Let’s remember the dead.
Five years ago, I felt a peculiar, very organic, animalistic sense of dread. Now I feel as though there is very little justice in this world, or perhaps none at all, and nothing matters much, but the slogans matter least of all.
“He watched sleepily the flakes, silver and dark, falling obliquely against the lamplight. The time had come for him to set out on his journey westward. Yes, the newspapers were right: snow was general all over Ireland. It was falling on every part of the dark central plain, on the treeless hills, falling softly upon the Bog of Allen and, farther westward, softly falling into the dark mutinous Shannon waves. It was falling, too, upon every part of the lonely churchyard on the hill where Michael Furey lay buried. It lay thickly drifted on the crooked crosses and headstones, on the spears of the little gate, on the barren thorns. His soul swooned slowly as he heard the snow falling faintly through the universe and faintly falling, like the descent of their last end, upon all the living and the dead.” – James Joyce.
Natalia A. 
Let us remember the dead: those killed on and after September 11th 1973 in Chile. Or perhaps those killed after September 11th 1906 in British-occupied India. Or yes, those killed in Washington, DC and Pennsylvania on September 11th 2001.
It is remembrance of only the events that directly affect us that makes such events reoccur. We must make use of the globe’s collective memory, not merely our own.
Like I said, slogans just kind of whizz by me today. Oh, and I never said *which* dead. Joyce is better at this sort of thing than I.
Hm. Looking back on this, I think you have to understand that it really doesn’t matter who dies where, for as long as you realize that people are dying, and that justice is hard to come by. I’m not even sure what justice is anymore. At 17, when 9/11 happened, I thought I knew, but even then there was a shadow of disbelief in my mind, and it has grown larger.
Oh, and (GURRR I NEED COFFEE) of course you’re right when you point out that we shouldn’t be so damn tribal about these things. It’s human nature, of course, to respond to the immediacy of bloodshed in their own backayard, though. But we can, and should, look beyond it.
I tend to agree. What I was pointing out was not your (non-existent) omission, but the general US-centered hysteria that this day of remembrance represents. The US has forced the rest of the world to remember what happened to it on this day five years ago, but has no interest whatsoever in remembering what happened (and continues to happen) to others. It is that self-centered memory that makes justice, whatever that may be, impossible.
Feministe has a good post up about how she hates all the flag-waving. I tend to agree.
We should wave the flag of injustice! And the flag of cliche!
I could make you an injustice flag… A flag of cliche might be hard to reproduce though (har har).
I think the flag of cliche should have some stars on it. Maybe some stripes. Maybe in red, white and blue. Hmmm…..
You know, the world is divided into two: the US and everyone else. The US has its flag. The rest of the world does too: it’s the same one, but on fire 🙂
I have this strange feeling today as if something’s supposed to happen, and I’m not sure what.
We’re all supposed to stand around with our hands on our hearts and sing the US anthem, I think.
very fine choice of quotation there.
Thanks! 🙂