I usually choose this picture for my 9/11 anniversary posts so that it evokes a clear, visceral memory of the realization of that day, 21 years ago, that we were being attacked on American soil.
9/12 began a relative short-lived period of American unity, and we said #NeverForget.
Then, as I noted last year, we forgot.
The latest college graduates have no memory of that day. The latest high school graduates were born even after the Unity and patriotism of 9/12 faded. Now we pretend that on 9/11 “some people did some things” (Ilhan Omar), while January 6th was “the darkest day in US history” (Joe Biden). We pretend that radical Islamist ideology isn’t a thing at all, (spoiler alert: it’s alive and well in Iran and Afghanistan), while we pretend that white males represent the greatest threat to America (the garbage Washington Post just a month and a half ago).
And the newest adult members of our society don’t know any different. We forgot, and they never knew.
God forbid people ever start saying “Happy 9/11”.
Though they may not have been alive, we can share with them the significance of that day and its aftermath so that they will always remember, though they never experienced it firsthand.
We’ve moved beyond #NeverForget. Now it’s time to #MakeThemRemember.
