What we forget when we remember 9/11
There is a strange nostalgia in realizing that something once so immediate now belongs increasingly to people who know it only as the past.
The phrase "No Day Shall Erase You From the Memory of Time" by Roman poet Virgil adorns the 9/11 Memorial Museum. Over the past 25 years, each anniversary of the September 11 attacks has been marked by reminders to "never forget." Those who were alive in 2001 can hardly forget the shock, fear, and the replays of the second plane hitting the World Trade Center.
The memories of the missing-person photographs and the realization that few would be found alive are still vivid. The bravery of the New York firefighters and police is a part of those memories.
For those who were born after the attacks, their understanding of 9/11 comes from various sources such as photographs, documentaries, memorials, classroom lessons, and stories told by those who lived through the event. According to the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, about 100 million Americans were born since the attacks, making it hard to keep the event as a singular, world-changing moment.
As memory scholars explain, societies do not simply preserve the past. Collective memory is shaped through stories, institutions, rituals, and political arguments. For instance, the Department of Homeland Security was created in response to 9/11. This shows that forgetting is an integral part of social life; we cannot keep everything present forever. The question is not whether Americans will forget some aspects of 9/11, but what remains after the forgetting takes place.
From the first anniversary, commemorations have followed a specific pattern - reading the names of the victims, lighting memorial candles, and sharing stories of first responders. These practices keep the human loss and courage of the day in view. A 2016 Pew Research Center survey found that 76% of Americans considered 9/11 one of the 10 most consequential events of their lifetimes, and nearly 1 in 5 said their national pride reached its peak immediately after the attacks.
However, the meaning of 9/11 has evolved over time. It has been used as a justification for wars, policy changes, and political symbols. Over 100 million Americans born after 9/11 now have their own interpretations, drawing from the shared grief of the initial days and the ordinary acts of humanity displayed by people during the tragedy. These perspectives compete for a place in the event's meaning, creating a complex narrative around the shared trauma of Sept. 11.
Written by urgent.news from The Conversation's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
