As a kid (12 years old) in the U.S., the division of eras that occurred on 9/11/01 was clear and immediate.
Adults acted very differently, starting that day. They went from being confident and in-control, to scared and uncertain. Teachers didn’t know what to say to us. Some of the school staff openly wept. Everyone was really lost, and U.S.ians have been seeking a strong leader to guide them ever since.
Flags were everywhere. Everywhere. I know for foreign visitors it’s hard to imagine there being more U.S. flags around the country than there already are, but it really was ridiculous. A neighbor and I used to see how many cars we could get to honk, just by standing on the side of the main road and waving flags.
It was like a hive mind took over the populace. Nationalism took hold in a way I had never seen before. Any disagreement with U.S. policy was now considered “unAmerican” and was likely to compel someone to say, “If you don’t like it, you can leave (the country.)” (No, it doesn’t make sense. It never made sense. I can’t explain it, I was just a kid that got told it for disagreeing with George W. Bush.)
Anyway, there was a clear, undeniable shift in culture that happened on 9/11/01. It’s wild to see the same people twist around over the course of 20 years, going from flying into a rage at the thought of someone criticizing the U.S., to actually agreeing that the U.S. is falling apart (even if we disagree on how or why.)
Not feed into any of the conspiracy theories, but if anyone ever wanted to quickly control an entire countries populace, this would be a great way to do it.
As a kid (12 years old) in the U.S., the division of eras that occurred on 9/11/01 was clear and immediate.
Adults acted very differently, starting that day. They went from being confident and in-control, to scared and uncertain. Teachers didn’t know what to say to us. Some of the school staff openly wept. Everyone was really lost, and U.S.ians have been seeking a strong leader to guide them ever since.
Flags were everywhere. Everywhere. I know for foreign visitors it’s hard to imagine there being more U.S. flags around the country than there already are, but it really was ridiculous. A neighbor and I used to see how many cars we could get to honk, just by standing on the side of the main road and waving flags.
It was like a hive mind took over the populace. Nationalism took hold in a way I had never seen before. Any disagreement with U.S. policy was now considered “unAmerican” and was likely to compel someone to say, “If you don’t like it, you can leave (the country.)” (No, it doesn’t make sense. It never made sense. I can’t explain it, I was just a kid that got told it for disagreeing with George W. Bush.)
Anyway, there was a clear, undeniable shift in culture that happened on 9/11/01. It’s wild to see the same people twist around over the course of 20 years, going from flying into a rage at the thought of someone criticizing the U.S., to actually agreeing that the U.S. is falling apart (even if we disagree on how or why.)
Not feed into any of the conspiracy theories, but if anyone ever wanted to quickly control an entire countries populace, this would be a great way to do it.