Saturday, September 11, 2004
Like most everyone else, I don't give a second thought to the events of Sept. 11, 2001 on most days. Today ordinarily wouldn't be any different, even if it is the 3rd anniversary of the event. Were it not for an outstanding documentary I'm currently watching on A&E.
No news footage, no 'reactions' from politicians. Just footage filmed by people on the street. Of the towers, but more strikingly, of people on the streets during, and after the crashes and collapses. First of the uncensored reactions of the people who filmed the planes hitting the buildings, the people jumping out of the buildings, and the buildings collapsing. Then, the police and fire response. Then, of the people lined up around the block waiting to donate blood.
It gets me thinking of what the situation would be like were someone to crash a jetliner into the CN tower, or one of the large financial towers in Toronto. I have no doubt that the people of that city would react in the exact same way as the New Yorkers (minus the people I've seen saying "Someone's gonna pay!"). When my thoughts turn to the federal government's reaction, I can't help but doubt the speed and assertiveness of it. The Canadian government hasn't endeared itself to me in terms of quick and decisive action in the past, but I suppose it's impossible to speculate on what might happen were the (prior to 2001) unthinkable act of this sort to occur.
More likely than any plane hijacking would be a bomb, or a dirty-bomb, offloaded in a shipping container. The news told me last night that the Canadian government has spent $8 billion on security et al. since 2001. Shiny new bomb detecting equipment for the country's ports, more staff, among other things. Of course, thousands upon thousands of shipping containers come into the country each day without anyone so much as coming within hundreds of feet of them.
Canada may not seem like a likely target, however we did contribute to the war in Afghanistan. What I imagine would be more likely is that Canada to be used as an entry-way into the U.S..
Anyway, something that I came across in the newspaper today. The headline: "Anti-U.S. feelings run high". The content: Essentially examples of how empathetic feelings of Canadians as a whole have cooled towards our neighbours to the south. There's one example of a woman in Halifax who, after Sept. 11th, affixed a sticker of the American flag to her car window. She mentions how she was mocked by a fellow Haligonian accosted and mocked her for displaying that flag. Contributing to the cooling of our feelings apparently are "anger, suspicion and open scorn of the U.S.", which "goes beyond the traditional rivalry and moral superiority that was common before 2001." and today includes the invasion and occupation of Iraq, along with "a host of other perceived American outrages".
The article gives more examples, such as the team of 12-year old hockey players from Massachusetts who were lucky enough to take a trip to Montreal for a peewee hockey tournament. Their bus, painted in American colours, was enough to attract anti-Iraq War demostraters, who hounded them out of the city. Now, I was against the invasion of Iraq, but that's just ridiculous. Montrealers seem especially bad for that, just think back to the chourus of 'boos' that welcomed the U.S. national anthem anytime it was played prior to a sporting event.
Another example is related by a New York Times correspondant living in Toronto, who outside his home witnessed two children on the street holding up placards reading "Honk if you hate President Bush". I'm not sure how much can be read from that, I mean kids will be kids. But it is unusual for children to have any political motivation, be it Canadian or American.
Also included in the article is a comparison of surveys done regarding the opinion of Canadians of the U.S. and how they've changed. One month after Sept. 11th, 78% of Canadians surveyed had a 'favourable' opinion of the U.S., and 14% had an 'unfavourable' opinion. The same survey done in 2003 had a response of 62% having a 'favourable' opinion, and 36% confirmed negative views of the country. Apparently Atlantic Canada is most likely to provide positive responses, while Quebec (big surprise) are the most hostile responders.
Another survey shows Canada's opinion of the U.S. election, and makes not of the fact that only 15% of Canadians want Bush re-elected.
As for Canada marking the anniversary in any way today, check this out "Jedwab [an organiser of an anniversary service at Montreal's Notre Dame cathedral in 2002] says he couldn't even entice 100 people into Notre Dame for a similar service today. Prime Minister Paul Martin isn't scheduled to attend any public anniversary events today, but will simply treat this Sunday as any other Sunday." Contrast that to the slew of events broadcast on U.S. tv channels today.
I really don't think that the lack of reponse from the Canadian citizens in general is a result of our negative feelings towards the U.S., merely that it's not our event to remember. Sure, plenty of Canadian citizens lost loved-ones in the attack, and I'm sure that they're having their own memorial services. But as a whole, as I said, it's not ours.
Now I've written more than enough, as this is the longest post ever on my blog. I'll leave you with a quote scrawled on the ground at Union Station in New York. The event is a whole crowd of people arguing about the U.S. response, which pretty much broke down to (mostly) immigrants arguing with (mostly) white Americans about how the country should bomb the attackers, or how they shouldn't. I gotta say, it pretty much reinforced my view of the 'typical' aggressive American. But fuck, enough rambling.
"The American flag propogates violence"
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