The other day I was checking Facebook when I came across a group called “No school on September 11.” Now, being the non-addicted Facebook person that I am, I normally don’t pay attention to the groups, fan pages and game invites. But this one really stuck in my craw.
The group definition read, “Everybody, STAY HOME FROM SCHOOL ON SEPTEMBER 11TH… no matter what school you go to, what state you live in, think about it…teachers show up and no one is in class, they’ll leave! Let’s see if we can make and break it, news story and everything… WHY SEPTEMBER 11TH? cause it’s a day we should not be in school because of what happened.. We get off school for a bunch of dead presidents but we don’t get school off for a mass murder of people we probably knew? and all the amazing fire fighters and police that died for this country!! NO SCHOOL SEPT. 11TH
“Please people! Invite your friends, make sure EVERYBODY knows… so that those people who died that one day almost eight years ago could have died with the least bit of dignity….”
I don’t know about you, but this is about the stupidest idea I’ve heard in a long time. While looking over the group wall and discussion page, there were quite a few of the 2,000 plus members who said things on the order of “Yeah. 9/11 is my birthday. PLEASE NO SCHOOL ON MY BIRTHDAY!” I was absolutely furious when I saw this. I started thinking about all the real people who waste their time fighting for these types of so-called causes and inanities.
Of course, there were a majority of members and commentators who responded with group complaints, my favorite being, “[T]his is a dumb ploy to have another day off school. should we not go to school on December 7th then? or how about the day of a school shooting? if you wanna remember it, organize something more productive like a memorial or something.”
I know it will never be taken seriously, or at least I’m hoping it never will, because what kind of testament would a holiday be to the 3,000 men, women and children who died on that fateful Tuesday in September? What would it say about us, as Americans and as human beings, if we named a nationally observed holiday for people to go take vacations and get 20 percent off their department store purchases?
Yeah, that always seems to make the best tribute.
“It’s a day we should not be in school because of what happened.”
How much do you want to bet that the nitwit who started this all doesn’t even remember the attacks? That’s purely speculation on my end, but really? If you remember, honestly remember, Sept. 11, 2001, you know where you were, what you were doing, who you were with, and your immediate reaction of fear, sadness, anger, confusion and so on. And you’re not going to want to make that mess of emotions and vivid details into a backyard barbecue.
Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001 has left a permanent scar on America’s sense of safety and holier-than-thou attitude towards other nations. And as painful as it is, as it still is nine years later, we have become stronger because of it. We can learn from it. And we can find a way to never, ever let it happen again.
It was a time of great mourning for our country. But at the same time, it was and continues to be a time of learning, respect, honor and true recognition.
So, dear Mr. No School on September 11, if you want to get out of school that badly, then just play hooky. Don’t try to make it seem that you care about anything else other than that.
Debra Flax is a sophomore majoring in journalism. Her column runs on Thursdays.
