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September 11, 2006
There is a lot of rewriting of history going on in the media commentary around the anniversary of 9/11. A lot of the commentary centres on the disconnect around the planes crashing into the World Trade Centre and the invasion of Iraq. The disconnect jars and so it has to be constantly layered with political meaning by conservatives and the war party.
I prefer to remember differently.
James Natchwey, Ruins of World Trade Center, New York, 2001
Some images do capture the horror.
We do need to figure out the historical meaning of 9/11. The world has changed, and 9/11 is up there with the collapse of the Berlin Wall in terms of historical significance. We need to remember that there are many narratives currently being woven.
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I think that future generations may well look back on us and wonder what the fuss was all about.
If the worst predictions on climate change come true, then this will appear as a mere footnote in history.
In truth, how much has the world changed?
I would argue very little.
The nutcases in Washington would have found another excuse to invade Iraq, precipitating a fierce counter-reaction by the radical Islamists, which would have resulted in the same tensions between security and civil rights as we now have. The same war scripts would be being read by the same people.
The acts might be different, but the play would be much the same.