What I remember most about September 11, 2001, is the night of September 10, 2001.
On that Monday night, my roommates and I threw a big party for the first Monday Night Football game of the year. We were all starting our junior year at George Washington University, within a few blocks of the White House.
Many of our friends were Giants fans, who were playing the Broncos in the new Mile High Stadium, so we had a damn good night. Monday Night Football, fresh off the incredible 2000 season with Dennis Miller, had become must-see television again. The Broncos won 31-20 in a game remembered for a gruesome injury to Ed McCaffery – and for being the last sporting event we’d watch for a while.
That’s why I woke up with a hangover on 9/11, with my roommate yelling at me to check my endlessly buzzing phone. It was my mother, trying to figure out if I was alive, since the news at that point said “armed men” were rumored to be in Washington, D.C. That was false, thankfully, but you can understand the panic. Within a minute of waking up, I saw the first tower fall in New York City and I knew life would never be the same.
Within hours, my good friend – likewise, hungover from watching football – found God. Literally. He read the Bible, and he was no longer the person he was the day before.
As we waited in our apartment for news of the 4th plane aimed for D.C., another of my astute friends told us, “If that plane is heading to the White House, it won’t get there.” The message was clear. We would be collateral damage if they got that far. Thanks to the heroes on Flight 93, we didn’t have to worry about that.
Today marks the 25th anniversary of that awful day. And for what feels like the 25th year in a row, we will recount and remember every horrific detail. I don’t like thinking about 9/11. I certainly don’t like writing about it. I wrote a first-person column from my newspaper on the 5th anniversary in 2006 and I nearly threw up when I finished the first draft. It was that nauseating to relive.
I’ve felt nauseated again this year as Republicans – for what is definitely the 25th year in a row – are exploiting the tragedy for political gain. There have even been a few who have used the word “celebrate” about their plans for today. The bigotry aimed again at Muslims, particularly Mayor Mamdani in New York, makes you sick all over again.
The constant exploitation has crystallized two persistent thoughts in my head. One, today’s Republican Party would be politically aligned with the Taliban of 2001. Let that one simmer for a minute.
The second, and more importantly, is how little we talk about life in 2001 before the attacks. Because while America in 2001 was no means perfect, there was an overall feeling that we were striving to achieve something great.
Even though George W Bush has done plenty to torch his legacy, he came to office as the “Compassionate Conservative” whose persona played extremely well with the Latino community – as opposed to threatening with concentration camps.
It truly felt like the goal of our government and corporations was to make life better. That was their plan to win voters and gain consumers. The dot com bubble may be bursting, but the Internet still gave us a newfound freedom. It was an Internet before social media, smartphones, and algorithms, so it was a choose-your-own adventure ride. I found new sports writers and realized there were far more pro wrestling fans out there than usual. I got exposed to new music, different movies, and an entire world that was out of my view previously.
When companies rolled out new products, they were aimed specifically at improving our lives. Just a month after 9/11, though rumored long before, is when Apple came out with the iPod. Has listening to music on the go ever been better?
It wasn’t limited to technology or government. Sports in 2001 may have arguably been at its peak during my lifetime. We had dynasties, like Derek Jeter’s Yankees and the Shaq/Kobe Lakers. We had GOATs in their primes, from Tiger Woods to Serena and Venus Williams. NASCAR got a new tv deal with Fox, lost Dale Earnhardt, and skyrocketed in popularity. College football was a beautiful mess as the BCS had just started. The NFL was also in process of becoming the ratings juggernaut they are today.
Hell, even television was rolling from 2000 to 2001, as shows like CSI and Survivor premiered, and hits like the West Wing and Will & Grace were just warming up. That’s only broadcast. HBO was delivering a one-two punch of The Sopranos and Sex and the City, while basic channels began producing more shows in earnest. Adult Swim premiered as a concept a mere 9 days before 9/11. The Video Music Awards, held just 5 days before 9/11, featured Britney’s iconic snake performance – and that’s one of the few times iconic is used correctly.
For almost a quarter century, I’ve wondered if my views of summer 2001 are all rose-colored nostalgia. I just turned 19. I was in the best shape of my life, the only time I ever had legit six-pack abs. I was in college. The future possibilities were limitless.
As we’ve suffered through a decade of MAGA Republicans and Donald Trump dragging our country back to the bad times, it’s become clear my views were not rose-colored. The world was a better place in 2001, mostly because people tried to make it a better place.
Maybe I was blissfully unaware of the true extent of systemic racism across the country, but being a college student in Washington, D.C. certainly opened my eyes. I disagreed with my peers and people online, but it never devolved into the nonsense that can consume hours of my life today. The extent I knew about trolls was “Do Not Feed Them” on message boards, we would abide.
There was a moment, late in the day of 9/11, that I felt hope. A friend of our group had gone to the gym, and he reported on the way back he saw a taxi driver in a turban and decided to give him a mean look. “He’s lucky I couldn’t yell at him!”
We immediately pushed back. All of us, together, agreed we wouldn’t be doing that. “That man didn’t cause 9/11” is a sentence I distinctly remember being aimed at him. He nodded, agreed, and we moved on.
That hope quickly evaporated. Bigotry, especially toward Muslims, accelerated after 9/11, leading us into conflict in the Middle East and it feels like we’ve been there ever since. The Global War on Terror did little except to destroy a generation.
In our increasingly bleak American society, it feels like every disaster can be traced back to the beautifully sunny Tuesday morning. People said we rallied around the flag after 9/11, but it was only because we were united before it happened.
If 9/11 happened today, there would be no rallying around the flag. The President would immediately blame Dems – regardless of who perpetrated the terrorism – and our corporate media would inflate hatred for engagement across social media. I am loath to consider how that day would be covered by today’s media.
I want to end this piece on a hopeful note. It’s difficult. It’s hard to feel hope when you realize ICE government thugs, killing people across the country and stuffing them into concentration camps, are a direct result of 9/11 and the creation of the Department of Homeland Security.
I don’t want to return to summer 2001, even though I know I loved it there. I do want that spirit to return. I want to believe our government and our corporate overlords have our best interests in heart, because I know they do not.
In the end, the Taliban won. America was nearly the shining city on the hill that everyone else ascribed to be. Today, we’re the shithole country.
On that Monday night, my roommates and I threw a big party for the first Monday Night Football game of the year. We were all starting our junior year at George Washington University, within a few blocks of the White House.
Many of our friends were Giants fans, who were playing the Broncos in the new Mile High Stadium, so we had a damn good night. Monday Night Football, fresh off the incredible 2000 season with Dennis Miller, had become must-see television again. The Broncos won 31-20 in a game remembered for a gruesome injury to Ed McCaffery – and for being the last sporting event we’d watch for a while.
That’s why I woke up with a hangover on 9/11, with my roommate yelling at me to check my endlessly buzzing phone. It was my mother, trying to figure out if I was alive, since the news at that point said “armed men” were rumored to be in Washington, D.C. That was false, thankfully, but you can understand the panic. Within a minute of waking up, I saw the first tower fall in New York City and I knew life would never be the same.
Within hours, my good friend – likewise, hungover from watching football – found God. Literally. He read the Bible, and he was no longer the person he was the day before.
As we waited in our apartment for news of the 4th plane aimed for D.C., another of my astute friends told us, “If that plane is heading to the White House, it won’t get there.” The message was clear. We would be collateral damage if they got that far. Thanks to the heroes on Flight 93, we didn’t have to worry about that.
Today marks the 25th anniversary of that awful day. And for what feels like the 25th year in a row, we will recount and remember every horrific detail. I don’t like thinking about 9/11. I certainly don’t like writing about it. I wrote a first-person column from my newspaper on the 5th anniversary in 2006 and I nearly threw up when I finished the first draft. It was that nauseating to relive.
I’ve felt nauseated again this year as Republicans – for what is definitely the 25th year in a row – are exploiting the tragedy for political gain. There have even been a few who have used the word “celebrate” about their plans for today. The bigotry aimed again at Muslims, particularly Mayor Mamdani in New York, makes you sick all over again.
The constant exploitation has crystallized two persistent thoughts in my head. One, today’s Republican Party would be politically aligned with the Taliban of 2001. Let that one simmer for a minute.
The second, and more importantly, is how little we talk about life in 2001 before the attacks. Because while America in 2001 was no means perfect, there was an overall feeling that we were striving to achieve something great.
Even though George W Bush has done plenty to torch his legacy, he came to office as the “Compassionate Conservative” whose persona played extremely well with the Latino community – as opposed to threatening with concentration camps.
It truly felt like the goal of our government and corporations was to make life better. That was their plan to win voters and gain consumers. The dot com bubble may be bursting, but the Internet still gave us a newfound freedom. It was an Internet before social media, smartphones, and algorithms, so it was a choose-your-own adventure ride. I found new sports writers and realized there were far more pro wrestling fans out there than usual. I got exposed to new music, different movies, and an entire world that was out of my view previously.
When companies rolled out new products, they were aimed specifically at improving our lives. Just a month after 9/11, though rumored long before, is when Apple came out with the iPod. Has listening to music on the go ever been better?
It wasn’t limited to technology or government. Sports in 2001 may have arguably been at its peak during my lifetime. We had dynasties, like Derek Jeter’s Yankees and the Shaq/Kobe Lakers. We had GOATs in their primes, from Tiger Woods to Serena and Venus Williams. NASCAR got a new tv deal with Fox, lost Dale Earnhardt, and skyrocketed in popularity. College football was a beautiful mess as the BCS had just started. The NFL was also in process of becoming the ratings juggernaut they are today.
Hell, even television was rolling from 2000 to 2001, as shows like CSI and Survivor premiered, and hits like the West Wing and Will & Grace were just warming up. That’s only broadcast. HBO was delivering a one-two punch of The Sopranos and Sex and the City, while basic channels began producing more shows in earnest. Adult Swim premiered as a concept a mere 9 days before 9/11. The Video Music Awards, held just 5 days before 9/11, featured Britney’s iconic snake performance – and that’s one of the few times iconic is used correctly.
For almost a quarter century, I’ve wondered if my views of summer 2001 are all rose-colored nostalgia. I just turned 19. I was in the best shape of my life, the only time I ever had legit six-pack abs. I was in college. The future possibilities were limitless.
As we’ve suffered through a decade of MAGA Republicans and Donald Trump dragging our country back to the bad times, it’s become clear my views were not rose-colored. The world was a better place in 2001, mostly because people tried to make it a better place.
Maybe I was blissfully unaware of the true extent of systemic racism across the country, but being a college student in Washington, D.C. certainly opened my eyes. I disagreed with my peers and people online, but it never devolved into the nonsense that can consume hours of my life today. The extent I knew about trolls was “Do Not Feed Them” on message boards, we would abide.
There was a moment, late in the day of 9/11, that I felt hope. A friend of our group had gone to the gym, and he reported on the way back he saw a taxi driver in a turban and decided to give him a mean look. “He’s lucky I couldn’t yell at him!”
We immediately pushed back. All of us, together, agreed we wouldn’t be doing that. “That man didn’t cause 9/11” is a sentence I distinctly remember being aimed at him. He nodded, agreed, and we moved on.
That hope quickly evaporated. Bigotry, especially toward Muslims, accelerated after 9/11, leading us into conflict in the Middle East and it feels like we’ve been there ever since. The Global War on Terror did little except to destroy a generation.
In our increasingly bleak American society, it feels like every disaster can be traced back to the beautifully sunny Tuesday morning. People said we rallied around the flag after 9/11, but it was only because we were united before it happened.
If 9/11 happened today, there would be no rallying around the flag. The President would immediately blame Dems – regardless of who perpetrated the terrorism – and our corporate media would inflate hatred for engagement across social media. I am loath to consider how that day would be covered by today’s media.
I want to end this piece on a hopeful note. It’s difficult. It’s hard to feel hope when you realize ICE government thugs, killing people across the country and stuffing them into concentration camps, are a direct result of 9/11 and the creation of the Department of Homeland Security.
I don’t want to return to summer 2001, even though I know I loved it there. I do want that spirit to return. I want to believe our government and our corporate overlords have our best interests in heart, because I know they do not.
In the end, the Taliban won. America was nearly the shining city on the hill that everyone else ascribed to be. Today, we’re the shithole country.
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