Today we are marking the 10th anniversary of September 11th. It was a horrific day, but out of the horror grew heroes, faith, and hope. It affected everyone in a different way--no two people reacted the exact same way. No two people have had the same experiences since that fateful day. For some, their entire world ended that day with the loss of someone near to their heart. For some, they lost a sense of security that we, as Americans, had been enjoying a bit much since Pearl Harbor. For some, it inspired them to join in the fight--whether that be through Armed Forces, Firefighters or Police department. For some, it was a moment of patriotism that has since passed. For me, it inspired an intolerance of the media that I still have not gotten over.
On September 11, 2001, I was 3 weeks away from my due date and ginoromo pregnant with Thing 1. We were stationed at Kitzingen, Germany and living off post in Iphofen, Germany. Army Guy was in the field. We didn't have tv--just internet (without streaming--just plain jane half step above dial up internet). In the 20 minutes I was online, the news went from "small plane hits building in New York" to "Commercial Airline slams into Twin Tower". Realizing there was something going on, but no one really knew what yet, I shut my computer off thinking I'd check in later. After several phones calls from the states, I got a better idea of the reality and decided to just avoid the news for a few days to not get overwhelmed with potentially inaccurate information. Every few days, I'd log online and check the news--ignoring all of the adjectives, trying to sift through to the facts of the situation. Every day there was some story that made me want to smack the crap out of the media for either false information or their insensitivity to families who'd just lost someone or someones. They used the guise of "reporting from all angles", but to me it just seemed like a ratings game. Who could get the most gut wrenching story of 9/11 on camera.
We came to the States in Feb. 2002 for a visit and the first thing we noticed was the amount of American Flags EVERYWHERE. It was like 4th of July in Feb. It was amazing. By this time we were actively engaging Afghanistan and the word "deployment" had become a new part of my vocabulary. Army Guy wasn't deployed or anything, but I now knew what that word meant. I now knew this little Army journey wasn't going to be as simple as I thought it was going to be. I knew that 9/11 had dramatically changed our life. I happened to still be stateside for the 6 month anniversary of 9/11. And of course there were "looking back" reports on all major networks. I sat there and watched (for the first time) all of the footage that the American people had been seeing for the last 6 months, I grew angrier and angrier. As the news anchors discussed what was the most moving image from 9/11, I grew angrier. What was the most moving story? What still resonates with the American public? Blah blah blah. Still angry. It finally occurred to me that what made me angry was that the news had gone away from reporting facts and now they were reporting feelings. They were placing themselves outside funeral homes, they were interviewing widows still crying, they were asking families how they felt as they sent their soldiers off to war, they were interviewing families of fallen soldiers as they brought their soldier home. They lost all respect for human beings and instead viewed them as a support to their story. I lost all respect for them.
I haven't watched the news since 9/11. I have avoided news crews at deployment send offs, reunions, R&Rs at airports. I read the news--I get the choice of what's newsworthy. I understand that the media is a double edge sword in that while some of them present stories that make me cringe, they also present stories that make me proud to be an Army Wife and an American citizen. I understand that not everyone feels like I do and that the news is something that they have to watch and experience. But for me, I'd just prefer reading it without the emotional tone of a newscaster trying to earn ratings.
No comments:
Post a Comment