Where were you on September 11, 2001?
Do you remember what you were doing?
Most people have a vivid memory of the happenings of the day: the exact time and place they were the moment they heard of a plane crashing into the twin towers.
” I had left for my 8:40. After a normal class, I returned from class to hear the shocking news.
The rest of the day is blurred.
I just remembered being glued to the television and watching the scenes replay all day,” junior Amy Krivda recalls.
The general consensus places most students in front of a television set, watching footage repeatedly flash across the screen.
Those images were engraved into the minds of the student body and on September 11, 2002, and now, once again, they are unveiled.
Is there a need for the television to continually flash the same recaps throughout the day?
We have experienced those horrifying actions first-hand and lived through the aftermath for one year, yet we’re going back in time to watch the same clips aired TV networks again.
The preempted schedule is meant to honor the lives lost and bring attention to a day that will always be equated to the likes of Pearl Harbor.
During the time of Pearl Harbor and D-Day, television wasn’t a strong medium of communication.
So there is no past precedent declaring where the line exists and when it has been crossed.
” Some of what has been aired has been unnecessary, however, some of it is very informational.
For matters of national security, they weren’t previously allowed to release some of the facts leading up to the attacks.
Now the public is getting a glimpse of some of those moments,” junior Music Education major Michael Jordan comments.
However, with this increased knowledge comes dangerous side affects.
How can one heal when constantly being bombarded with September 11th memorials and retaliation thoughts.
Other concerns, such as the suggestion of caution on the part of parents, have been voiced by first lady Laura Bush.
Bob George, a senior International Business major, has mixed sentiments.
” Having TV recaps and specials running all day is like reliving painful war memories.
It is a double-edge sword; we don’t want to forget what happened, but we don’t want to do what’s more than necessary.”
Elementary education major, David Chichilitti, believes the specials pay homage.
” I feel that the stories of people’s families and tributes are necessary to remind our country of what happened a year ago.
We should never forget the people that lost their lives.”
The line between appropriate and excessive is gray at best.
On the one hand, we do not want to trivalize the loss of the many lives.
However, is seeing another clip of a plane flying into the twin towers going to commemorate this day?
” There are many other things that have come out of September 11.
We should see more of the improvements that have been made or the unity that has been established.
We should see more than what was done and the pain it caused,” junior John Deesing comments.
Jeff Wilson, a junior in the Sports and Recreation Management department, remarks, ” It would be disrespectful to put on regular programming in wake of what happened last year.
This is new territory and we don’t know how to deal with it.
However, in the future, I’m sure primetime will continue to run hour long specials forever commemorating the date.”
September 11, 2001 was a tragic day.
No one denies the importance of all the lives lost and the courage it took for millions to face the next day.
It is the sensationalizing of this event that raises questions.
Pooja Shah can be reached at Pshah004@temple.edu
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