Bonus Lesson: Remembering 9/11

September 11, 2001 was earth-shattering for those who were living through it.  Over the years, stories and lessons have emerged from that day.  So, on the anniversary of 9/11, I want to post about it as a way of remembering those who died that day but also to learn something sociological from that day.  

My Experience

I was teaching an early class when someone told me to turn on the news - it's unbelievable.  I turned on  live coverage and we watched the live footage of one of the towers on fire when suddenly we watched live as a second plane crashed into tower 2 of the World Trade Center.   I remember leaving class and trying to figure out what to tell my students in the next class.  As I walked across campus, going outside was transformational - it was a beautiful sunny September day and the birds were singing oblivious to the horrors that people were going through.  It was comforting to think of creation and nature being so at peace. It is a reminder that nature can heal us. 

Documenting What Happened

If you are not familiar with the details and images of that day, there are numerous sources that document how impactful and harrowing that day was. Two French filmmakers happened to be filming NY firefighters on the job at the time of the 9/11 attacks.  Their footage became a documentary called 9/11 and was later purchased by CNN.  

The full documentary is available here at bitchute.  Also, PRI did a story about the documentary on the fifteenth anniversary of 9/11.  The PRI story is here and includes a link to the updated documentary.

A firefighter from Manhattan retells his experience working on 9/11 to the OWN network.

The 9/11 Museum

Rare 9/11 footage from the 29 minutes in between the collapse of the two towers from photojournalist Mark LaGanga on 60 Minutes including the man carrying briefcases "having a really bad day."

The story of the falling man photo from Time photographer.

Disaster and Altruism

One way to think about 9/11 is through all of the love and heroism that was displayed during that traumatic day. There are so many stories of strangers helping each other and displaying unbelievable acts of courage and love - from the Port Authority of NY to the police, fire and other first responders to those who just happened to be at work that day and found themselves in a situation to help others.  Lee Clarke's 2001 study is one sociology study (for more info. see Ferris and Stein 448-450) of how people in a disaster tend to help each other.  We are wired for being cooperative and helping others. (More on this in our unit on socialization.)  It was an incredible illustration that when life seems senseless and unbearable, we can ask ourselves, "How can I serve?" In other words, what can I do to help my fellow people and how can I make this world a bit better. That gives meaning to our life just as it did to those people on 9/11. Sociologically, humans were made to need each other. 

My Mom's Experience at O'Hare
One example of altruism from my own life this day was my mom who worked at O'Hare Airport as a ticket agent. After the attacks, O'Hare was closed down and all the employees and passengers were being forced to evacuate. As this was going on, an elderly woman who had trouble seeing and was travelling alone approached my mom and asked what she should do. My mom said that the airline would get a hotel room for her. The woman said that the nearest available rooms were in a far suburb away from the airport. So, my mom said, "You know what? You come home with me." And she did. This total stranger lived with my parents for four days! It was that kind of caring that these horrible events brought out. 

The Man in the Red Bandanna

Welles Crowther was another hero on that day. His story from ESPN is here.  

"Everyone who can stand, stand now.  If you can help others, do so."

Man with Red Bandanna website here which includes a trailer for a documentary about Welles.

Boatlift

Here is a video displaying some of this heroism and caring in the largest water evacuation in history.

Gander, Newfoundland
Here is another example about the people living in the small town of Gander in Newfoundland, Canada and how they came to the aid of hundreds of people. 

Rick Rescorla, Deviance and Altruism

Rick Rescorla was a security guard for Morgan Stanley when 9/11 happened.

Rescorla was an immigrant from Britain who joined the US army and fought in Vietnam where he was a platoon leader during the vicious Battle of LaDrang where Rescorla kept his men calm with bravery, songs and compassion. He retired from the military as a war hero and ended up working in corporate security. Rescorla's dedication to security was prescient. He was worried that the World Trade Center (WTC) could be the target of a terrorist attack. He had a friend who was in counter terrorism evaluate the building. Rescorla shared his concerns with the owners of the building site, the Port Authority of NY (PANY), but they thought that his concerns were far-fetched and expensive so they ignored him. Less than 3 years later, the WTC was attacked exactly as Rescorla feared. 

Despite being dismissed by the authorities, Rescorla pursued his mission of keeping his employer, Morgan Stanley, safe from terrorism. He was convinced that the WTC would be targeted again. So, even though the PANY continued its protocols for sheltering in place during emergencies, Rescorla forced the employees at his workplace to practice evacuation drills every three months. He forced all employees, even executives, evacuate on foot by walking down 44 floors every three months! Despite the dismissal of the authorities and complaints about annoyances from his employees, he believed in his mission. When the WTC building 1 was hit, the PANY told WTC 2 residents to remain in place. But Rescorla went into action and demanded that people evacuate. Nearly all 2700 employees of Morgan Stanley were saved because of Rick Rescorla.

Rescorla was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Freedom.

Stereotypes

One of the most direct ways that I think sociologically about 9/11 is in the discussion of stereotypes and categories. I posted about this here too. The attackers on 9/11 claimed to be Muslim but that should not be turned into a stereotype about all Muslims. There is a powerful video that illustrates how Muslims were stereotyped after 9/11 and the video also shows how these stereotypes are shattered when you see the full spectrum of Muslims in America.

 

The speech in that video illustrates the same type of racist, intolerance that led to the attacks on 9/11. I think that September 11 can be a day to remember that we are all connected and we all share this world, and this can be done in peace and tolerance, even if we are not all in agreement. Don't let the hurt and anger give way to stereotypes, injustice and hatred.

Here is a Moth story from Khalid Latif, an imam who was a student in NYC on 9/11.

In fact, one of the first people killed by this hatred and ignorance was not even Muslim.  Balbir Singh Sodhi was killed outside of the gas station that he owned in Mesa, Arizona on September 15, 2001.  He was killed because he was a Sikh and wore a Turban.  He was targeted because he dressed differently and his killer assumed (outgroup homogeneity) that he was not American and therefore a muslim and therefore a terrorist. 

Here is an NPR Storycorps interview about Mr. Sodhi's brothers.
Here is a CNN story about how Mr. Sodhi's brother has chosen forgiveness.

Here is a story from American University about how life changed for Muslims and Sikhs after 9/11.

It is our nature to love one another and be cooperative. We often lose sight of that in our individualistic culture. Here is a quote from two survivors of 9/11:

On a personal level, Mel and Lisa learned several lessons from that day. “Be patient, be tolerant and above all tell people you love them every single day,” Lisa said. “Hate drove that day. The lesson is to never hate. Hate does damage. People didn’t need to die that day.”

Read more: http://rapidcityjournal.com/thechadronnews/latest/couple-say-lessons-are-patience-tolerance-love/article_ef9e8656-d8ca-11e0-8657-001cc4c03286.html#ixzz1Y3NoAXGC 

Sociological Mindfulness and the Human Experience

Steve Osborne's "Takedown Day" from the Moth storytelling slam.
And one last story by former NYPD cop, Steve Osborn who helps us understand what it's like to be a cop on most days and how that translated to 9/11.  And if you watch his story until the end, you see a great example of how even a little kid (Alex) can make a difference in someone's life.  It's a reminder to be sociologically mindful.

Education as Functional Institution

Here is an NYT article about how 9/11 is taught around the world revealing that curriculum and textbooks are often a function for the society that they are in.