Vee ([info]evenpr) wrote,
@ 2002-07-09 15:11:00
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from TIME
sure, i could quote some intelligent voice of dissent amongst the ruckus that is the aftermath of 9/11, but sometimes it's just fun to laugh at flag-bearin', gun-totin', SUV-drivin' americans.

"As I read of the plans for rebuilding on the site where the World Trade Center stood, I wondered what has happened to the American spirit that built those magnificant structures. I hope it is not a casualty of the terrorists' attack. My vision is for a single, taller, 125-story tower. The top floor could be a special, quiet shrine, closer than even the Twin Towers were to heaven. This idea would honor the memories of all involved, within the framework of a true rebirth of a financial powerhouse. Come on, New York, come on, America. It is time to rebuild bigger and better than before!"

--Steve Gonto, Savannah, Ga. (big shock there), Time, June 14 02, Letters

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[info]goliardhoungan
2002-07-09 12:46 pm UTC (link)
Truth be told, this was sort of my reaction, too. But I'm like that. Tell me I can't do something and I'll try to do it better. Of course, then I read somewhere that a building becomes totally inefficient after something like forty-eight floors, so I figured pulling the hydra on this one wasn't the best option. Still, there are marvels in design that don't require massive height... safety, energy efficiency, aesthetics... I guess I still think we should build there again, but not just another old-American phallus. It was this kind of penis waving that caused the world to hate us in the first place.

I said it before, and I'll say it again, the pile of rubble in lower Manhattan is America's collective angry inch. (Even if it's cleared away by now. Hee.)

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[info]evenpr
2002-07-09 02:49 pm UTC (link)
heheh.
and i'm not saying there's anything wrong with such a reaction - it's just very american, that's all.

and again - nothing wrong with that... it's just so un-me that sometimes i have to wonder where people are coming from, you know?

angry inch, touche. that was a great analogy.

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[info]goliardhoungan
2002-07-09 05:47 pm UTC (link)
I don't know, I think it is a subspecies of a sentiment that is essential for a good radical. I mean, you're not building skyscrapers, but it would be analagous to up and quitting City Year when you got sick (which, sadly, is the only event in your life that is fresh in my mind, so if the analogy doesn't match so well, I have nothing else to choose from). Anyway, I'm basically just playing devil's advocate right now, so stop me whenever I get out of line.

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