Reactions to 9-11

September 15, 2001 10:56 PM

Wow. We're pissed, and sad. And for some, things have switched from Conservative-Liberal to something else entirely. But I think arguing and discussing all this on Mefi is a lot better than having this crap eat us alive from inside.
posted by owillis to MetaFilter-Related at 10:56 PM (11 comments total)

Agree. And many thanks to Matt for having it here and keeping it going.
posted by bjgeiger at 5:29 AM on September 16, 2001

As one who fully expected to get booted a couple of days ago, I share in the thanks to Matt. I believe he, and as a result this forum, has been remarkably indulgent to the shift of ideological polarization. I for one have gotten a much better view of how people can simply assume a priority of values, and how those people react when their assumptions are denied, or questioned, or even challenged. The Conservative-Liberal camps are fairly well entrenched in our culture, and hence this sub-culture as well. I'm hoping that by accepting ALL reactions in this forum we are doing our part to make sure that the "war is bad"/ "we must take action" rift doesn't firm up into a polarized and entrenched division that frustrates us all for some time to come.
posted by Wulfgar! at 9:52 AM on September 16, 2001

Agreed; I just wish folks would stop trying to use emotive platitudes and ill-fitting analogies to trump entire lines of reasoning. It's arrogant. (paraphrased: "For every complex system there exists a solution that is elegant, simple, and wrong", yadda yadda)

Everyone is entitled to irrationality at a time like this, though; I've tried to avoid the politics and just stick in a correction now and again.
posted by skyline at 2:47 PM on September 16, 2001

I'm just so sad that some think this is an easy case, an easy world, heroes and villians, it should be obvious to you, duh. Surely everyone posting here understands that war is a terrifying proposition? Surely everyone here understands that Tuesday's acts were atrocities? If there was any calm in the early part of this week, it was that nearly everyone assumed that everyone else was angry and smart, scared and moral. It felt pretty good. But now too many people "know" what they don't have a right to believe they know.
posted by argybarg at 5:03 PM on September 16, 2001

It's really dark here in NYC. The level of collective sadness is nothing like I've ever experienced. It colors everything. Collective depression.

posted by ParisParamus at 8:51 PM on September 16, 2001

I miss the ol' conservative-liberal nutbusting. With much hope, we'll be back there again soon.
posted by UncleFes at 9:58 PM on September 16, 2001

Calvinist!
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 11:20 PM on September 16, 2001

maybe we can all write essays and put it into one big ball of thread.
posted by elle at 1:15 AM on September 17, 2001

I've been unable to hit that "post" button for about a week now. My thoughts and feelings are all over the place. I have been reading, though, and I thank everyone for contributing to MeFi. The level of civility has been amazing, overall, though I'm afraid this may just be the calm before the storm.
posted by gimli at 10:25 AM on September 17, 2001

Metafilter has been an amazing place for me this past week. I fear that without it, my response to the events would have been sadly one-dimensional (anger). The discussion here has helped me get clarity of thought. It has truly changed me and the way I think about not only the world, but my own country.

It makes me sad to think that the people around me IRL do not have the same sort of outlet for exchange of ideas and the comforting of sorrows.

Thank you, Matt for your work and your contributions to this community.
posted by fooljay at 2:45 PM on September 17, 2001

fooljay, right on. Part of the beauty of the system is the Preview button. Rather than being limited by whatever you can think of to say on the spur of the moment, you can carefully craft your response to convey your thoughts as accurately as possible. When we get a good exchange going in a discussion thread it is intellectually demanding and it stretches our brains, forcing us to constantly reevaluate, extend, fine-tune and adjust our own assumptions and positions. Sometimes, amazing things happen, and disparate positions can even come together. I am simply grateful for the opportunity to participate.

The other part that makes it amazing is the people. The general level of education, the raw intelligence, the sensitivity and caring, the extent of the collective knowledge base, and the relatively low troll quotient make it a fun place to hang out. Thanks, Matt, and thanks everyone else.
posted by JParker at 12:25 AM on September 18, 2001