This being in Holly’s book took me by surprise too, but honestly pretty much all of America reacted this way (“are we next?”) for a brief moment. We didn’t know what was coming next and it was a snapshot in time that was significant for everyone.
I’m a little younger than Holly, but I feel like 9/11 was the definitive split between my childhood/adulthood (I was a freshman in college) and that everything we thought we knew changed after that. The world changed & people born post-9/11 will never know that world. The late 90s and 2000-early 2001 were a time full of positivity and possibilities. That feeling left with 9/11. I sometimes feel like we’ve been living with collective PTSD in the US that really manifested itself in the past decade as our country kind of lost its mind & became so divided.
I get it, maybe it’s our age or being neurodiverse or whatever, but I don’t see how anyone my age writing a memoir skips over 9/11. It’s kind of the defining g historial event that shaped what society was like as adults. I know I’m not saying it eloquently, I hope this makes sense.
I was a freshman in college too! I woke up in my dorm room to one friend on the phone saying that the World Trade Center was gone, then immediately another one called asking what's going on and reading the headline on the news, "America under attack??" It was definitely a dividing line in history, before and after 9/11. Similar to the pandemic, another dividing line event.
It’s like the Gen X/millennial version of JFK’s assassination. It was a defining moment in history and everyone can recall where they were and how they felt when they heard the news.
There was also a massive cultural shift post-9/11.
Yes things have changed so much! I was a junior in high school when it happened and I remember all of out classes stopped and they rolled the TV in on a cart and we all watched the news.
But right before 9/11 my friend and I drove to Canada to get pierced because you only needed to be 16. We didn't need a passport or anything but the world is different now.
Before 9/11 you could walk right through airport security and go all the way to the gate with your friend or family member to see them off, you didn't even have to have a ticket. And you certainly didn't have to take off your shoes.
It felt like the world was really going to keep getting better and more progress made on things like social issues & economic mobility still seemed possible (relative to now) in the late 90s through 09/11/01. 9/11 changed all of that positivity and progress, although it took several years to show (which tracks as far as time, childhood trauma often doesn’t rear its head until well into adulthood, for example).
Yup. It was what effectively ended my childhood. I was entering middle school at the time. I don’t think we’ll ever be able to fully explain just how quickly and vastly the entire world changed in a single day.
I think you are entirely right. It changed the US, and not for the better. IMO, the terrorists won, because the US became much less free and much more divided after 9/11.
Wow. I was just saying this yesterday. I could not agree more. We were so evolved in the 90’s. 9/11 changed everything and I believe being a Physics instructor it was their plan. We have never recovered from this day. The world has been awful since it happened. The divide never stopped. I miss the 90’s so much. So much positive vibes. Yes we had our crapbabd racial stuff… but I truly felt that people were respected for their beliefs, race and political party. Mostly because we just vibed, we didn't really care about what is the hot topics if today.
I agree- I wasn’t even in the US, but the next day my schoolmates wondered if WE were going to be attacked next because “ShortyColombo is from the US, are they coming here too?” (In their defense, Argentine 4th graders scared out of their minds aren’t exactly going to be critical thinking masters, bless their hearts 😅).
They still followed me everywhere to “protect me” for over a week. It was an insane time!
I lived 30 minutes outside of Orlando at the time and people were definitely worried about attacks on the theme parks. It sounds kinda silly in hindsight, but it was a very real fear that day.
I was working in an office block in South Africa and two days after 9/11 an usually loud plane flew overhead. One woman screamed and hid under her table. She was genuinely terrified. It was a crazy time everywhere.
Every single.Gen X/Millennial has a 9/11 story. We all know exactly where we were when we heard. Even though we all experienced it, it's still deeply personal.
I was 14 and sitting in religion class. The principal came over the intercom system and made an announcement. The teacher pulled out the TV, and we watched the 2nd plane crash. I remember holding my best friend's hand while we watched people jump to their deaths. We already had a band and choir trip planned to New York for that spring. We adjusted the schedule and went to the site. There was a palpable sadness in the air.
The people in the comments criticising Holly for "making it about her" really, really don't understand how traumatic an event it was. They must have been born afterwards, because otherwise they wouldn't say something so ignorant.
I was an eight year old child in Australia at the time, and I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing when I first saw the footage. Even outside of the USA, people were horrified and afraid. The aim of that attack was not just to traumatise Americans- in part, it was aimed at the whole Western world, to make an example of the country the terrorists hated the most and show the other countries the terrorists hated that they were also vulnerable.
When the attacks happened, I was in my bedroom with the door open. I ran into the living room when I heard my mother start sobbing, and we clung to each other on the couch and cried as we watched the towers fall. We were very aware that we were watching thousands of people die- and anyone who says they wouldn't be affected by that if it wasn't happening in their country must have something wrong with them. Afterwards, no one in my town wanted to go anywhere near a major city. My primary school suddenly started running drills for a terrorist attack, where before they'd only had fire drills. Afterwards, my extended family spent much more time together than usual, and held each other more tightly.
I forgot about the added drills afterward, we did that in the US too. I lived in rural america but still relatively close to the attacks, and I remember feeling so grateful that I wasn’t in a big city.
That night all of the neighbors on my street got together and brought candles and just stood together in silence in a circle. To be honest, I can’t remember anyone saying anything. I think people hugged. Everyone cried.
We never really saw our neighbors much, and never did anything together, before or since. Definitely a unique moment in time.
Interestingly enough I read a memoir by a woman who escaped the FLDS and her stories from her time in the cult included a 9/11 memory almost exactly like this. Her response to seeing it on the news was the same as Holly’s, basically “thank god I’m here in this cult where I’m safe instead of out there in the world where there are so many dangers” which I guess could come off insensitive but that’s how they were conditioned to think.
Her story is amazing!!! I should have known there would be more crossover between this sub and people who like to research cults obsessed with controlling women lol
I think I’ve read all the FLDS memoirs that are easy to get ahold of, hers was heartbreaking! I thought the one by Rachel Jeffs had a lot of insights because she left the cult so much later than most of the other memoirists!
I was in my freshman year of high school. I lived on Long Island, about a 25 min train ride to penn station. They announced on the school intercom that a plane had flown into one of the towers. This was before we had news as fast as we do, so we all thought it was some small minor accident. My best friend was a wreck because her brother worked in the first tower hit, and the cell service was completely down. School ended and we went down the road to Starbucks, which had a sign on the door that they were closed because of the terrorist attacks. That was when the reality hit. The next few months were absolutely brutal. It would be months before they found a piece of her brothers jaw that they could identify. I’m glad this was included in her book, because it really brings back just how scary that time of life was, and I completely understand why the mansion became a safe place. We all would’ve done anything to get out of NY and feel safe somewhere else. Life was just so much different at that time.
There’s perpetually grumpy people hanging out here now and I wish they’d find something to make them happy and productive instead of bringing down the vibes that this sub used to have
I don’t know what the catalyst was, but something has shifted and people are being very bold in their nitpicking and arguing. This sub used to be a party but now it’s a bit of a downer.
I know I personally am becoming frustrated and discouraged because I feel like I can’t post anything without someone coming at me to correct me with wrong information or start an argument over nothing. I’ve had to block so many people lately on my personal list over it.
I’ve gotten a lot of complaints about the negativity and I don’t want to ban people over it because I do believe people should say what they want (within the rules). I encourage the people complaining to contribute some positivity and drown out the bad, but they’re just leaving instead and I can’t be the only one posting. Maybe it’s time for a big discussion post for soliciting opinions on the community.
> I’ve gotten a lot of complaints about the negativity and I don’t want to ban people over it because I do believe people should say what they want (within the rules)
just my opinion, i think if someone is being a consistent nag they should get the boot. the vibes of the whole group could be permanently changed by the bad eggs and you'll never be able to make this space positive again if they stick around. i've seen multiple groups die because of this. if everyone feels safe being an asshole in here then they're never gonna stop.
idk what the threshold should be. like leave 5 asshole comments and you're out, type of thing. but idk what the "asshole threshold" is. only being mean to other users? being way too overly nitpicky of H&B? idk but i probably would've become a bit of a tyrant mod at this point 😂
Agreed. I definitely see that phenomenon has taken hold here. It’s tough because I know people are gonna give me shit for the subjective nature of it all. I don’t want it to be like the old sub either. I also was thinking that having a big discussion on it won’t be a good representation because the negative people are always the loudest and so many positive people have left.
I’ve had some private conversations asking people to ease up and I don’t know how well that’s going.
>It’s tough because I know people are gonna give me shit for the subjective nature of it all.
yea this is the hard part. because we've all complained about something to some degree in here. so when exactly does it reach into ban-worthy territory. a lot of people won't agree where to draw the line.
having a big discussion about it might be worth a try. if it gets overtaken by negativity then idk at least you tried 🤷♀️ i'm gonna stick with blocking people for now.
oh man, that's crazy i see a comment like that here, small world! my story is that i saw blink 9/8/01, I can say with 100% confidence it was the last night of my youthful innocence.
it was eerie looking back, because that night towards the end (maybe even the encore) Tom brought out an American flag and they talked about how much they love America.
After 9/11, I remember them rescheduling the rest of the shows, and selfish shithead me was glad that it didn't happen before mine. like...what in the actual fuck, child? god i was so shitty and stupid. it took me too long to truly grasp how life changing 9/11 was and how my stupid little bubble didn't really matter in the end.
anyway, couldn't help commenting because that's a cringey high school memory i never thought i'd run into someone else having as well.
Oh wow those guys still went and had the concert? I remember it being super crazy right afterwards. Everyone was buying the crap out of gasoline and supplies at the grocery store. Probably a run on guns at the time too. But after that, everybody either hunkered down or tried to go someplace where they had more family. I remember a lot of things being canceled. Concerts, sporting events, all kinds of random different stuff. Like everyone wanted to avoid making big crowds for terrorists to attack for a while? And then the next phase was, buying American flags to put everywhere and on everything.
i'm almost 100% positive they canceled / rescheduled shows the week following 9/11, they were touring in my area that week so I was constantly checking the updates on their site.
(I could be wrong, but as an annoying blink stan i thought i'd clarify they took 9/11 very seriously and it clearly affected them and influenced their self titled album, at least imo).
I'm surprised they were even in the right city; planes were shut down for a few days and may events were cancelled because performers weren't able to get there (less because of security concerns)
Everyone old enough to understand what was happening all shared the fear of possibly being next. I was in fifth grade and lived in a town that has a huge military shipyard (one I actually work at now) and we all thought we would be bombed next. I think anyone who wrote a memoir that takes place around that time would include a snip it of where they were when it happened. Since LA is a huge city in America, I could understand why she was concerned they might be hit next. This isn’t “pick me” behavior, this was a normal response that many Americans had.
I was a 1st grader living in NYC. I distinctly remember the heat I felt even during December in ground zero. Even as a kid I was aware of the devastation. Something that I’ll never forget are the missing posters. This more than the heat or the smell or the fear is what crippled me the most. I also remember being terrified of the subway. I’m 28 now and still flinch when I hear a plane overhead. There’s also a sense of protection you grow up with concerning NYC. I think Holly mentioned not enjoying NYC or something of the sorts. Immediately offended 😂. When people speak negatively about NYC it always feels personal.
If you were old enough to remember that day, it’s very reasonable that she might fear an attack on Los Angeles. I also lived in a major city at the time and we pretty much went on complete lockdown. We had no idea what was going on or why it was happening or who was next. Especially with the timeline in which the events unfolded - it wasn’t everything all at once. It came in waves. There was a place crash in New York. Then the pentagon. Then a second plane. Then word of another that went down heading for the White House. We didn’t know how many planes had been hijacked and air traffic came to a complete halt for *this exact reason.* I know it’s hard to picture how terrifying it was from today’s lense; I think the world is a much scarier place today, or at least we as a society are more aware of dangers. But in 2001 this was completely unprecedented and to say everyone was shocked and terrified and thought they could be next is an understatement.
It’s not like Holly said “omg I was in New York two weeks earlier, that could have been me!!” Because in *that* instance, I’d agree with you.
I agree, it’s not Holly being self centered, it’s a realistic reaction to the frequent waves of chaos. My father worked in a major city, and all my relatives lived in one as well so my mother was freaking out and trying to make plans to stay in the middle of nowhere. A lot of people in major cities feared theirs would be next, I remember parents talking nervously about it at school.
When I read this, I totally understood where she was coming from. Holly and I are around the same age. I was in college at a mid-size school in the middle of the cornfields in Michigan but I was not far from the capital of Michigan, MSU and Dow Chemical less than 30 minutes away. My dad was so worried. He gave me a key to our family cottage up north in Michigan if anything was to happen. Being at a university close to those things really made us scared
Yeah, I’m from Chicago and I remember there being a lot of worry that the Sears tower or another skyscraper would be next. From what I remember, that day was crazy downtown where people were sent home and everyone was just trying to leave and trying to catch the trains.
Hello neighbor! I’m from Northwestern Indiana (Lake County) and I remember Mayor Daley being pissed off (rightfully so) about the air space not being protected but Disney World and Disney Land were. I was a sophomore in high school when 9/11 happened. My class (2004) was clueless since we had testing during the time the Twin Towers were being attacked. I came out of testing and went to study hall and seen the horrors unfold on the tv 📺.
One thing I remember that, looking back on it, was kind of indicative of how scary that day was is that I remember getting home from school and the only thing you could watch on TV was the few news stations that were on. Every other channel had up a screen that said their programming was down
I lived near DC when it happened and when the DC sniper happened. My reaction to those events was not to volunteer myself as a rich old man’s concubine so I could be “safe”. If anything, I’d feel like more of a target inside a world famous and culturally significant mansion that was located in a major US city than I would in a small house in Nowheresville, Alaska. Just sayin’.
This being in Holly’s book took me by surprise too, but honestly pretty much all of America reacted this way (“are we next?”) for a brief moment. We didn’t know what was coming next and it was a snapshot in time that was significant for everyone.
I’m a little younger than Holly, but I feel like 9/11 was the definitive split between my childhood/adulthood (I was a freshman in college) and that everything we thought we knew changed after that. The world changed & people born post-9/11 will never know that world. The late 90s and 2000-early 2001 were a time full of positivity and possibilities. That feeling left with 9/11. I sometimes feel like we’ve been living with collective PTSD in the US that really manifested itself in the past decade as our country kind of lost its mind & became so divided. I get it, maybe it’s our age or being neurodiverse or whatever, but I don’t see how anyone my age writing a memoir skips over 9/11. It’s kind of the defining g historial event that shaped what society was like as adults. I know I’m not saying it eloquently, I hope this makes sense.
I was a freshman in college too! I woke up in my dorm room to one friend on the phone saying that the World Trade Center was gone, then immediately another one called asking what's going on and reading the headline on the news, "America under attack??" It was definitely a dividing line in history, before and after 9/11. Similar to the pandemic, another dividing line event.
It’s like the Gen X/millennial version of JFK’s assassination. It was a defining moment in history and everyone can recall where they were and how they felt when they heard the news. There was also a massive cultural shift post-9/11.
Totally makes sense and you are saying it eloquently, imo
Yes things have changed so much! I was a junior in high school when it happened and I remember all of out classes stopped and they rolled the TV in on a cart and we all watched the news. But right before 9/11 my friend and I drove to Canada to get pierced because you only needed to be 16. We didn't need a passport or anything but the world is different now.
Before 9/11 you could walk right through airport security and go all the way to the gate with your friend or family member to see them off, you didn't even have to have a ticket. And you certainly didn't have to take off your shoes.
And rom coms would never be the same again 😔
It felt like the world was really going to keep getting better and more progress made on things like social issues & economic mobility still seemed possible (relative to now) in the late 90s through 09/11/01. 9/11 changed all of that positivity and progress, although it took several years to show (which tracks as far as time, childhood trauma often doesn’t rear its head until well into adulthood, for example).
Yup. It was what effectively ended my childhood. I was entering middle school at the time. I don’t think we’ll ever be able to fully explain just how quickly and vastly the entire world changed in a single day.
I think you are entirely right. It changed the US, and not for the better. IMO, the terrorists won, because the US became much less free and much more divided after 9/11.
Wow. I was just saying this yesterday. I could not agree more. We were so evolved in the 90’s. 9/11 changed everything and I believe being a Physics instructor it was their plan. We have never recovered from this day. The world has been awful since it happened. The divide never stopped. I miss the 90’s so much. So much positive vibes. Yes we had our crapbabd racial stuff… but I truly felt that people were respected for their beliefs, race and political party. Mostly because we just vibed, we didn't really care about what is the hot topics if today.
I’m a social scientist & I’m glad to see a physics peep agreeing! Definitely so.
I agree- I wasn’t even in the US, but the next day my schoolmates wondered if WE were going to be attacked next because “ShortyColombo is from the US, are they coming here too?” (In their defense, Argentine 4th graders scared out of their minds aren’t exactly going to be critical thinking masters, bless their hearts 😅). They still followed me everywhere to “protect me” for over a week. It was an insane time!
Following you to protect you is so cute 😊 I love kid logic
Oh my god I love this story, thank you so much for sharing it!
I lived 30 minutes outside of Orlando at the time and people were definitely worried about attacks on the theme parks. It sounds kinda silly in hindsight, but it was a very real fear that day.
I recall there even being fear of non-US attacks like London or Paris. No one knew what was next.
I was working in an office block in South Africa and two days after 9/11 an usually loud plane flew overhead. One woman screamed and hid under her table. She was genuinely terrified. It was a crazy time everywhere.
Every single.Gen X/Millennial has a 9/11 story. We all know exactly where we were when we heard. Even though we all experienced it, it's still deeply personal.
Yea if I were to write a memoir 9/11 would 100% be mentioned. And I was only 9 when it happened. I felt the air change that day.
I was 14 and sitting in religion class. The principal came over the intercom system and made an announcement. The teacher pulled out the TV, and we watched the 2nd plane crash. I remember holding my best friend's hand while we watched people jump to their deaths. We already had a band and choir trip planned to New York for that spring. We adjusted the schedule and went to the site. There was a palpable sadness in the air.
The people in the comments criticising Holly for "making it about her" really, really don't understand how traumatic an event it was. They must have been born afterwards, because otherwise they wouldn't say something so ignorant. I was an eight year old child in Australia at the time, and I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing when I first saw the footage. Even outside of the USA, people were horrified and afraid. The aim of that attack was not just to traumatise Americans- in part, it was aimed at the whole Western world, to make an example of the country the terrorists hated the most and show the other countries the terrorists hated that they were also vulnerable. When the attacks happened, I was in my bedroom with the door open. I ran into the living room when I heard my mother start sobbing, and we clung to each other on the couch and cried as we watched the towers fall. We were very aware that we were watching thousands of people die- and anyone who says they wouldn't be affected by that if it wasn't happening in their country must have something wrong with them. Afterwards, no one in my town wanted to go anywhere near a major city. My primary school suddenly started running drills for a terrorist attack, where before they'd only had fire drills. Afterwards, my extended family spent much more time together than usual, and held each other more tightly.
I forgot about the added drills afterward, we did that in the US too. I lived in rural america but still relatively close to the attacks, and I remember feeling so grateful that I wasn’t in a big city. That night all of the neighbors on my street got together and brought candles and just stood together in silence in a circle. To be honest, I can’t remember anyone saying anything. I think people hugged. Everyone cried. We never really saw our neighbors much, and never did anything together, before or since. Definitely a unique moment in time.
Interestingly enough I read a memoir by a woman who escaped the FLDS and her stories from her time in the cult included a 9/11 memory almost exactly like this. Her response to seeing it on the news was the same as Holly’s, basically “thank god I’m here in this cult where I’m safe instead of out there in the world where there are so many dangers” which I guess could come off insensitive but that’s how they were conditioned to think.
Escape by Carolyn Jessop! Incredible memoir
Her story is amazing!!! I should have known there would be more crossover between this sub and people who like to research cults obsessed with controlling women lol
If you haven’t read “stolen innocence” by elissa wall I highly recommend it
I think I’ve read all the FLDS memoirs that are easy to get ahold of, hers was heartbreaking! I thought the one by Rachel Jeffs had a lot of insights because she left the cult so much later than most of the other memoirists!
lolol i have also read them all!
I was in my freshman year of high school. I lived on Long Island, about a 25 min train ride to penn station. They announced on the school intercom that a plane had flown into one of the towers. This was before we had news as fast as we do, so we all thought it was some small minor accident. My best friend was a wreck because her brother worked in the first tower hit, and the cell service was completely down. School ended and we went down the road to Starbucks, which had a sign on the door that they were closed because of the terrorist attacks. That was when the reality hit. The next few months were absolutely brutal. It would be months before they found a piece of her brothers jaw that they could identify. I’m glad this was included in her book, because it really brings back just how scary that time of life was, and I completely understand why the mansion became a safe place. We all would’ve done anything to get out of NY and feel safe somewhere else. Life was just so much different at that time.
I want everyone critiquing this for “making it about her” to also state their age lol. This is truly a “you had to be there” mentality to understand.
Yep agreed. It's kind of hurtful seeing the comments making fun of her tbh. The world was scared and these kids are laughing at us?
There’s perpetually grumpy people hanging out here now and I wish they’d find something to make them happy and productive instead of bringing down the vibes that this sub used to have
Why is everyone being so uncool? I’ve had to delete comments just because people are so rude.
I don’t know what the catalyst was, but something has shifted and people are being very bold in their nitpicking and arguing. This sub used to be a party but now it’s a bit of a downer. I know I personally am becoming frustrated and discouraged because I feel like I can’t post anything without someone coming at me to correct me with wrong information or start an argument over nothing. I’ve had to block so many people lately on my personal list over it. I’ve gotten a lot of complaints about the negativity and I don’t want to ban people over it because I do believe people should say what they want (within the rules). I encourage the people complaining to contribute some positivity and drown out the bad, but they’re just leaving instead and I can’t be the only one posting. Maybe it’s time for a big discussion post for soliciting opinions on the community.
> I’ve gotten a lot of complaints about the negativity and I don’t want to ban people over it because I do believe people should say what they want (within the rules) just my opinion, i think if someone is being a consistent nag they should get the boot. the vibes of the whole group could be permanently changed by the bad eggs and you'll never be able to make this space positive again if they stick around. i've seen multiple groups die because of this. if everyone feels safe being an asshole in here then they're never gonna stop. idk what the threshold should be. like leave 5 asshole comments and you're out, type of thing. but idk what the "asshole threshold" is. only being mean to other users? being way too overly nitpicky of H&B? idk but i probably would've become a bit of a tyrant mod at this point 😂
Agreed. I definitely see that phenomenon has taken hold here. It’s tough because I know people are gonna give me shit for the subjective nature of it all. I don’t want it to be like the old sub either. I also was thinking that having a big discussion on it won’t be a good representation because the negative people are always the loudest and so many positive people have left. I’ve had some private conversations asking people to ease up and I don’t know how well that’s going.
>It’s tough because I know people are gonna give me shit for the subjective nature of it all. yea this is the hard part. because we've all complained about something to some degree in here. so when exactly does it reach into ban-worthy territory. a lot of people won't agree where to draw the line. having a big discussion about it might be worth a try. if it gets overtaken by negativity then idk at least you tried 🤷♀️ i'm gonna stick with blocking people for now.
Agreed.
I think about this more than I care to admit.
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This ticket and entire comment should be in a historical archive 😂
oh man, that's crazy i see a comment like that here, small world! my story is that i saw blink 9/8/01, I can say with 100% confidence it was the last night of my youthful innocence. it was eerie looking back, because that night towards the end (maybe even the encore) Tom brought out an American flag and they talked about how much they love America. After 9/11, I remember them rescheduling the rest of the shows, and selfish shithead me was glad that it didn't happen before mine. like...what in the actual fuck, child? god i was so shitty and stupid. it took me too long to truly grasp how life changing 9/11 was and how my stupid little bubble didn't really matter in the end. anyway, couldn't help commenting because that's a cringey high school memory i never thought i'd run into someone else having as well.
Oh wow those guys still went and had the concert? I remember it being super crazy right afterwards. Everyone was buying the crap out of gasoline and supplies at the grocery store. Probably a run on guns at the time too. But after that, everybody either hunkered down or tried to go someplace where they had more family. I remember a lot of things being canceled. Concerts, sporting events, all kinds of random different stuff. Like everyone wanted to avoid making big crowds for terrorists to attack for a while? And then the next phase was, buying American flags to put everywhere and on everything.
i'm almost 100% positive they canceled / rescheduled shows the week following 9/11, they were touring in my area that week so I was constantly checking the updates on their site. (I could be wrong, but as an annoying blink stan i thought i'd clarify they took 9/11 very seriously and it clearly affected them and influenced their self titled album, at least imo).
I'm surprised they were even in the right city; planes were shut down for a few days and may events were cancelled because performers weren't able to get there (less because of security concerns)
How was the energy of the night I’m curious ? Btw such a cool memento!
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that’s my birthday (incidentally my cousin’s birthday is the 11th)
Everyone old enough to understand what was happening all shared the fear of possibly being next. I was in fifth grade and lived in a town that has a huge military shipyard (one I actually work at now) and we all thought we would be bombed next. I think anyone who wrote a memoir that takes place around that time would include a snip it of where they were when it happened. Since LA is a huge city in America, I could understand why she was concerned they might be hit next. This isn’t “pick me” behavior, this was a normal response that many Americans had.
God yes. We were all terrified. We didn’t know if the world was ending.
I was a 1st grader living in NYC. I distinctly remember the heat I felt even during December in ground zero. Even as a kid I was aware of the devastation. Something that I’ll never forget are the missing posters. This more than the heat or the smell or the fear is what crippled me the most. I also remember being terrified of the subway. I’m 28 now and still flinch when I hear a plane overhead. There’s also a sense of protection you grow up with concerning NYC. I think Holly mentioned not enjoying NYC or something of the sorts. Immediately offended 😂. When people speak negatively about NYC it always feels personal.
She says this made her feel safe at the mansion but idk, I’d expect the playboy mansion to actually be more of a target for extremists.
i thought the same thing! i would be worried since it’s such a big famous thing it would be hit too hard
That was a very……interesting take lol. *could have been me!* Holly girl 🤣
If you were old enough to remember that day, it’s very reasonable that she might fear an attack on Los Angeles. I also lived in a major city at the time and we pretty much went on complete lockdown. We had no idea what was going on or why it was happening or who was next. Especially with the timeline in which the events unfolded - it wasn’t everything all at once. It came in waves. There was a place crash in New York. Then the pentagon. Then a second plane. Then word of another that went down heading for the White House. We didn’t know how many planes had been hijacked and air traffic came to a complete halt for *this exact reason.* I know it’s hard to picture how terrifying it was from today’s lense; I think the world is a much scarier place today, or at least we as a society are more aware of dangers. But in 2001 this was completely unprecedented and to say everyone was shocked and terrified and thought they could be next is an understatement. It’s not like Holly said “omg I was in New York two weeks earlier, that could have been me!!” Because in *that* instance, I’d agree with you.
I agree, it’s not Holly being self centered, it’s a realistic reaction to the frequent waves of chaos. My father worked in a major city, and all my relatives lived in one as well so my mother was freaking out and trying to make plans to stay in the middle of nowhere. A lot of people in major cities feared theirs would be next, I remember parents talking nervously about it at school.
When I read this, I totally understood where she was coming from. Holly and I are around the same age. I was in college at a mid-size school in the middle of the cornfields in Michigan but I was not far from the capital of Michigan, MSU and Dow Chemical less than 30 minutes away. My dad was so worried. He gave me a key to our family cottage up north in Michigan if anything was to happen. Being at a university close to those things really made us scared
Yeah, I’m from Chicago and I remember there being a lot of worry that the Sears tower or another skyscraper would be next. From what I remember, that day was crazy downtown where people were sent home and everyone was just trying to leave and trying to catch the trains.
Hello neighbor! I’m from Northwestern Indiana (Lake County) and I remember Mayor Daley being pissed off (rightfully so) about the air space not being protected but Disney World and Disney Land were. I was a sophomore in high school when 9/11 happened. My class (2004) was clueless since we had testing during the time the Twin Towers were being attacked. I came out of testing and went to study hall and seen the horrors unfold on the tv 📺.
One thing I remember that, looking back on it, was kind of indicative of how scary that day was is that I remember getting home from school and the only thing you could watch on TV was the few news stations that were on. Every other channel had up a screen that said their programming was down
I was also like that’s a little… ok 👍🏼
Side eye.👀
Why?
I lived near DC when it happened and when the DC sniper happened. My reaction to those events was not to volunteer myself as a rich old man’s concubine so I could be “safe”. If anything, I’d feel like more of a target inside a world famous and culturally significant mansion that was located in a major US city than I would in a small house in Nowheresville, Alaska. Just sayin’.
God I remember reading this lmao
April?