Tag: September 11th

Do You Regularly Fly Your Flag?

Different generations, I think, have their “date that will live in infamy” moment, that moment as a country when the horrific happens and everyone agrees that we will never forget, but the truth is that slowly, over the years, it gets forgotten, or maybe left behind would be a better term. I know this may not be the most popular of things to post on this September 11th anniversary, but I still think it’s true. The thing is that time does move on, and for many people living now, that horrific day for the many rest of us that occurred some 11 years ago is a only vague childhood memory, or not even a recollection. They don’t really remember where they were on that day, they may not have even been born, but that doesn’t mean that in the history of America it will be any less of a horrific day than many that have come before and were imbedded in the memories of those that remember it , with the easiest example being The Bombing of Pearl Harbor, but even though it is now listed as “Patriot Day” on the calendar, eventually the anniversary of September 11th will slowly change to just a date on the calendar.

Maybe it will stick around a little longer than Pearl Harbor Day because we watched it play out on TV, but as I related to someone on September 11, 2002, and she asked if we will always treat the day with the same respect as that first anniversary, I told her I saw the projection as this: That first year anniversary will be a solemn day for many, and for the next few years after there will be a little less about it every year. The 5th anniversary will get a decent bump in remembrance, but the big one will be the ten year. After that you’ll see the tributes fade as it becomes a story we will tell our children and grandchildren, reminding them to never forget, but they don’t remember. In fact, it’s the 11th Anniversary of “Never forget,” and granted it’s only 5AM, but in my quick look on the Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Tribune, and Drudge Report websites, the Sun-Times has a little blurb about about Memorial Services that are planned, and the Tribune and Drudge have forgotten. The WGN morning news had the story after 3 minutes talking about the Chicago Teacher’s strike.

Me, I’ll try to remember to put my flag out before I leave for work, but like many times I post on Facebook trying to remind people to fly their flag, I’ll run out the door, get half-way to work, and blurt out “Shit, I forgot to put out my flag.” Sometimes life gets in the way of remembering. And so, on this anniversary of September 11th, my plight is this: Do you regularly fly your flag?

That’s it for this plight! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

I Really Wanted to Use Bombardment. Is That Wrong?

It’s the 10th anniversary of September 11th, and I just am trying to reflect on what is wrong with me that I’m almost getting sick of what I’m nearly considering the overblown commemorations of the event. And yet, here I am, adding to it. Like many, I have my remembrance of the day, which is similar to many yet is still my own, but for the past week I feel as if I’ve been being bombarded with how I should feel about the event, with how I should remember, with how my life has changed because of it. And in defiance of my feeling pressured to remember, I posted a word on my Facebook wall – “Diquadeaux.”

Now what the hell does this mean and how does this relate to September 11th? Well, for my Facebook friends, for reasons beyond reasoning sometimes, I post a word of the day. There is generally a reason for every word I choose, and as yesterday was a normal day, with my wife calling me a “dickadoo,” a word she thought she made up, I wanted to post the word today as my word of the day. Then she we looked it up on Google, and low and behold, there it was in the Urban Dictionary, something about males being penises, dicks, etc. All I could see in my head was a smile the next day as my sister would look up the word “dickadoo” on the internet, and wonder what she would put as a comment. Then the fear of what my in-laws would think if I posted the word crept in, especially after my sister’s comments, so I decided to change the word to a different spelling, knowing my sister would probably end up with a comment like “That’s not a word, Google doesn’t know it.” In my head, I smiled again.

Then I woke up this morning. How could I put “diquadeaux” as a word of the day on the 10th anniversary of September 11th. Shouldn’t I use something like “remembrance,” “defiance,” or something more seemingly appropriate for the day? But then the thoughts of being sick of all of the coverage creep into my head and I’m thinking things like “Overblown,” “Sick” (as in sick of it all), and then, “Bombardment,” being sick of being bombarded with all of the coverage. Then I’m like, “No, if I do that the terrorist win. I’m not going to let them dictate my word of the day!” Then I’m like, “Don’t be such a, well, dickadoo. Post something about remembering.” Then I turn on the TV and get bombarded, once again, by how I should feel, how I should explain it to kids, how some lady was in the Sears Tower 10 years ago who still works there today and how her life has changed (it hasn’t, other than the increased security, she looks 10 years older – and is more observant of planes). As I’m watching the coverage and reading my Sunday paper, I’m thinking “More of this?”, and I feel bad that I’m feeling that way. Today, though, I understand the tributes, and the coverage, but I’ll never understand the need to re-edit the Bad Meets Evil song featuring Bruno Mars, “Lighters,” cutting out the Eminem and Royce Da 5’9″ parts with news clips from September 11th.

I remember the day, in my way, and will say some prayers.

But my word of the day is “diquadeux.” Fuck you terrorists.

That’s it for this one! I’m the Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!