Too soon…
Sept. 11th, the day the beautiful Twin Towers were destroyed by a terrorist attack, will always be a day of remembrance. These two buildings became a symbol for the freedom in America. After the tragic event, multiple Americans came together as a united community to help restore the broken city and broken hearts of New York. Sept. 11th will always be recognized as the day Americans lost family, friends, neighbors, and strangers, but it was also the day Americans flew their red, white and blue flag.
New York has been restored and has grown more beautiful with the addition of the 9/11 memorials. They ensure anyone visiting New York knows of the tragic event and of the beauty that came out of it. Not only was American ground trespassed, but families were torn apart. Suddenly teens have the desire to take this horrid event and poke fun at a day that is supposed to be a day of remembrance. Choir director Rob Williams says, “The impact of this event is certainly something that is difficult for people who weren’t old enough to remember it.” Many people in the upcoming generation are not able to grasp the fear others had felt this horrid day. This has caused teens to look at this day as a mere historic textbook event instead of something that greatly impacted thousands of people.
But is it a day of remembrance anymore? More than half of students in high school as of 2016 were not alive or were only a year or two old at the time of this event. Multiple students cannot relate to the tragedy many Americans faced. Williams says, “There were no words to describe the level of horror and tragedy that all of us felt. It wasn’t just a paragraph in a textbook to us.” Some say there comes a time where the hurt goes away and the jokes can come through. Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram were full of jokes, comments and memes on the day of 9/11. Instead of remembering the lives that were lost, jokes were made at the fact that teens cannot even remember the event. According to Washington Post, “Homework assignments and essay questions ensure that Sept. 11 will indeed be remembered by millions of schoolchildren, if with a new sense of detachment.” But do these things insure the teens understand the impact of this event?
Teens only know this day as images on the internet and stories told by elders. Without having the ability to connect, it makes it easier for teens to poke fun without feeling the hurt that may be coming out of these actions. When searching 9/11 on the internet, you get a mix of memes, jokes and actual pictures of the events. This day is a simple joke to the new generation. School systems and elders try to help teens remember 9/11 for what it truly is instead of poking fun at what many students cannot understand.
