Cultural influence of the September 11 attacks

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The aftermath of the September 11 attacks caused many Americans to embrace patriotism to extreme lengths. American Flag on Home Flag Pole.jpg
The aftermath of the September 11 attacks caused many Americans to embrace patriotism to extreme lengths.

The cultural influence of the September 11 attacks (9/11) was profound and lasted nearly two decades. The impact of 9/11 extended well beyond geopolitics, spilling into society and culture in general. Many Americans began to identify a "pre-9/11" world and a "post-9/11" world as separable worlds. This created the feeling that the attacks put an end the peacetime prosperity that dominated American life up to that point. Prominent social issues at the time, such as the public discourse in the wake of the Columbine High School massacre, became overshadowed by the attacks. Following 9/11, the attention of most Americans shifted from domestic issues towards terrorism abroad.

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Immediate responses to 9/11 included greater focus on home life and time spent with family, higher church attendance, and increased expressions of patriotism such as the flying of American flags. [1] The radio industry responded by removing certain songs from playlists, and the attacks have subsequently been used as background, narrative or thematic elements in film, television, music, and literature.

Already-running television shows, as well as programs developed after 9/11, have reflected post-9/11 cultural concerns. [2] 9/11 conspiracy theories have become social phenomena, despite lack of support from scientists, engineers, and historians. [3] 9/11 has also had a major impact on the religious faith of many individuals; for some it strengthened, to find consolation to cope with the loss of loved ones and overcome their grief; others started to question their faith or lost it entirely, because they could not reconcile it with their view of religion. [4] [5]

The culture of the United States succeeding the attacks is noted for heightened security and an increased demand thereof, as well as paranoia and anxiety regarding future terrorist attacks that includes most of the nation. Psychologists have also confirmed that there has been an increased amount of national anxiety in commercial air travel. [6]

Due to the significance of the attacks, media coverage was extensive (including disturbing pictures and live video) and prolonged discourse about the attacks in general, resulting in iconography and greater meaning associated with the event. Don DeLillo called it "the defining event of our time".[ citation needed ] The attacks spawned a number of catchphrases, terms, and slogans, many of which continue to be used more than a decade later.

One of the most well-known references and events of the 9/11 attacks is President George W. Bush's response to the situation while visiting students at Emma E. Booker Elementary in Sarasota, Florida. Chief of Staff Andy Card approached Bush and whispered in his ear while the president was addressing the children. Bush requested a moment of silence. He claimed he did not want to 'rattle the kids' and continued on with his visit. [7] [8]

Media response

Through numerous reproductions in mass media and popular culture, the attacks have an important cultural meaning for many people: "The attacks percolate as a central theme or historical backdrop in countless works of art, which bear witness to the complexity of 9/11 as historical, political, and media event, and contribute to the negotiation of its cultural meaning." [9] Regarding the attacks of 9/11 and Pearl Harbor Arthur G. Neal said:

"We create the world through our perceptions of it and seek to maintain area with world in a manner consistent with our beliefs about it. It is through such symbolic constructions that we are provided with usable frameworks for shaping our memories and organizing them into coherent systems of meaning." [10]

Depictions of the World Trade Center

After the September 11 attacks, a couple of movies and TV shows deleted scenes or episodes set within the World Trade Center. [11] [12] [13] [14] For example, The Simpsons episode "The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson", which first aired in 1997, was removed from syndication after the attacks because a large portion of the episode took place at and inside World Trade Center. [15] Songs that mentioned the World Trade Center were no longer aired on radio, and the release dates of some films, such as the 2002 films Sidewalks of New York; People I Know; and Spider-Man, were delayed so producers could remove scenes that included the World Trade Center. [11] [16] The 2001 film Kissing Jessica Stein , which was shown at the Toronto International Film Festival the day before the attacks, had to be modified before its general public release so the filmmakers could delete scenes that depicted the World Trade Center. [11]

Other episodes and films mentioned the attacks directly, or depicted the World Trade Center in alternate contexts. [12] The production of some family-oriented films was also sped up due to a large demand for that genre following the attacks. Demand for horror and action films decreased, but within a short time demand returned to normal. [14] By the first anniversary of the attacks, over sixty "memorial films" had been created. [17] Filmmakers were criticized for removing scenes related to the World Trade Center. Rita Kempley of The Washington Post said "if we erase the towers from our art, we erase it[ sic ] from our memories". [18] Author Donald Langmead compared the phenomenon to the 1949 novel Nineteen Eighty-Four , where historic mentions of events are retroactively "rectified". [19] Other filmmakers such as Michael Bay, who directed the 1998 film Armageddon , opposed retroactively removing references to the World Trade Center based on post-9/11 attitudes. [11]

Oliver Stone's film World Trade Center —the first movie that specifically examined the effects of the attacks on the World Trade Center, as contrasted with the effects elsewhere—was released in 2006. [19] Several years after the attacks, works such as "The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson" were placed back in syndication. The National September 11 Museum has preserved many of the works that feature depictions of the original World Trade Center. [11]

Influence on comic books

American comic books have always carried patriotic tones, especially during the Cold War—perhaps the most notable example is the character Captain America. 9/11 shifted the political climate and with it re-centered the public's attention on Muslims. Perhaps the most mainstream example of the influence 9/11 had on comic books is Iron Man, who was previously an anti-communist crusader; his canon was rewritten in comics after 9/11 and in the widely popular 2008 film Iron Man . In the film, billionaire Tony Stark learns his weapons were sold without his knowledge to various terrorist groups after he was kidnapped and tortured in Afghanistan. [20]

Symbolism

The September 11 attacks gained an iconographic meaning. This was due to the fact that the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City were portrayed as symbolic buildings representing American financial power, and the Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia was portrayed as a symbolic building representing American military power. Backed up by the media and literature, many people see 9/11 as an attack on the economic and military power of America. [21] Furthermore, the attacks are often pictured as a symbol for an era of war and terrorism.

Jargon inspired by 9/11

Nine-eleven or 9/11
A term coming from the typical U.S. date notation and the date September 11. The practice of referring to ominous dates through this shorthand has continued, for example, with 7/7 for the 2005 London bombings and 1/6 or January 6 for the 2021 United States Capitol attack. [22] [23] [24] Even in English-speaking countries which typically use a different date format to the U.S. "month/day/year", the event is still commonly referred to as "Nine-eleven". For example, "Nine-eleven" will tend to be used in everyday speech in the United Kingdom, despite how British people would otherwise write September 11 as "11/09".
Pre-9/11 and Post-9/11
Terms used to describe the period of time and the state of the world before and after the attack, regarding 9/11 as an epoch. They are often used to denote foreign policy and domestic security measures as they existed before or after the attacks.
Ground Zero
Ground zero is a generic term for the point on the Earth's surface closest to a detonation. Capitalized, it is shorthand for the World Trade Center site; used, for example, in "Ground Zero mosque", a pejorative for the Cordoba House or Park51 Islamic center.
The Bathtub
The excavated foundations of the World Trade Center. Although not a new term, it gained prominence during rescue, cleanup, and ongoing reconstruction efforts. [25]
The Pile
The rubble of the collapsed World Trade Center. [26] [27] [28]
Jumper
A jumper is someone who commits suicide by jumping from a height. It is unclear which of the "jumpers" seen falling from the WTC had jumped and which fell while trying to climb to safety. The medical examiner's office ruled homicide for all bodies, unable to distinguish jumpers from those who died inside the towers. [29] "The Falling Man" is an iconic photograph of a jumper.
"Let's roll"
Reported to have been uttered by Flight 93 passenger Todd Beamer shortly before he and fellow passengers apparently rushed the cockpit. [30]
FPCON Delta
The highest state of terrorist alert issued by the U.S. Armed Forces.

Media slogans

Various slogans and captions were employed by media outlets to brand coverage of the September 11 terrorist attack, its aftereffects, and the U.S. government's response. The slogans for American media were typically positioned on the bottom third of television broadcasts, or as banners across the top of newspaper pages. Designs typically incorporated a patriotic red, white, and blue motif, along with an explicit graphic of the American flag. Examples include:

U.S. government terms

See also

Related Research Articles

The following timeline is a chronological list of all the major events leading up to, during, and immediately following the September 11 attacks against the United States in 2001, through the first anniversary of the attacks in 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rescue and recovery effort after the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center</span>

The September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center elicited a large response of local emergency and rescue personnel to assist in the evacuation of the two towers, resulting in a large loss of the same personnel when the towers collapsed. After the attacks, the media termed the World Trade Center site "Ground Zero", while rescue personnel referred to it as "the Pile".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Let's roll</span> English colloquialism

"Let's roll" is a colloquialism that has been used extensively as a command to move and start an activity, attack, mission or project. They were the last recorded words of passenger Todd Beamer on board United Airlines Flight 93 during the September 11 attacks in 2001, before he and other passengers attempted to storm the cockpit and retake the plane from the hijackers. The slogan subsequently became a battle cry for American forces during the war on terror.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aftermath of the September 11 attacks</span> Effects and subsequent events of the September 11 attacks

The September 11 attacks transformed the first term of President George W. Bush and led to what he referred to as the war on terror. The accuracy of describing it as a "war" and its political motivations and consequences are the topic of strenuous debate. The U.S. government increased military operations, economic measures, and political pressure on groups that it accused of being terrorists, as well as increasing pressure on the governments and countries which were accused of sheltering them. October 2001 saw the first military action initiated by the US. Under this policy, NATO invaded Afghanistan to remove the Taliban regime and capture al-Qaeda forces.

Laurie Mylroie is an American author and analyst who has written extensively on Iraq and the War on Terror. The National Interest first published this work in an article entitled, "The World Trade Center Bombing: Who is Ramzi Yousef? And Why it Matters." In her book Study of Revenge (2000), Mylroie laid out her argument that the Iraqi regime under Saddam Hussein had sponsored the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and subsequent terrorist attacks. She claimed those attacks were part of an ongoing war that Saddam waged against America following the cease-fire to the 1991 Gulf War. Less than a year after her book was published, the September 11 attacks occurred. Mylroie subsequently adopted the view that Saddam had been responsible for the attacks, defending it on many occasions, including before the 9/11 Commission.

Criticism of the war on terror addresses the morals, ethics, efficiency, economics, as well as other issues surrounding the war on terror. It also touches upon criticism against the phrase itself, which was branded as a misnomer. The notion of a "war" against "terrorism" has proven highly contentious, with critics charging that participating governments exploited it to pursue long-standing policy/military objectives, reduce civil liberties, and infringe upon human rights. It is argued by critics that the term war is not appropriate in this context, since there is no identifiable enemy and that it is unlikely international terrorism can be brought to an end by military means.

The post-9/11 period is the time after the September 11 attacks, characterized by heightened suspicion of non-Americans in the United States, increased government efforts to address terrorism, and a more aggressive American foreign policy.

<i>DC 9/11: Time of Crisis</i> American TV series or program

DC 9/11: Time of Crisis is a 2003 docudrama television movie which re-enacts the events of the September 11 attacks in 2001 as seen from the point of view of the President of the United States and his staff. It was directed by Brian Trenchard-Smith and starred Timothy Bottoms as President George W. Bush.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">September 11 attacks</span> 2001 Islamist terror attacks in the United States

The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on September 11, 2001. That morning, 19 terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners scheduled to travel from the East Coast to California. The hijackers crashed the first two planes into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, two of the world's five tallest buildings at the time, and aimed the next two flights toward targets in or near Washington, D.C., in an attack on the nation's capital. The third team succeeded in striking the Pentagon, the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Defense in Arlington County, Virginia, while the fourth plane crashed in rural Pennsylvania during a passenger revolt. The September 11 attacks killed 2,977 people, making them the deadliest terrorist attack in history, and instigated the multi-decade global war on terror, fought in Afghanistan, Iraq, and elsewhere.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2002 State of the Union Address</span> Speech by US president George W. Bush

The 2002 State of the Union Address was given by the 43rd president of the United States, George W. Bush, on January 29, 2002, at 9:00 p.m. EST, in the chamber of the United States House of Representatives to the 107th United States Congress. It was Bush's first State of the Union Address and his second speech to a joint session of the United States Congress. Presiding over this joint session was the House speaker, Dennis Hastert, accompanied by Dick Cheney, the vice president, in his capacity as the president of the Senate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rudy Giuliani during the September 11 attacks</span> Role played by Mayor Giuliani

As Mayor of New York City on September 11, 2001, Rudy Giuliani played a major role in the response to the terrorist attacks against the World Trade Center towers in the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">War on terror</span> Military campaign following 9/11 attacks

The war on terror, officially the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT), is a global military campaign initiated by the United States following the September 11 attacks and is the most recent global conflict spanning multiple wars. The main targets of the campaign are militant Islamist movements like Al-Qaeda, Taliban and their allies. Other major targets included the Ba'athist regime in Iraq, which was deposed in an invasion in 2003, and various militant factions that fought during the ensuing insurgency. After its territorial expansion in 2014, the Islamic State militia has also emerged as a key adversary of the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reactions to the September 11 attacks</span> Reaction to 2001 terrorist attacks

The September 11 attacks were condemned by world leaders and other political and religious representatives and the international media, as well as numerous memorials and services all over the world. The attacks were widely condemned by the governments of the world, including those traditionally considered hostile to the United States, such as Cuba, Iran, Libya, and North Korea. However, in a few cases celebrations of the attacks were also reported, and some groups and individuals accused the United States in effect of bringing the attacks on itself. These reports have been uncorroborated and many have been linked to unsubstantiated conspiracy theories.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the September 11 attacks and their consequences:

<i>Americas Response Monument</i> Statue memorializing the September 11 attacks and US invasion of Afghanistan

America's Response Monument, subtitled De Oppresso Liber, is a life-and-a-half scale bronze statue in Liberty Park overlooking the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in New York City. Unofficially known as the Horse Soldier Statue, it is the first publicly accessible monument dedicated to the United States Army Special Forces. It was also the first monument near Ground Zero to recognize heroes of the September 11 terrorist attacks.

The September 11 attacks were a series of terrorist attacks by the Islamic terrorist group al-Qaeda against the United States on the morning of Tuesday, September 11, 2001, in which nearly 3,000 people were killed. Jokes based on the events have been made in print and other media since soon after the attacks took place.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">World Trade Center (1973–2001)</span> Former development in Manhattan, New York

The original World Trade Center (WTC) was a large complex of seven buildings in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed during the September 11 attacks in 2001. At the time of their completion, the Twin Towers—the original 1 World Trade Center at 1,368 feet (417 m), and 2 World Trade Center at 1,362 feet (415.1 m)—were the tallest buildings in the world. Other buildings in the complex included the Marriott World Trade Center, 4 WTC, 5 WTC, 6 WTC, and 7 WTC. The complex contained 13,400,000 square feet (1,240,000 m2) of office space and, prior to its completion, was projected to accommodate an estimated 130,000 people.

This is an index of articles related to the September 11 attacks, which occurred on September 11, 2001.

References

  1. ↑ Bernardo J. Carducci (February 20, 2009). The Psychology: Viewpoints, Research, and Applications. Wiley-Blackwell. pp. 200–. ISBN   978-1-4051-3635-8 . Retrieved January 16, 2012.
  2. ↑ Quay, Sara; Damico, Amy (September 14, 2010). September 11 in Popular Culture: A Guide. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN   978-0-313-35505-9.
  3. ↑ Norman, Joshua (September 11, 2011). "9/11 conspiracy theories won't stop". CBS News. CBS Corporation.
  4. ↑ Huffington Post (August 29, 2011). "After 9/11, Some Run Toward Faith, Some Run The Other Way" . Retrieved April 6, 2013.
  5. ↑ PBS Frontline. "Faith and Doubt at Ground Zero – The Question of God" . Retrieved April 6, 2013.
  6. ↑ Brad Schmidt, Ph.D. "Anxiety After 9/11" . Retrieved October 11, 2013.
  7. ↑ "'I don't want to rattle the kids': The moment George W Bush learned 9/11 had happened".
  8. ↑ "Remembering 9/11: Student recalls day President Bush came to his Sarasota elementary school". September 10, 2021.
  9. ↑ Bauder-Begerow, Irina; Stefanie Schäfer. "Learning 9/11." Learning 9/11. Ed. Bauder-Begerow, Irina; Stefanie Schäfer. Memmingen: Winter Verlag, 2011. ISBN   978-3-8253-5941-6
  10. ↑ Neal, Arthur G. National Trauma and Collective Memory: Extraordinary Events in the American Experience. M.E. Sharpe: London, 2005. ISBN   978-0765615824
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 Mashberg, Tom (September 10, 2019). "After Sept. 11, Twin Towers Onscreen Are a Tribute and a Painful Reminder". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved September 13, 2019.
  12. 1 2 Bahr, Lindsay (January 21, 2013). "Television's uneasy relationship with the World Trade Center". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on February 26, 2018. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
  13. ↑ Lemire, Christy (September 13, 2011). "Twin towers erased from some films after 9/11". Today.com. NBC News. Archived from the original on November 9, 2018. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
  14. 1 2 Dixon (2004), p. 4.
  15. ↑ Snierson, Dan (March 27, 2011). "'Simpsons' exec producer Al Jean: 'I completely understand' if reruns with nuclear jokes are pulled". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on July 8, 2018. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
  16. ↑ Langmead (2009), p. 354.
  17. ↑ Dixon (2004), p. 5.
  18. ↑ Kempley, Rita (May 10, 2002). "The unusual suspects". The Washington Post . Archived from the original on March 1, 2018. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
  19. 1 2 Langmead (2009), p. 355.
  20. ↑ Pumphrey, N 2016, 'Avenger, Mutant, or Allah: A Short Evolution of the Depiction of Muslims in Marvel Comics', Muslim World, 106, 4, pp. 781-794, Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed November 16, 2017
  21. ↑ Hartwig, Marcel. Die Traumatisierte Nation?. Transcript Verlag: Bielefeld, 2011. ISBN   978-3-8376-1742-9
  22. ↑ "nine-eleven - Bing Images". Bing .
  23. ↑ "Nine Eleven". Archived from the original on November 7, 2015.
  24. ↑ "National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States".
  25. ↑ Andrew Tarantola (September 7, 2011). "How New York City Built a Massive $3.8 Billion Underground Transit Station in the WTC's Footprints". Gizmodo. Gawker Media.
  26. ↑ ABC News. "The Pit and The Pile: Ground Zero Is Gone". ABC News.
  27. ↑ Safire, William (November 11, 2001). "The Way We Live Now: 11-11-01: On Language; Ground Zero". The New York Times.
  28. ↑ "Ex-NYPD officers remember "the pile"". PoliceOne.
  29. ↑ Cauchon, Dennis; Martha Moore (September 2, 2002). "Desperation forced a horrific decision". USA Today . Retrieved November 20, 2012.
  30. ↑ McKinnon, Jim (September 16, 2001). "The phone line from Flight 93 was still open when a GTE operator heard Todd Beamer say: 'Are you guys ready? Let's roll'". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on December 25, 2018. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  31. ↑ Eric Schmitt; Thom Shanker (July 26, 2005). "U.S. Officials Retool Slogan for Terror War". The New York Times . Retrieved January 8, 2015.

Bibliography

Further reading

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