A proposal here to Unplug on 9/11.
To honor all those who lost their lives in the 9/11/2001 attacks (and all those who have lost their lives since as a direct result of them), I propose that we turn off our computers and stay off the internet all day on 9/11/2003.
Hmmm. Why?
1. Silence and reflection are an appropriate response to such an indescribably ugly day and to all the ugliness that has been created in its wake.
So are shouting and screaming. So are reflections on the tragedy, screeds of anger, poems of hope, and reaching out to others.
2. A day of disconnection from the Internet will create one less means by which unscupulous people can tell us how to feel about our country and ourselves.
Right. Better to let the “unscrupulous people” put forward their nefarious agenda without anyone to disagree about it. That makes sense.
3. The SoBig.F worm and other disruptive programs may be preparing for larger, more damaging attacks on 9/11. Let’s withhold host bodies from these parasitic infections. A computer with its power turned off cannot be infected by a computer virus, nor can it pass that virus on to other unsuspecting users.
Right. Live in fear of computer viruses. And if you keep your computer permanently turned off, it won’t ever get infected or used as a zombie.
4. I really just want to see if I’ve got the willpower.
Well, that’s not a bad reason. Though I’d reserve that for Lent. (Hmmmmm …)
My opinion? It’s better to stay connected. If someone is expressing an opinion about 9/11 and what it means, and you agree — great! The power of community was one of the lessons of that day. If someone says something you disagree with — wonderful! The strength of differing opinions and the freedom to express them is another valuable lesson from that day.
There are any number of folks who will try to hijack 9/11 to their purpose. That’s what makes a horse race. Some of it will be touching, some of it will be maudlin and cloying, some of it will be inspiring, and some of it will be enraging.
But that’s both the strength and the weakness of living in a society. Sitting in a darkened room to avoid hearing opinions you don’t like — from whatever end of whichever political spectrum you’re overly sensitive to — is to let them have the field.
But if you want to have some quiet time and reflection — well, yeah, that’s okay, too. Just do it for the right reason — out of strength, not out of fear.
Whatever you do on 9/11, don’t let anyone dictate it to you, and don’t let anyone take it from you. Your feelings, your values, and your country are your own.
That I can agree with.
(via WMT)
I couldn’t tell you my reaction when the MS/Dell page opened and one of their offers was ‘send a card for 9/11.’
Sickened, at the very base of it. Send a card for what? Sympathy cards to the bereaved? Better to let the wounds close.
Patriotic chest thumping? Gah. I’d rather not.
Start a new and twisted american tradition? Pass.
Send a card. I didn’t click the link. I really didn’t want to know the reality of what some person out there thought would be a really cool thing.
Ashes in my mouth.
Yeah, it doesn’t seem quite like something that needs cards to be sent. I mean … Pearl Harbor Day Cards? Mt St Helens Day Cards? Triangle Fire Day Cards? Hrm.
I’m not shutting my computer off because of viruses. But the other reasons on John’s list are good ones, I think. Staying out of the fray of fake memorials etc. *is* an action of strength. I look at it as sort of a “moment of silence,” but on a different scale. Plus, selfishly, I think it’ll be good for my psyche and my mental health.
Maybe so.
I’m not sure what I’ll be doing tomorrow — but I’ll try not to be be fake in my memorializing. Maudlin, perhaps, but sincere.
Listening to the coverage on the radio this morning, I am pleased that I am not as cynical as I thought I might have been. I only plan one 9/11 entry for my blog. Having lost a baby, I know that people grieve differently. If talking helps, go ahead and talk. If remaining silent helps, then be silent. There is a time for everything under Heaven.