Three Things Make a Legacy
If, say, it were the case that my co-blogger were planning something awesome for tomorrow on this internet-web “blog,” I wouldn’t want to step on it, so let’s today link to the only three classic internet responses to the atrocities of September 11, 2001. These have stood the test of time.
3) Jesse Walker, “What Happens Next?“ The essay that coined “the Bugs Bunny Option.” Which we did not take. But if you’re looking for cold comfort, you can read Jesse and think, “At least we didn’t nuke anybody.”
2) John S. Montoya, “Why the Bombings Mean We Must Support My Politics“. This almost got the top spot because its applicability outgrows 9/11 itself, extending to any calamity people class as evidence for their preexisting beliefs. Points off for the familiar phenomenon of the text being nearly superfluous after the title, but “Of course the World Trade Center attacks are a uniquely tragic event, and it is vital that we never lose sight of the human tragedy involved. But we must also not lose sight of the fact that I am right on every significant moral and political issue, and everybody ought to agree with me.” is great.
1) The Onion, “Holy Fucking Shit! Attack on America“ Edition. When you run a humor publication and you have to deal with an atrocity, it can go very right or very, very wrong. The Onion got this one very right. As you’d expect, the headlines are priceless: “Hijackers Surprised To Find Selves In Hell”; “U.S. Vows To Defeat Whoever It Is We’re At War With”; “We Must Retaliate With Blind Rage vs. We Must Retaliate With Measured, Focused, Rage.” But most of the body copy is pitch-perfect too: I was going to give The Onion the number two spot until I reread “Not Knowing What Else To Do, Woman Bakes American-Flag Cake,” which is as brilliant as I remembered.
Comment by Thoreau —
September 10, 2011 @ 5:21 pm
I gotta say, at least in the Onion’s universe, George W. Bush did at least one good thing after 9/11.
Comment by ed —
September 10, 2011 @ 11:38 pm
Other gems from that Onion, as I recall it anyway:
“Jerry Falwell: Is that guy a dick or what?”
and
“Pentagon also attacked, see page 26″ (or something to that effect)
Comment by Avram —
September 10, 2011 @ 11:40 pm
I maintain that The Onion’s 2006 9/11 anniversary piece, “NYC Unveils 9/11 Memorial Hole”, is the finest piece of humor writing of the past century. “Let this circle of flowers — brief, beautiful, and too soon gone — symbolize the respect we have shown for the memories of those innocents who lost their lives on that sorrowful morning by creating this great hole.”
Comment by Joe Strummer —
September 11, 2011 @ 2:27 pm
I lived in Arlington at the time, and worked for a libertarian organization. (That was a different world.) I remember two things: 1) I remember reading Virginia Postrel that day and being absolutely horrified by her very aggressive position to the extent I wrote her a nasty email. I concluded that if someone who was libertarian had such a response, there wasn’t much hope.
At the time I was also much more physically fit. I remember being in a racquetball club locker room a few weeks after 9/11. An middle aged Onion fan was trying to explain how pitch perfect and funny The Onion “Holy Fucking Shit” issue was in the locker room to someone who was unfamiliar with The Onion and totally horrified that anyone would say anything remotely humorous about 9/11.
It was very odd, but I thought that little exchange sort of captured my – like that Onion fan’s – disconnect with most people around me in DC about the whole event.
Comment by Terry Karney —
September 12, 2011 @ 8:57 am
That Tuesday was what it was. There was nothing I could do, save do what needed doing.
It’s the horror which the “remembrance” is which I work to avoid.