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BS: An odd side effect of 9/11
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Subject: BS: An odd side effect of 9/11 From: Will Fly Date: 11 Sep 13 - 08:28 AM The long-term effects of 9/11 are odd. My next-door neighbours are flying off today for a few days away in Prague. When they checked on airline flight costs they discovered that many flights for today were at greatly reduced rates because people weren't booking trips on that day... So they got a flight for today to Prague - at half price. |
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Subject: RE: BS: An odd side effect of 9/11 From: Doug Chadwick Date: 11 Sep 13 - 09:28 AM ... or it could be the effects of global economics. 9/11 was some time ago - the squeeze on personal finances is happening now. It's half price for those who have the cash. DC |
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Subject: RE: BS: An odd side effect of 9/11 From: Stilly River Sage Date: 11 Sep 13 - 10:06 AM I think there is still a superstitious ripple to do with the date. For those who can set it aside, there are benefits. And I think it has to do with a larger kind of story - the ones when everyone remembers where they were when they heard the news, you're going to have a long-lasting effect. You're picking up on cultural markers to do with dramatic events. I also remember where I was when Americans first landed on the moon, so it isn't necessarily all bad news that creates this kind of effect. It's 50 years this November 22 that John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. This region is hopping with exhibits everywhere to do with it. My university has a set of photos from the Fort Worth leg of his trip (the Kennedys arrived in Fort Worth the night before and attended events there before flying 45 miles east to Dallas.) It's astonishing to discover that co-workers were part of the story. One was interviewed because she was in the group that greeted the Kennedys when they landed at Carswell AFB late on the 21st. I'm sure there are other stories that will come out. SRS |
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Subject: RE: BS: An odd side effect of 9/11 From: Little Hawk Date: 11 Sep 13 - 10:39 AM The 1973 CIA-backed coup against Salvador Allende in Chile also happened on a September 11th, so I think people in Latin America might be spooked by that too. It has become a very unpropitious date. |
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Subject: RE: BS: An odd side effect of 9/11 From: GUEST,leeneia Date: 11 Sep 13 - 11:29 AM Many people ascribe importance to dates. My husband just went storm chasing with a man (Steve) who had been among the first to drive into Greensburg KS after it suffered a terrible tornado. One minute he was driving down the highway headed for a motel, the next he found himself trying to dig victims out of wreckage. On the day exactly year after that, Steve suffered a breakdown - could not stop crying, couldn't work. After about a week, he improved enough to function. Who would think that a date on the calendar would mean so much to our emotional selves? By the way, the DH reported that Steve is by no means a sissy - he's a big guy, alternates between being gruff and playing practical jokes. |
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Subject: RE: BS: An odd side effect of 9/11 From: GUEST,Lavengro Date: 11 Sep 13 - 12:07 PM Hi Leeneia, Not saying that it's particularly evidence based, but there are those who have a strong belief in the "ripple effect" of life changing events. The stone drops in, the ripple travels out, rebounds off the bank and comes back to you next time round. Working in mental health for some years I saw this effect many times and whatever you believe to be the cause(and I personally don't believe that for the vast majority it was a form self indulgance), it certainly seems to happen. Having an emotional side and empathy for your fellow human beings does not make you a "sissy" (I know you know that). It makes you a good human being, and I'm sure the community he helped appreciate that fact. |
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Subject: RE: BS: An odd side effect of 9/11 From: GUEST,CupOfTea Date: 11 Sep 13 - 05:45 PM I find much to do with reactions to 9/11 a bit peculiar, even my own. I get sucked into watching the endless rehashing, re-examination, re-evaluating news-like shows on the History Channel. I look around, and it's hours later. My friend Steve calls it "disaster porn" and won't watch any of it. This year I noticed that Google calendar's "US Holidays" default now shows Sept 11th as "Patriot Day" - with no way to remove that without removing every other official holiday. I'd think the state(s?) that already HAD a declared Patriot's Day for years at another time might have something to say about that. Pearl Harbor Day isn't a National Holiday... but that happened in the days before cable TV, instant reporting and image saturation the way our disasters play out now. Instead of making us more aware of disaster and suffering and injustice, it seems in so many cases, just makes us indifferent. And a term like "Patriot" gets some of it's gravitas and power by being co-opted so blithely by jingoists. < end rant>. I find someone being spooked about flying on 9/11 a side effect of having all the media attention so high profile. Understandable, if not totally rational. What about the whole situation and it's legacy IS rational? Joanne in Cleveland |
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Subject: RE: BS: An odd side effect of 9/11 From: GUEST,Grishka Date: 12 Sep 13 - 10:03 AM Passengers obviously have completely rational reasons for not flying on the 11 of September, if they have a choice: all real or would-be Jihadists of the world will regard an assault on that day as a special trophy. For the same rational reasons, security efforts are enhanced - but who knows whether that is enough. In a media world, symbols are more successful than genuine achievements, for terrorists as well as for politicians and NGOs. |
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Subject: RE: BS: An odd side effect of 9/11 From: Ebbie Date: 12 Sep 13 - 10:55 AM I agree with Grishka: there are perfectly valid reasons for not wishing to take chances on certain days, not because of one's own reaction to the day but because there may be opportunists out there who want to make an additional impact. Kind of like the Kennedy brothers. I am sure that there were people out there that wanted to take out the third. |
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Subject: RE: BS: An odd side effect of 9/11 From: GUEST,leeneia Date: 12 Sep 13 - 12:13 PM Yes, Ebbie and Grishka, I agree with you. I was just reading a book by Clint Van Zandt, an FBI negotiator, and he said the same thing. Terrorists pay a lot of attention to dates. So there are two kinds of reason why people won't fly on Sept 11th: their own emotions and the twisted thinking of extremists. |
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Subject: RE: BS: An odd side effect of 9/11 From: McGrath of Harlow Date: 12 Sep 13 - 07:54 PM I suppose there might be terrorists who'd be thinking like that. More rational terrorists might choose to wait till a day or so later, when the security might be relaxed and it,d be more of a surprise. And there's no reaon to kid yourself into thinking that fanatical terrorists are irrational in how they operate. |
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Subject: RE: BS: An odd side effect of 9/11 From: GUEST,Grishka Date: 13 Sep 13 - 05:46 AM McGrath, the trophy I wrote about is very real. Success for terrorists is not the number of victims, but the amount of terror produced, which is largely composed of symbols such as dates. Your "more rational terrorists" do not understand their trade. |
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Subject: RE: BS: An odd side effect of 9/11 From: GUEST,Grishka Date: 13 Sep 13 - 05:56 AM PS: a rational and/or peace-loving citizen should try not to succumb to terror at all, but avoid real dangers if reasonable. In the situation of Will's neighbours, I would certainly fly (- pun averted -) at half price! |
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Subject: RE: BS: An odd side effect of 9/11 From: McGrath of Harlow Date: 13 Sep 13 - 08:23 PM I'd see hitting people just when they were breathing a sigh of relief at a dreaded date having passed without incident as an excellent way of ratcheting up the terror. It's a stock technique in horror films to do something like that. |
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Subject: RE: BS: An odd side effect of 9/11 From: McGrath of Harlow Date: 13 Sep 13 - 08:27 PM It's not at all dissimilar in a way to the time honoured technique of setting a second bomb to go off to hit the rescuers, and people who might be thinking the worst was over. |
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Subject: RE: BS: An odd side effect of 9/11 From: Bobert Date: 13 Sep 13 - 08:42 PM American Airlines accidentally put tickets up for free... Lots of people bought (?) them... Now American says it will honor those tickets... Never mind... B~ |
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Subject: RE: BS: An odd side effect of 9/11 From: GUEST,Grishka Date: 14 Sep 13 - 05:51 AM McGrath, propose it to Al-Qaeda. I wonder if you can convince them, but then, you can try to prove your point. Free ticket to Paradise included, with 7 virgins at your personal service. |
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Subject: RE: BS: An odd side effect of 9/11 From: McGrath of Harlow Date: 14 Sep 13 - 06:45 AM There's a kind of reluctance to accept that people can be evil and crazy, but that doesn't mean they aren't capable of being clever. It's not unlike the way in which "cowardly" is used so often when denouncing suicide bombers and the like when it's absurdly inappropriate. At least in the case of "clever" it's possible to use the word "cunning" instead when we want to make it clear we aren't intending to praise the people involved. In the case of "brave" there isn't really an equivalent alternative in English that I can think of. |
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Subject: RE: BS: An odd side effect of 9/11 From: GUEST,Grishka Date: 14 Sep 13 - 08:09 AM Quite correct, McGrath. Militarists do not understand the nature of terrorism, and are proud of it. Still, everybody knows that terrorists can be cunning. (The word "cowardly" is traditionally used for fighters who wear no uniform in order to gain an unfair advantage from the codex protecting civilians. The underlying notion of fairness is completely inadequate in our context - if it ever was adequate at all.) Let me remind you of my post of 13 Sep 13 - 05:46 AM. |
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Subject: RE: BS: An odd side effect of 9/11 From: GUEST,Grishka Date: 14 Sep 13 - 08:31 AM I agree that the horror is bigger when the assault comes unexpected, but it will only result in long lasting fear, terror, if it makes some symbolic sense from hindsight. (Other than in military contexts, the killing itself is unlikely to weaken the enemy considerably.) For example, the Boston Marathon is such a symbol, though comparatively meagre compared to the WTC or the date 9/11. |
