9/11

[Batch]

That didn't answer my question. I'm not for one minute saying that 9/11 wasn't a huge, tragic atrocity, but 'changed the world for ever'?

I guess it did if you are American. Until that day nobody really considered aircraft would be used by terrorist in such a way. Nobody in America thought terrorists would strike in their country (well there was the Oklahoma City bombing, but that was an isolated incident of a nutter pissed off with the federal government).

I guess what I'm saying is it was game changing for security, the counter terrorism agencies and protection of our countries.

Also for us in the UK we were of course used to the IRA bombings (docklands, manchester, etc), and so an attack on the innocent populous wasn't so shocking, although the scale and method was. OF course some groups in the USA were IRA sympathisers - its not inconceivable that 9/11 dried up some of these funds leading to the cease fire in 2005. Perhaps a little far fetched.

But Herthab has a good point. Other than the security implications - for most of us our lives haven't really changed at all. We still go about doing the things we we want to do. Which is how it should be.

[fittons_coaching_badge]

I was sat at home waiting to go back to Uni and was watching the afternoon episode of Neighbours which they interrupted half way through for a news bulletin.

I knew straight away it was big ... They dont cut Neighbours half way through for nothing small!!

[chalkies_shorts]

But Herthab has a good point. Other than the security implications - for most of us our lives haven't really changed at all. We still go about doing the things we we want to do. Which is how it should be.

Apart from the fact that Muslims are the new Irish. Do you trust them or are you guarded against them? If you saw one on the underground with a backpack , what would you think? What do you think if you see a Muslim woman with only her eyes visible.
Having an Irish name and looking like a typical Paddy was not a great deal of fun in the 70s.
It has ceertainly not only changed USA but UK as well.
Being of Irish descent I'm nealry acceptable now.

[phelpsieboy]

I was 9 at the time, all I remember is watching he news non stop for the first time in my life and teachers trying to educate us on the situation and Busteds song crash and burn had to be renamed because of it. But the image of people jumping out of he building still horrify me to his day .

[@MacPhlea]

The terrorist threat landscape has changed beyond recognition. The IRA bottom line was about about political/economic disruption and killing security services.

The IRA gave coded warnings with the sole intent of drawing Police/Army in to blow them up but inevitably innocents were killed when the warnings were vague or delayed. There members valued there own life so ensured they were far away when the bomb went off.

Today's threat is more immediate and is far more difficult to prevent. The terrorists dont care if they are caught in the act, they'll blow themselves up in the process. Very very difficult to manage, no warnings, no time to defuse - the sole intent is maximum collateral damage.

The threat has to be dealt with through intelligence and yet security services in the UK are being screwed through cutbacks - the only certainty is that there will be a another 7/7 at some point in the near future...

[thedarkprince]

Nobody in America thought terrorists would strike in their country (well there was the Oklahoma City bombing, but that was an isolated incident of a nutter pissed off with the federal government).

What about the 1993 WTC truck bomb?  People knew the WTC was a target as it symbolised American power.

[@MacPhlea]

Has it bollocks. That is the most ridiculous thing you've ever posted. And you've posted a lot of ridiculous things.

How exactly has it 'changed The World'?

Well I can't get on a fucking Plane now with a nail file, pair of scissors or bottle of water...

[gingernuggets]

I was sat at home waiting to go back to Uni and was watching the afternoon episode of Neighbours which they interrupted half way through for a news bulletin.

I knew straight away it was big ... They dont cut Neighbours half way through for nothing small!!

Me too!! That was exactly my situation - cutting into the afternoon Neighbours episode meant something important must have happend! Being a student paid off as i could watch the whole thing although hearing people say they were at primary school is a bit scary.

[flammableBen]

For America, 9/11 provided the "good guy vs, bad guy" narrative it had been craving since the fall of the soviet union, and the end of the "COMMUNIST THREAT", with those dirty Moosleems taking that place.

We've had a similar thing here, although it's obviously been more tied in with domestic issues. Far right groups like the EDL and the BNP have jumped on the american ideology of bad guys vs good guys, whilst the rest of us probably actually know some Muslims and probably aren't worried about them blowing up our houses or living in our country.

It's interesting to note that there have been very few Islamic terrorist attacks across Europe in the last ten years, yet the media still link the idea of terrorism with Islam as if they are pretty much the same thing.

The EU records on terrorist attacks for the last year pretty much sums this up...

[url width=649 height=432]http://i.imgur.com/i2xYo.png[/url]

I don't blame the media for this, in our brutal free-market world they have to report on things to sell newspaper, nobody wants to read anything which goes against their world view.

So the biggest fault is the massive failure of the BBC, which seems to have confused being unbiased with being neutral. They aren't the same thing, and you end up with the BBC news output being just another right wing copy of the commercial news media.

This has turned into a bit of a waffle, sorry. love you all x


e: sources and shit.

2011 https://www.europol.europa.eu/sites/default/files/publications/te-sat2011.pdf
2010 http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cmsUpload/TE-SAT%202010.pdf

[Simon Pieman]

Doesn't that show that the only terrorist attack in the UK was islamist extremists though? The media jump on a story and hype it up I will agree - we've moved on to the riots now

[mrverve]

It was my 14th Birthday and one of my 1st weeks in year 9 at school. Remember being picked up from school and being told that there had been terrorist attacks in NY. Went home and was glued to the tv all afternoon and evening. Friends and family came round that evening and that was the only topic of conversation, as you can imagine.

Can't believe it's already been 10 years. Absolutely flown by.

[mrverve]

no pun intended. 

[nevillew]

It was my 14th Birthday and one of my 1st weeks in year 9 at school. Remember being picked up from school and being told that there had been terrorist attacks in NY. Went home and was glued to the tv all afternoon and evening. Friends and family came round that evening and that was the only topic of conversation, as you can imagine.

Can't believe it's already been 10 years. Absolutely flown by.

Shame the planes hadn't.

I was in the US, on the West Coast, was due to fly to NY on Friday 14th. Fortunately I organised the trip that way round. Came down for breakfast in the hotel to be met with endless replays of the strikes and towers collapsing. A strange few days that's for sure

[Kinky Tom]

I was sat in a shitty call centre doing a shitty job when the word started going around. Finished at 4pm and went and watched the TV News for hours. Total and utter disbelief.

One minor chuckle, not long after after we were told the second plane had hit, heard the sound of a Fat Albert flying over. Bloke next to me throws himself to the floor, crawls under his desk and rolls himself into a ball. I nearly pissed myself but this of course was before saw exactly what was going on.

company i was working for was being taken over by a company called nestor healthcare group plc, the day after the attacks our financial director comes into the office and explains that 'NHG have moved into our London branch'  Gemma a girl i worked with thought it was terrorists trying to take a healthcare agency - she looked terrified.  silly girl

[juddie]

Well I can't get on a fucking Plane now with a nail file

Often use a nail file, do you?!

I was working for STFC. We ended up going to the west brom game in the league cup. incidentally, Town played well, even Bobby Howe, but atmosphere was very weird. I thought game shouldn't have taken place as everyone was a bit freaked out, but then again you can't let things like this affect the way you go about your life i suppose.

Even now, watching all the documentaries, still can't get mi head around it.