How is 9/11 viewed internationally?

[trollnystan]

Beyond reminders around September every year by Americans on the interwebs, I don't really think about when it happened. I mean, it was tragic of course - no doubt about that - but the significance of the actual date has been watered down with the way Americans make a big deal of it every year, at least for me. I am personally sick of hearing the phrase "nine-eleven", of seeing sparkly tacky gifs, et cetera.

I think it's time for you yanks to start commemorating the event every decade instead of every year. Seeing as it's the 10th anniversary this is a great time to start; next year you should keep it on the down-low unless you want the rest of the world to feel put out with you. It's starting to feel a bit morbid. It's time to move on with your lives.

Our news are following it religiously though, I'm sure. I plan to ignore them. I've had enough 9/11 post-mortems to last me a lifetime.

Simple fact is this, unless you actually lost a family member in the attack then you really need to stfu about it and stop acting as if it had anything to do with you.

Hear hear.

 

[freakylarzzy]

it happened, worse things happened...
i don't see why they have to make such a big deal out of it, sure it was horrible but still.
here in the netherlands they had some thing about it on discovery, didn't watch it though.

 

[alias2]

NZ. Not cared about in the slightest. In fact people find it distasteful that americans still go on and on about it like it was such a big thing. And the whole "They attacked us!" is disgusting.

Simple fact is this, unless you actually lost a family member in the attack then you really need to stfu about it and stop acting as if it had anything to do with you.

Oh and internationally its viewed 11/9. <.<

That is odd, because across the Tasman, we still see it as a really big deal.

Anyone who cannot see the massive political and cultural implications of a terrorist attack on that scale, which prime purpose was the destroying of the 'West' is obviously an idiot.

In Australia it was a big thing, obviously people were horrified to watch so many people die, let alone the fact that 11 Australians died in the attacks. Furthermore, I doubt there were many Australians who did not realise that the attacks were as much an attack on the freedoms of the people of the west, as they were an attack on US citizens. The attacks also meant war for Australia which is always a big thing.

As far as marking the day, their were quite a few memorials held by local governments and the like, and as ever the media is doing their thing.

 

[Thaluikhain]

In Australia, at the time it was seen as a big deal, nowdays it's more seen as the beginning of the big deal that is the War on Terror, so the emphasis is slightly shifted.

Otherwise, it's just another one of those terrible things far away that make headlines. Australia hasn't been directly affected by terrorism the same way, though, excepting the Bali bombings 1 year one month and one day later of which almost half the casualties were Australians.

 

[LawlessSquirrel]

i won't speak for all of australia, but in the capital at least, it seems the general feeling is "get the hell over it!"
yes, it was a terrible thing, may have shaped western political history for quite a while (though i would argue that that part is to be blamed on the bush admin more than anyone else) but it did not "reshape the world" what's her face on the tv dedication's dad was not a "hero" just because he died in the attack. other things have happened in the last 10 years, i'm not saying people should not be saddened or angered by it anymore, i'm saying that should stop dwelling on it like it's the worst thing that ever happened, cuz it isn't.
and really, it's not the event that this is all about, outside the US nobody even hard anything about it the last 9 aniversaries, but now that it's a decade ago, oooooo! let's have a big song and dance!

...is the general feeling around these parts.

Going to agree with this. Also Australian, and that's also how it's generally viewed around here. It was a tragic loss of life, but it's not as 'world changing' or even as disastrous as it's proclaimed.

It was a horrible thing that happened. Not the worst by a long shot, but it was bad. That's about it though...the long-winded hysteria about it just seems to tire people around here to the point where mention of the 10 year anniversary is greeted by frustrated groans.

 

[SonicKaos]

Most people here (Canada) say they remember what they were doing when they heard the news, so I guess people still care about it. I personally have no clue what I was doing at the time, because it wasn't a big deal to me at the time. I mean, I do feel bad for everyone who lost their lives/loved ones, absolutely... but it was 10 years ago, and thousands of people die every day for similar reasons (though smaller incidents).

If someone you knew died personally, then you have every right to make a big deal out of it each year. If not, then by now I think it should be put into the back of our minds. Pay your respects as you will of course, but there is no need to make a huge deal about it on the news and whatnot anymore.

9/11 matters because it was unexpected in that country, but worse things happen every day elsewhere that no one cares about. Not saying it's right, but it's true.

 

[Abedeus]

I wouldn't have noticed it if not for this thread...

 

[Suijen]

The Chinese were cheering at first, because it was a punch to the crotch to perceived Chinese arrogance. A few months before 9/11, tensions were hot because of the U-2 spy incident. 9/11 is a big deal in China now, but the tone is much more sympathetic because there's a more human touch to the story now, and tensions are generally pretty stable between the US and China.

 

[Images]

NZ. Not cared about in the slightest. In fact[footnote]Though to be fair this is just from people I have spoken to about it.[/footnote] people find it distasteful that americans still go on and on about it like it was such a big thing. And the whole "They attacked us!" is disgusting.

Simple fact is this, unless you actually lost a family member in the attack then you really need to stfu about it and stop acting as if it had anything to do with you.

Oh and internationally its viewed 11/9. <.<

So because people don't know any of the 3000+ people killed, they shouldn't care and feel bad for those that lost their lives? I find it pretty distasteful that you don't think it wasn't a big deal considering it was a LOT of civilian deaths. Not trying to give you "This is 'Merica!" speech but seriously dude.

A lot of people were affected by it in a lot of emotional ways regardless of knowing any of the victims just like how Pearl Harbor affected the people that were alive when that happened. I'm sure other people feel the same for tragic attacks in their country as well.

Dear Lord. Now you're bringing up Pearl Harbour? Why not August the 6th 1945? What happened on September 11th was not "an attack" like any in war, it was a criminal action perpetrated by some nasty deranged bastards. Thats it. In that case, why not the Oklahoma City bombings if that's the specific field of study? No? Though I'm not saying the world should hold barn dances specifically on September 11th we should not all have to torture ourselves over it forever. Life goes on. Its overuse in U.S. politics as almost a catchphrase is sickening. There is bad shit happening in the world TODAY lets focus on that now shall we?

 

[BonsaiK]

In Australia, people know about it, most of them watched it on TV at the time and can remember where they were. They don't make a big thing of it though, and tend to shake their heads a bit at the US's morbid obsession over it. Also people in the US who look to 9/11 as a good justification for the war in Iraq and Afghanistan are looked at over here with utter contempt. It's common knowledge here that Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11.

 

[Tsunimo]

I'm an American myself, and I feel bad for the people that lost loved ones, but it happened when I was very young and I don't know anyone who died, or even anyone who knew anyone who died in the attacks, so I suppose I'm kind of detached from it all.

 

[Colour Scientist]

It was a big deal at the time but it means as much to me now as any other disaster ten years ago. Don't get me wrong, of course it's terrible that those people died and it shouldn't be forgotten (although, it shouldn't be remembered for the wrong reasons either). It was a tragedy but it didn't directly affect me so I'd be lying if I said otherwise.

Also, going to Ground Zero was pretty crazy.

 

[garjian]

I'm English, and an American had to remind me that it happened.
I still don't care.

 

[Aizsaule]

The "war on terror" hurt America 10 times more than terrorism ever will

also most people here in the Netherlands don't care to much 2.5k people dead on the other side of the world really isn't that significant compared to other things that happened.

 

[Coraxian]

Over here we mostly get referenced to it as the event that dominated the past decade, which you can't really deny. Then again, the butterfly effect means anything will influence the future.

But if you look at the news from the past decade, a lot of it seems to be formed as a result of this. The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq (as convoluted as it may have been, it was connected)to name the two most obvious. Both with their own side effects.

But other than that, it's not that big a deal.

 

[The_ModeRazor]

Was in school when the news came. A minute of silence for the people what died. Didn't change the fact that Hungarians just fucking loathe America for some reason. (not that it's hard to find one, or more, but the extent of this hatred is surprising, especially considering all the capitulizm going on here)

 

[Cyrax987]

NZ. Not cared about in the slightest. In fact[footnote]Though to be fair this is just from people I have spoken to about it.[/footnote] people find it distasteful that americans still go on and on about it like it was such a big thing. And the whole "They attacked us!" is disgusting.

Simple fact is this, unless you actually lost a family member in the attack then you really need to stfu about it and stop acting as if it had anything to do with you.

Oh and internationally its viewed 11/9. <.<

So because people don't know any of the 3000+ people killed, they shouldn't care and feel bad for those that lost their lives? I find it pretty distasteful that you don't think it wasn't a big deal considering it was a LOT of civilian deaths. Not trying to give you "This is 'Merica!" speech but seriously dude.

A lot of people were affected by it in a lot of emotional ways regardless of knowing any of the victims just like how Pearl Harbor affected the people that were alive when that happened. I'm sure other people feel the same for tragic attacks in their country as well.

Dear Lord. Now you're bringing up Pearl Harbour? Why not August the 6th 1945? What happened on September 11th was not "an attack" like any in war, it was a criminal action perpetrated by some nasty deranged bastards. Thats it. In that case, why not the Oklahoma City bombings if that's the specific field of study? No? Though I'm not saying the world should hold barn dances specifically on September 11th we should not all have to torture ourselves over it forever. Life goes on. Its overuse in U.S. politics as almost a catchphrase is sickening. There is bad shit happening in the world TODAY lets focus on that now shall we?

It was an example to get my point across...

Way to completely ignore the rest of my post and attack me on one little thing I brought up to make my point. It was a major attack, it wasn't a dozen people like 24 it was over 3000 people. Life does go on and I have already done that and I don't try and shove 9/11 down people's throats.

But to actually say it wasn't a big deal at all is a lie because it was, and not just for Americans. Just like the tsunami and earthquake that devastated Japan. I think I'm done pretty much in this thread, I've explained my views and defended them and there is nothing else to say. I'm not going to go pray for an hour but I do remember it.

I'm not insulting anyone and I don't mind if people don't take it as anything important to them personally because that is their right and it wasn't something the whole world should have to care about. I know on the internet it is popular to bash America but I'm sure there was a lot of people from different countries that had plenty of sympathy for the attacks on that day just like I had sympathy for the attacks in India. I felt bad for the people that were killed during the riots that happened this year and especially the earthquake/tsunami that happened to Japan.

All I was trying to do was make my point that it was kind of a big deal at the time and that it isn't wrong for Americans to care about the incident even though they didn't have personal loved ones killed. I'm listening to Daft Punk so nothing can put me in a bad mood by the way.

 

[Fudd]

I lived in Indonesia at the time of the attacks. My initial reaction was disbelief, followed by a dawning realization in my 12 year old brain that this would be bad for me as an expatriate in a muslim nation due to the inevitable disproportionate retaliation to the attack that was sure to follow. I was right. 10 years, many dead freedoms, two wars, and at least 150,000 mostly civilian casualties later the United States is still at war with a tactic.

I am disappointed and dismayed though not surprised at the ruthlessness with which the American people, particularly those who most fervently claim Christ's mantle, have embraced revenge. I cannot comprehend the nature of the disproportionate response. While I know the factors that caused it, I still have difficulty accepting that a population can be so divorced from the barrel of their own gun even as they point it at others.

If anything the response to 9/11 proved my pessimism about the social "progress" of the western world. Western society, like any other, needs only the right trigger to bathe in the blood of the "other" and how easy it is to provide that trigger.

 

[DanielBrown]

The media loves it, but here in Sweden no one has ever cared at all. Why should we?
I'm pretty sure 9/11 was the starting point for my deep hatred for American patriotism.