Monday, September 13, 2021

We Have Forgotten

 I returned to my Blog on September 11th, as I always do, to revisit the entries I had made to "remember" Sue Kim Hanson, one of the 2,996 victims of the horrific attack on American made on 9/11/2001.  Back in 2006, as part of The 2,996 Project, I had "voluteered" to write a short memorial about one of the people who died during the attack.  At random I was assigned Sue Kim Hanson.  I knew nothing about her.

But in 2006 we were still raw from the unexpected violence, the carnage and the shear audacity of the attack.  And the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were nearing their peak. After 5 years, it was still the news of the day.

Blogging was a big thing then, too.   Today, blogs are a relic in a world filled with TikTok, U-Tube, Instagram, Podcasts and nearly endless videos of Korean Street Food being prepared in stunning detail. But I digress.

Having Bloggers lead the way in remembering the victims seemed like a good idea. It seemed important that we never forget. We knew we would never forget. It was important we never forget.

Fifteen more years have passed and we have forgotten.  

No, we haven't forgotten Sue Kim Hanson, nor her husband Peter, nor her daughter Christine, perhaps now the most famous of the victims, primarily because she was the youngest.  In fact I was heartened to search Sue Kim Hanson on Google and see so many pages of entries. My small contribution is just a tiny part of the wealth of tributes and remembrances.  Sue Kim was loved and is still loved.

But we, as a nation, as a society, have forgotten 9/11.  Yes, I know you've all watch an endless cable news display of documentaries, and interviews this past weekend. So many I bet you turned them off or changed the channel. Thank god college football began in earnest on 9/11.  

But Fox News (I think it was on Gutfeld!) did their typical student on the street interviews with college kids asking about 9/11.  It was awful. They were not alive on 9/11, so can we blame them for not remembering? And the schools sure don't teach anything about 9/11.  Still, it was painful to watch.

To make matters worse, we just witnessed an Abbott and Costello version of a military retreat from the long forgotten, yet never ending, war in Afghanistan.  

To make matters much worse, we have culturally decided that Republicans are worse than NAZI'S and January 6th was worse than the Civil War.  I mean these things are serious. They must be. Rachel Maddow and Don Lemon and Jimmy Fallon and Stephen Colbert told us so. 

Today 9/11 is the equivalent of the War of 1812.  Quick, tell me what that one was about!!

The horror is gone. Our Fox News students told us we ought to be very careful about teaching about 9/11 and we must be careful in who we blame. We might offend someone. We must not blame Muslims, or Afghan's of Saudi's or, well, anyone.  And, it's very important we not talk of the heroics of our policemen (aren't we supposed to be defunding them, anyway?) or our first responders or soldiers, less we imply Nationalism or cultural superiority.  

Students at a Washington state high school football game were banned from wearing red, white and blue in honor of 9/11 victims because some may find it “racially insensitive.” [ LINK - New York Post Story ]

God Bless You, Sue Kim Hanson and Peter and Christine. We will never forget you.  9/11 however.... well, we have forgotten.

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September 11, 2006 - Susan Kim Hanson

September 11, 2007 - Remembering Sue Kim Hanson

September 11, 2008 - Remembering Sue Kim Hanson

September 11, 2009 - Remembering the Reality: 9-11-2001: Sue Kim Hanson

September 11, 2010 - Reflections on the Life of Sue Kim Hanson

September 11, 2011 - Tears in Tragedy - Remembering Sue Kim Hanson

September 11, 2012 - Honoring the Memory of Peter, Sue and Christine Hanson

September 11, 2013 - The Tragedy of War, The Victims of Hate, Remembering Peter, Sue Kim and Christine Hanson

September 11, 2014 - Will Hatred Ever Be Replaced with Understanding? Remembering Sue Kim Hanson on 9/11

September 11, 2016 - The Angels are in the Details