(no subject)
Sep. 12th, 2001 01:43 amah, perspective. thank you, ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
evan. i think there are three big differences between this event and, say the estimated 41967 americans killed in traffic accidents every year, and the 17000 people killed in an earthquake in india (no, i don't remember when it is).
those indians? they weren't americans. so we don't feel that it's as much of a tragedy. it didn't hit close enough to home.
the 40000 who died in traffic accidents did so throughout a year, not in the space of a morning.
in neither of those cases is there some person or type of person *who's not like us* to blame. sure, 33% of those accidents involved alcohol, but getting drunk is a good american pastime, right? you can't condemn drunk drivers as much because sometimes you or someone you know is a drunk driver.
most people i talk to remember oklahoma city and columbine with relative vividness. i think this will be the same thing. lots of people dying in a short amount of time. we had people to blame in columbine and oklahoma city; and people are sure finding culprits in this too. arabic cab drivers were told it would probably be safer not to go in to work, due to people retaliating against 'terrorists'.
i know i usually see a big number and go, ooh, big numbers. it doesn't really mean all that much to me. so having, say the 16000 people i've heard were killed in the wtc juxtaposed with the 40000 traffic accidents.... when it's that many at once, we can't ignore it as easily. and why ignore it, when we can blame it on people we want to bomb the snot out of anyway?
and now i'm sleeping. this will make no sense in the morning.
evan. i think there are three big differences between this event and, say the estimated 41967 americans killed in traffic accidents every year, and the 17000 people killed in an earthquake in india (no, i don't remember when it is).those indians? they weren't americans. so we don't feel that it's as much of a tragedy. it didn't hit close enough to home.
the 40000 who died in traffic accidents did so throughout a year, not in the space of a morning.
in neither of those cases is there some person or type of person *who's not like us* to blame. sure, 33% of those accidents involved alcohol, but getting drunk is a good american pastime, right? you can't condemn drunk drivers as much because sometimes you or someone you know is a drunk driver.
most people i talk to remember oklahoma city and columbine with relative vividness. i think this will be the same thing. lots of people dying in a short amount of time. we had people to blame in columbine and oklahoma city; and people are sure finding culprits in this too. arabic cab drivers were told it would probably be safer not to go in to work, due to people retaliating against 'terrorists'.
i know i usually see a big number and go, ooh, big numbers. it doesn't really mean all that much to me. so having, say the 16000 people i've heard were killed in the wtc juxtaposed with the 40000 traffic accidents.... when it's that many at once, we can't ignore it as easily. and why ignore it, when we can blame it on people we want to bomb the snot out of anyway?
and now i'm sleeping. this will make no sense in the morning.