How is 9/11 viewed internationally?

[juraigamer]

I find it disgraceful, being an American, that Americans lord this over to such an extent.

Whatever, keep fear alive.

 

[brainslurper]

Right now, I view 9/11 as two months before skyrim comes out. I never really cared about anniversaries, and the real damage that 9/11 did was in the wars that it started.

 

[The Human Torch]

How could I not? My two favorite tv channels (Discovery and National Geographic Channel) are doing nothing but air documentaries about 9/11. I get that it was a big deal, but there is nothing worse than being subjected to all this obsession.

 

[CounterReproductive]

Speaking from a UK perspective, Yes it is the most damaging terrorist attack ever commited and will probably stay that way right up until they let off a nuke. 3000+ lives lost, billions of dollars in damage, countless more deaths to come in the years to follow due to all the asbestos dust inhaled by most of downtown Manhattan. Horrible thing to see and ten years ago it was almost unbelievable to be sat watching as the second plane flew into the building.

Of course being from the UK (which is a funny thing all by itself but I shall not digress from the main topic,When we here in the mainland UK and Northern Ireland were suffering under the threat of IRA and PIRA terrorism, a large number of Americans supported the cause of the catholic Irish and sent money and support even when the terrorists were killing and maiming innocent civilians in England and Northern Ireland.

Ten years ago the USA got a massive smack in the mouth, and as horrible as this may sound you deserved it. No-one deserves to die but you needed to understand that you are not invincible , you are not almighty and you do need to play nice in the sandpit.

My thoughts today are with those families who lost their loved ones ten years ago. The rest of you can stop acting like it personally traumatised you and get on with your lives.d

 

[baconbaby299]

I'm British but when it happened I didn't understand enough, my mum and dad were anti-American and I remember them say "there were some towers over there, gone now, toodloo" or something like that.

And I don't personally mind Americans go on about it. Mostly because I remember every single advertisement on the 10th anniversary of Diana's death being about her. At least 9/11 had an impact on the economy to care about.

 

[Nikolaz72]

The recent massacre in Norway hit me harder... It was kids my age, it was done without provocation of any kind. . . To send a message to, not the west. . . Not the christians, but a certain political group. Not by targeting an embassy. But by attacking a summer-camp.

Even the Scandinavian Nazi's (they exist). . Took distance to the shootings. I mean, when the Nazi's thinks his too evil, he should be in Cobra or something.

 

[Rapamaha]

well there are documentarys running on every tv channel here and newspapers have big headlines about it stil... personally I dont really care about it that much considering how many innocent civilians have died becose of it in afganistan

 

[Sniperyeti]

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. <.<

I'm also from NZ, just going to provide an alternate view because this seems a bit... desensitised.

I'd say among the people I know it's viewed as one of those big disasters, there's lots of sympathy to those involved and the servicemen who died trying to save those people. However, we don't get any of that associated anger towards Muslims etc, its more seen as a tragedy than a grievance.

What gets on my nerves is how while certainly it was a terrible event, it keeps getting brought up in inappropriate places. Yes, it was a big thing. Fucking 3000 people lost their lives and more may be dying from the dust, but when it gets brought up on gaming forums or tv shows or whatever it gets harder to sympathise in such innappropriate circumstances. Its like if we spent this whole Rugby world cup demonising the French for the Rainbow Warrior (look it up).

 

[Cowabungaa]

I can't speak for anyone else, but I can say that it's the most dramatic event, and the resulting change change, to Western culture from the 2000's. I myself have, well, kinda moved on.

No-one deserves to die but you needed to understand that you are not invincible , you are not almighty and you do need to play nice in the sandpit.

Well that worked wonderful then didn't it? Sparking those two big-ass and immensely costly wars, almost bankrupting the US government. That and the fact that after 9/11, it was McCarthyism all over again.

 

[Fieldy409_v1legacy]

well here where i live in australia. We note the day and its mentioned in the news, but we dont have any services or feel too bothered about it.

 

[Overlord93]

Speaking as a survivor of Operation Noble Anvil... Those bastards deserved it.
I know it was "Nato" operation, but US planes were dropping those bombs, so i stand by my opinion that bastards deserved it.

 

[Penguin_Factory]

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

^ This.

Among the people I know in Ireland the initial reaction was very sympathetic. We even had an official day of mourning. However cynicism started to build up when we realized how much the news coverage internationally was emphasising American problems over stuff going on in other places. It felt like the US was getting preferential treatment. And it's true that events occurring in the USA are more likely to have international consequences than those in, say, a third world country, but it felt like we were expected to be more emotionally invested just because it was Americans who were suffering. In particular I think the frequently-repeated "this day will change the world" really bothered some people, in the same way that Americans describing their country as the "leader of the free world" does.

However, that was a relatively minor annoyance. Most people here would still have been sympathetic to the country and to Americans in general. That went down the drains the second the attack on Afghanistan started, and it really went down the drains when the war in Iraq began. Now the feeling is that America has caused far more suffering and destruction than it had to endure, and that the real tragedy is the civilians killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, not 9/11.

Personally I don't quite go that far. Countries are made up of individuals, and it's not like the individuals killed in 9/11 are responsible for America's foreign policy. But at the same time, it's hard to sympathize with Americans talking about what a tragedy that day was when many of them enthusiastically supported wars that have killed thousands of times more people.

 

[Rawne1980]

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

Pretty much summed up right here.

I remember IRA bombing a Manchester shopping centre a bit back and the IRA was supported by the USA at the time. Lots of families died that day.

Also ex army so i've seen a lot of terrible things and people suffering.

Yeah it was a shitty thing to happen but it was 10 years ago.

I can't speak for all of the UK but for people around Burnley at least no one cares anymore. I'll be honest, if it wasn't for Americans reminding us about it we'd have forgotten about it completely a long time ago.

For me it is a tad bit personal. For a hell of a lot of years the IRA were killing British people and America supported them. I lost friends and family as a civilian and close friends in the army to them. All of a sudden America gets attacked and realises how shitty it is to be on the receiving end and it's an entirely different story.

 

[Ambi]

It's been ten years get over it already and stop crying like a bunch of babies.
It's really only a very small number compared to the deaths the American forces have caused in Iraq. I think all this fuss about it is a disgusting double standard.
I don't care about your bloody twin towers so get this shit off my Tv, I'm sick of hearing about it.

You never heard British citizens bitching about IRA attacks years later. They just dealt with it and moved on. What is it about Americans that makes you such whiny cry babies?

Thank you.

Every year I wonder how long this shit will go on for. Why do we have to have depressing stuff shown to us to drill it into us once a year how horrible those people we're at war with in the middle east are and how we have to live in fear and compliance?

Spoiler: Related

Wut?

Now something poking fun at the country I live in:

I should think about this a bit more...

 

[Crazycat690]

Well talking as a Finn, we still wonder if it was a terrorist attack or if it was your own government, because that's interesting news. Other than that nothing really changed over here, btw no offense intended.

 

[babinro]

I'm Canadian. No one I know was personally affected by this event...so it holds no more impact on me than hurricane Katrina, or any severe weather event, or bombing, or school shooting, etc.

Of course, Canadian tv is mostly U.S. shows and advertising, so it isn't exactly easy to forget about the date as it is constantly brought up again and again. In this sense, I'm more aware of the tragedy and the conspiracies associated with it, but this still holds no meaningful personal impact.

 

[Reaper195]

Personally, it was a tragedy in another country. I feel somewhat sorry for those involved, but don't particularly care.

 

[StormShaun]

Im living in Australia at the moment and we have programs, news coverage...and thats about it, we basicly remember it but we see that there is no point in doing anything for it.

Sorry if I seem cold there, personally I think that it is a very sad day where many losses happened for many people and familys.

 

[BlueMage]

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.

Fuck me, a whole ELEVEN OF US died! JESUS MC-FUCKING CHRIST!

Roughly that many people die per week on our roads buddy. That's right, more Australians die every week due to sheer friggin' stupidity rather than malice.

Oh, and let's not forget the various wars. What are we up to in Afghanistan?? About 30-odd dead soldiers? AFTER TEN FRIGGIN' YEARS?! Christ, that's not a war, that's "someone slipped and fell on a mine" every now and then.

*shrug* Take it as you will, I believe the celebration of ANZAC day is pretty damn morbid, and we should stop trying to dig up the dead when I'm pretty sure they don't care anymore.

 

[Shirokurou]

In Russia, there were some documentary flicks rolled and a story in the news.
It's given some time as an event.

But actually in Russia we had a plane crash on 7th of September 2011 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lokomotiv_Yaroslavl_plane_crash where a whole hockey team died, while flying to a game, so that's of course getting more coverage than 9/11.