Sunday, September 11, 2011

Always remember...

They say that every generation has their "moment."  The defining time where you'll always remember where you were when...for my mom, that moment was when she heard that President Kennedy had been shot in Texas.  For me, that moment will always be Tuesday, September 11, 2001.  I feel that I would be remiss in both my role as a citizen and my role as a social studies teacher to not mention what today is the anniversary of.  I've sat in front of my computer for the past hour trying to figure out just what it was I was going to say and how to word what I'm thinking.

First off, I'm not going to push religion, nationalism, or reaction-ism of any sort.  Never have, never will.  That's just not the way that I function. I think it's important to be proud of your country or your religion everyday, not just on anniversaries of tragic events.  I will say that I know many people in my own life who were personally effected by the events of September 11 and for them my heart breaks a bit on this and every anniversary.  I have a co-worker whose husband and brother-in-law were first responders for the FDNY in 2001.  One has already been through one lung transplant and is awaiting another.  Everyday they live with those reminders of this tragedy.  I have all those directly effected by the events of 2001 on my mind and in my heart today.

That being said and this being a blog all about our love for Mr. Pattinson, I couldn't make this post without making a small comment on one of my favorite Rob movies, Remember Me.  There was a lot of backlash at the time of release, and still to some point today, about the ending of the movie.  Many have called it a "cheap" way to effect audiences, etc.  I just have to say that somewhere, someone has missed the point.  The goal was not to cheapen anything - and in fact for the last 3 days all of the Facebook posts friends have put up containing the statistics of 9/11/01 feel cheaper to me.  I know how many lost their lives, I know how many are still suffering.  Remember Me, to me, humanizes the whole experience of what the country was feeling - loss, confusion, hurt.  I remember watching this film for the first time and feeling as though I'd been kicked in the stomach when I realized what the twist at the end was all about.  I was entranced by the story of this family - a real family with real issues, living their day to day lives the best way they can.  They didn't see it coming and neither did I.  I feel like for so many that's how September 11 played out as well.  No one saw this coming, people were going about their daily lives as best they knew how only to feel that kick to the stomach when everything changed.  The people who lost their lives were real people.  They were not numbers, they had families and problems and things going on in their lives and that information is often forgotten or glossed over in favor of the "big picture" of statistics and numbers.  It seems insensitive and cold to boil everything down to numbers, but we do it often in times of tragedy.  I feel for the human side of September 11 and in that case also for the human portrayal in Remember Me.  I feel like this movie does what so many documentaries that focus on the numbers and statistics can't manage to do.  Remember the day, remember the lives lost, but don't forget to remember those living with the memories - the ones who lost so much that day, just as I'm thinking about my friend and her husband and brother in law who live everyday with those reminders.

Never forget.

8 comments:

  1. Lovely post, very fitting for today and as your role of an educator.
    Bravo.
    Remember Me, had of course our Precious in it and that's why we
    watched it. But in the mist of it, there was a story to be told and I think the movie did just that.
    Well done to both your Lauren, and our Rob for your expressions.

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  2. I agree. The end of the movie wasn't used as a ploy or anything so it doesn't cheapen the memory of that day. No one knew it was going to happen so they didn't seek out the movie for the sensationalist 9/11 ending.

    We were all just going about our daily business... you and I were both in hs at the time. Just going about our daily lives when everything suddenly changes and you can't stop it from happening. When we think about that day it is about the lives lost not the number but the actual people (which most tend to forget), the people affected personally, the people affected by the confusion and pain of others. It's not about making a point and exploiting a tragedy for a buck it's like you said it was to "humanizes the whole experience."

    Very poignant words Lauren.

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  3. you are a great writer, Mrs. Patton. i'm really glad you posted this. xo

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  4. Everything well said, and with grace.

    I greatly appreciate tributes to this tragedy because I want remembrance, love expressed, and patriotism shared to define the day for me and the stories of the people to overshadow the act of terrorism.

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  5. Well said Lauren. It pisses me off that people would think that Remember Me was just using 9/11 to shock audiences. Rob picked that movie and fought to have it made because of the message it sent. It happened - to real people. I think it tastefully portrayed the events that happened that awful day.

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  6. I emailed you earlier on this. I agree wholeheartedly with you on this Lauren. Such a sad day. What happened to all the patriotism that surrounded this country in the days and weeks that followed? Nowadays, no one flies the flag, wants to say our pledge of allegiance, sing our anthems. I think they forget and that is just sad. As I said in my email, our flag flies proudly. I will forever say a prayer for the people who lost their lives, for their loved ones and for this country.

    Remember Me was a project Rob fought for because he believed in the story. It wasn't a cheap 'stunt'. It showed the lives of one family living and how 9/11 affected them. Everyday, families try to do the best they can with what they have been dealt, whether it's losing a family member, a job, a home. Then people who think that our way of life(our freedoms etc.) is wrong, come and kill innocents. Each one of the people in those buildings and the men and women who tried to save them got up that morning doing the best they could with what they had. Went to work, dropped off a child at school. Remember Me tried to give those of us who weren't directly affected a view of how lives changed.

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  7. I'm glad you all understand me. I really wasn't trying to take anything away from the day or anything like that, but Naughty, you're right - I have a small flag sticker that has been in my window since that day (even after I have moved). I don't need a "special" day to feel nationalism. I feel like that's what so many of these days become - cheap homages to our country so that people can feel better about themselves, forgetting the real stories behind the days. That's why I love this movie - it shows those real stories that should be remembered. And yes, Rob did fight hard for it to get made - how he ended up as an Exec. Producer with the funding and support that he provided to the production, aside from acting in the movie. Not many actors will do that for projects unless they feel strongly about them.

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  8. Just watched RM again as is becoming my tradition. So many emotions when I watch it on this day.

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