Morgan Freeman says attacks on WTC not a national trauma

xospec1alk

Diamond Member
Mar 4, 2002
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agree/disagree?

NEW YORK -- Morgan Freeman, who stars in ``The Sum of All Fears,'' raised some New Yorkers' eyebrows by saying the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center were not a national trauma.

personally i think its sort of true, being in the city during the attacks, it was surreal...the streets were empty, people were crying, people gathered together at washington square park watching the horror unfold before their eyes. as you walked south, people were walking north holding each other, covered in dust.

you could still feel the effects of this a month later. For a whole month i had to show ID to get into my own apartment, streets were blocked/closed police and armed guards were everywhere.

however, in other parts of the contry, they can only relate to what they saw on tv, they weren't there, they didn't feel what most new yorkers felt. So i say, unless you lost someone in the attacks or knew someone, or lived in the city, it wasn't too traumatic. i mean even in queens, when i go back every weekend...people act as if nothing happened, sure they have the flags up and a show of pride but that was all...
 

iamwiz82

Lifer
Jan 10, 2001
30,772
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i would say he is right. Nobody who didnt lose someone or didnt live in that city didnt feel the true effect of the attacks. It was surreal to most of us, but to those who lost a loved one.
 

Amused

Elite Member
Apr 14, 2001
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Well, that's his opinion. I don't agree, but he's entitled to it.

While the rest of the US may not have been AS traumatized by 9/11 as New Yorkers were, we were still traumatized.
 

Hayabusa Rider

Admin Emeritus & Elite Member
Jan 26, 2000
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Well, I was troubled, concerned, sympathetic, but at no time was I incapacitated. I would have to agree based on that.
 

spanky

Lifer
Jun 19, 2001
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Originally posted by: gooneygoon
And, I should care about what an actor says?
Honestly.

yes u should. he also said u should paypal me $50 right now.
 

vi edit

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Oct 28, 1999
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I'd like to see the entire quote that he gave instead of taking it out of context.

But outside of that, I agree somewhat. Being in Iowa, and having lost no one from it, I have probably experienced only a fraction of the emotions of someone who witnessed it first hand, or lost a loved one because of it.
 

StageLeft

No Lifer
Sep 29, 2000
70,150
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Well it's the most traumatic thing the US has gone through in decades. Of course compared to many/most other countries the general populous of the US gets off pretty frigging easy in terms of catastrophic events.
 

notfred

Lifer
Feb 12, 2001
38,241
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I wasn't traumatized by the attack. Watching New York burning on TV... It may as well have been Moscow, it jsut didn't affect me like it would have affected someone who actually witnessed it. The biggest effects on me are the increased security BS that's been happening ever since. That and the number of little flag bumper stickers I've had to look at has increased 50 fold....
 

BigJohnKC

Platinum Member
Aug 15, 2001
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I'll agree with him. It affected a lot of stuff, but not me personally. I just fear what'll happen in the media when the eleventh rolls around this year. I hope the government doesn't make it a national holiday.
 

FoBoT

No Lifer
Apr 30, 2001
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fobot.com
Originally posted by: xospec1alk
it wasn't too traumatic.

.people act as if nothing happened, sure they have the flags up and a show of pride but that was all...

you aren't kidding?? :Q

i have never experienced anything in my 36 years like i did on sept 11

yeah, i was watching on TV/finding out about it via internet, but you don't think it was traumatic watching thousands die when those building fell?!?!?!? :Q

not knowing if more planes were about to start crashing in the town i was in???!!??!

i guess the terrorists win, we are desensitized to thousands of dead from their attack after less than one year, no big deal, but a couple of smashed buildings, who cares, la la la, what time does WWF come on? get me a beer Betty Sue! burp....


:disgust:
rolleye.gif
 

Maetryx

Diamond Member
Jan 18, 2001
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It was bigger than Mt. St. Helens and bigger than the space shuttle disaster to me. I know that it wasn't as traumatic to Alaska as it was to New York, but it rocked us back and killed our productivity for quite a few days. No one at the office could hardly talk about anything else for like a month.

And then the anthrax letter started. And then we were all holding our breath waiting for the next big terrorist attack, which we were sure was just around the corner. We kind of thought the trans-Alaska pipeline would get attacked.



 

ThePresence

Elite Member
Nov 19, 2001
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Just what we needed. Another Hollywood genius. Just act, Morgan, you're quite good at it, don't seem like you're too good at talking.
 

Miramonti

Lifer
Aug 26, 2000
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I don't agree with him. It may have only been an emotional trauma for the rest of the country while being an emotional AND physical trauma for new yorkers, but nevertheless it was a very emotionally traumatic event for the nation.

trauma: a disordered psychic or behavioral state resulting from mental or emotional stress or physical injury

People wouldn't have donate $850 million to the red cross if they didn't feel the pain, and I don't speak for everyone, but I felt the pain.

 

NikPreviousAcct

No Lifer
Aug 15, 2000
52,763
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Originally posted by: iamwiz82
i would say he is right. Nobody who didnt lose someone or didnt live in that city didnt feel the true effect of the attacks. It was surreal to most of us, but to those who lost a loved one.

I agree for the most part. It's one thing to attack family and friends. It's another thing to attack king and country. It's yet another thing to attack a world government like the U.N. (that I personally disagree with).

I don't like any of the three, but the little hurt that I felt was first for the attack on my country, then I felt for the people who lost loved ones and were sensative to things afterwards. My life change wasn't as drastic as other people had to make theirs. I wouldn't call it "traumatic" at all, but I was quite upset about it.

nik
 

Amused

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Apr 14, 2001
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Originally posted by: AmusedOne
Well, that's his opinion. I don't agree, but he's entitled to it.

While the rest of the US may not have been AS traumatized by 9/11 as New Yorkers were, we were still traumatized.

Let me expand on this...

Everyone in my town here was VERY torn up about it. I watched it as the second tower was hit, then as the towers collapsed. I sat down hard and felt tears well up. Then I felt extreme anger. The mixture of sorrow and anger I felt has had almost as much lasting power as the death of my father. Americans love their country almost as much as they love their own families. To say a deadly attack on their country isn't traumatic is simply wrong.

As soon as I clicked on the TV and saw the second tower hit, I looked up at my girlfriend and said: "This is going to cost us a LOT of freedom. Watch the knee-jerkers blindly throw away freedom for a false sense of security." Well, as time passes, it looks like I was somewhat right.

9/11 traumatized me, and everyone I know. Morgan Freeman simply does not understand the hearts and minds of most Americans.
 

Stifko

Diamond Member
Dec 8, 1999
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I was traumatized, but I am in NYC too. Hard to see how someone in Boise would have been affected as much though.
 

Gaard

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Feb 17, 2002
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i would say he is right. Nobody who didnt lose someone or didnt live in that city didnt feel the true effect of the attacks. It was surreal to most of us, but to those who lost a loved one.

I'm not sure what these true effects are that you speak of, but I don't think we needed to feel them...whatever they are...to be traumatized.

I also don't think it's correct for us all to say whether or not we felt traumatized as a way of agreeing or disagreeing with Freeman. I don't think that every citizen needs to be traumatized for 9/11 to be a national trauma. (I need a synonym here...using 'traumatic' too much). I think if you'd just look at America's reaction in the hours, days, weeks, and months afterwards it'd be clear that it was indeed a national trauma.
 

Ramsnake

Senior member
Apr 12, 2002
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let me be frank...well my initial reaction was one of shock and disbelief, i saw the plane ramming into the tower live, that is something i cannot forget for my whole life, not because it was traumatizing but because it was very very surreal, weird and a creepy sight. Like everyone else, in the first few days, i didnt know why it all happened?. Once i came to know it was a terrorist attack, all that was in my mind was "why?", why did these morons have to start this cycle of violence, i knew what would happen next, i.e. america would attack and then a new gen of fanatic offpring would be trained for terrorist attacks. i have not been traumatized at all by the attacks,i sleep very well, my libido is fine and my appetite is as good as ever!, could be because i was safely away in the midwest, but i did have strong feelings of sorrow and retribution. I guess the trauma would have been lesser for the people if the attack was on say the yankee stadium or something like that, when the WTC Towers were attacked, besides the buildings and people who perished, the WTC towers were very symbolic of what america was economically. oh well, i didnt get to see the WTC towers in person....i dont particularly like morgan freeman but he should be entitled to his opinion, there is some truth to it.
 

KidViciou$

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
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He'll probably say 'slavery' was a national trauma.

Slavery was a national RAPE and ABUSE of humanity, i dont think at the time the 'nation' of america was traumatized by it, more like pampered by it. :|
 

Hammer

Lifer
Oct 19, 2001
13,217
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I wouldn't say traumatized, that's too harsh of a word. Stunned yes. So far there are only 2 events that I remember exactly what I was doing and where I was vividly when it happened. The Challenger disaster was one, Sept 11 is the other.