Do you remember what you were doing on 9/11/2001?

[Mechaman]

Very distinctly.  There were rumors around the school that something was going on and students were being pulled out of class all day.  I was on my way to my math class when everyone said to look outside and that there would be an announcement.  In my class we just sat there and my teacher said to pay extra attention, but we all went to the window instead and saw all the smoke.  We had no idea what it was and when the announcement came on all they said was there was an attack on New York City and whoever had parents working there should get in touch at the office.  I was in a panic because my dad worked in Times Square and I thought that would be the first place attacked.  I tried to call his and my mom's cell phones but only my mom's worked and she told me to go home.  My uncle picked me up from school early and took me home and thankfully my dad was already there.  That's when I found out my aunt in the Air Force was working in the Pentagon and we hadn't gotten word yet (she was fine).  My mom was on her way to Massachusetts at the time and turned around to come home and we all watched the news only for a little and then just had dinner and tried not to pay attention, but it was difficult not to.  It was probably the worst day I've ever experienced so far and every year it's very painful to relive it all in my head over and over.

Wow dude, that's an incredible story.

[Mechaman]

I was in my Home Class period (in 7th grade at the brand new Middle School) when it happened right after the video announcements. Now the whole week before we had been watching a ton of videos, mainly history. I thought it was a video of the 1993 WTC Bombing (hey I was in 7th Grade and didn't know it happened in the basement at the time) until I glanced to the side and noticed that the time was 9:04 AM ET, that would make it 8:04 AM CT, the time it was at my school. So then I went from thinking it was a video of the 1993 bombing to "dumbass pilot ran into the tower". And then the second plane ran into the other tower and I heard the announcer screaming "Oh my god! Another plane has hit the World Trade Center!" At the time I laughed, because of the hysterical reaction of the announcer more so than the planes hitting the towers. It isn't something I'm proud of, I'm just being honest. Despite the national tragedy, our teachers made us stay in school and from 10AM onward we had normal classes. The teachers made a few comments, but still taught class. Me and my friends talked about it at lunch and on the bus ride home. When I got home I was alone for two hours before my brother did and later my parents. None of us talked for real long about our days like we usually did, just remained quiet. That is all I remember about that day: the Quietness.

[Mechaman]

I knew, from then, that the world just changed forever.

No, it didn't.

It did for a lot of people.  If you don't care about it at least show enough respect to shut the fuck up already.

Never said that. But the world didn't change forever.

This is true.

[Mechaman]

In what way did this change the world?

During the 1990s I was obsessed with skylines (and still am, to an extent), so I spent a lot of time collecting postcards of New York City and drawing the skyline on construction paper. I also remember trying to build New York City in Sim City 2000 and being ecstatic at the prospect of visiting the World Trade Center sometime during the mid 1990s. Had a chance to visit it in 2000, but didn't have the time

oh well, yeah. now the place is a barren wasteland. it's terrible. My brother's apartment in Brooklyn has a fantastic view of Lower Manhattan from the roof; it's the type of place where you blast all those cheerful late 1990s songs, sit back, and drink your favorite beer. but the experience is heavily.....subdued by the constant reminder of omission. Seriously Xahar, go to New York City, go to the top of any structure facing lower Manhattan, pop open some Blue Moon, and then tell me the experience is the same as it was in, say, 1996. And that, amigo, is how the world has changed. You can say it's all in our minds, but our minds are the only thing we have.

Sir I congratulate you on having by far the best post out of everyone here. This reminds me of that episode of the Daily Show I saw where Jon Stewart talks about the new view from his apartment: instead of the World Trade Center he now sees the Statue of Liberty.

[Mechaman]

I also remember talking with people in school about who did it. Many of us were just throwing out random names. Like one of my friends said "It was the NWO brotha!" Another person said it was the Canadians who were pissed off at us for kicking their asses in hockey. Someone even made the VERY VERY strange notion that it was someone from the future. Some people suggested that it was "Evil Communist China" or Russia who did it. At the time none of us had a clue who did it, and even when CNN began talking about Al Qaeda I still had doubts they did it for some reason (namely I couldn't believe that a ragtag team of Islamic Radicals could pull it off).