George Packer writes: "The attacks were supposed to have signalled one of the great transformations in the country's history. Bush talked about ridding the world of evil, columnists wrote of 'World War Three,' and almost all Americans felt that, in their private lives and in the national life, nothing would ever be the same. But the decade that followed did not live up to expectations. In most of the ways that mattered, 9/11 changed nothing."
Smoke pours from the World Trade Center after the towers were hit by two hijacjked passenger planes, 09/11/01. (photo: Robert Giroux/Getty Images)
|
THE NEW STREAMLINED RSN LOGIN PROCESS: Register once, then login and you are ready to comment. All you need is a Username and a Password of your choosing and you are free to comment whenever you like! Welcome to the Reader Supported News community. |
Comments
We are concerned about a recent drift towards vitriol in the RSN Reader comments section. There is a fine line between moderation and censorship. No one likes a harsh or confrontational forum atmosphere. At the same time everyone wants to be able to express themselves freely. We'll start by encouraging good judgment. If that doesn't work we'll have to ramp up the moderation.
General guidelines: Avoid personal attacks on other forum members; Avoid remarks that are ethnically derogatory; Do not advocate violence, or any illegal activity.
Remember that making the world better begins with responsible action.
- The RSN Team
Every American should read this piece, and the millions who can't read should listen via audiobook. Sadly, that'll never happen, but it could increase understanding among the polarized, paralyzed tribes of this fractured society in a way no other 9/11 essay of its kind would come close to doing. Having said that, I also assume millions of knuckle-draggers will see it as a distorted pack of lies put out by a rich eastern "liberal socialist f*%#@t no-nothing (sic)", and therefore not worthy of anything more than wrapping trout and lining birdcages. Let's read Rick Perry's book instead, or at least the chapter headings.
I realize I'm being sarcastic here, even contemptuous, but I left the high road a while ago. I'm disgusted with the elevation of "Jacksonian" ignorance to the pinnacle of righteous indignation and Tea Party patriotism in America. The media virus of "false equivalency" is primarily to blame.
Mr. Packer, thanks for the illumination.
Willful ignorance and prideful stupidity are still the order of the day. Maybe more so. Behave like sheep and you will be shorn. The people of Mount Airy, and every other town that has dried up still get to vote, they still get to decide what is truth and what is bullshit; both are readily available.
Children believe what they want to believe, adults seek to see the world as it is. When people denounce a town recycling program as socialism, there is nothing much more the grown-ups can do.
RSS feed for comments to this post.