that perspective is important.
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Joe Zhang
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Posted: 11 September 2017 at 9:10pm | IP Logged | 5 post reply

Yes, "Never Forget" for 9/11 may be a bit heavy.

Maybe:

"Don't Forget"

"Do You Remember?"

Or if you are really afraid of offending people:

"By the Way ..."

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Karl Wiebe
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Posted: 11 September 2017 at 9:30pm | IP Logged | 6 post reply

I think the phrase might carry more than one meaning.  "Never forget" meaning not just the day, but feelings and values on that day (and the period afterwards). 

A bit off topic, hopefully not too much: I was in the 9/11 Memorial Museum in NYC 2 years ago right before September 11 (I think it was the 9th) and there were school kids wandering around, goofing off and playing on their phones.  Meanwhile I was overcome with grief and had to sit down more than once.  There were tourists from Germany (and other countries I am sure) that showed zero emotion while walking around.  I asked one of the ladies working if she found the kids' behavor offensive, or the tourists' behavior odd.  She lived in NYC and 5 friends' names were on the wall.  She said that these kids weren't even alive in 2001, so to them it was "just history".  The tourists from Europe didn't share the same depth of tragedy that people in North America did (and yes that is a generalization, I am sure it is not true for everyone, it had been what she observed).

So on the one hand, it's just history to some, but on the other hand, the students and tourists were at the museum, so at least some attempt was being made to learn (which is at least part of why a museum exists).  Maybe the "never forget" is more like "hey society, even people who remember, let's all work together to not let SOCIETY forget".  Just one possible interpretation. 
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Bill Collins
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Posted: 12 September 2017 at 8:12am | IP Logged | 7 post reply

I always remember,even being a Brit.I have noticed that
the media coverage each year has gotten less and
less,but i expect that as with the death of Princess
Diana it will be 20,25,30 year anniversaries that will
attract attention in future.
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Philippe Negrin
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Posted: 12 September 2017 at 9:19am | IP Logged | 8 post reply

I teach at junior high school and nowadays, none of my students were born then. Few know the date and what happened on that day.




added one missing word


Edited by Philippe Negrin on 12 September 2017 at 9:19am
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Byron Graham
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Posted: 12 September 2017 at 9:55am | IP Logged | 9 post reply

Unfortunately, "Never Forget" is the motto of the Clan Graham, so I must remember EVERYTHING!
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Brian Miller
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Posted: 12 September 2017 at 8:19pm | IP Logged | 10 post reply


Our current president's immediate reaction to the World Trade Center attacks. 
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