As Americans Gather to Remember 9/11, They're Also Divided About Its Legacy
Memory researchers say 9/11 flashbulb memories often reinforce patriotism and group identity, while 76% of Americans still rank the attacks among the most consequential events.
- Friday marks the 25th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks, a milestone when an event once experienced as immediate and world-changing is increasingly carried forward through ritual and historical interpretation.
- Lafayette College psychology professor Jennifer Talarico notes that unique 'flashbulb memories' of learning about 9/11 connect personal history to broader events, reinforcing individuals' sense of patriotism and connection with other Americans.
- Data from the Pew Research Center shows 76% of Americans named 9/11 a top 10 consequential event, while the National September 11 Memorial & Museum estimates about 100 million Americans were born since the attacks.
- Initially a call to honor victims, 'never forget' emerged immediately after the attacks as a solemn slogan, though it has since evolved into a complex political and historical symbol shaping how Americans remember.
- Rather than attempting to remember everything, experts suggest focusing on collective grief and the extraordinary human response as the group with personal connections diminishes, allowing Americans to understand rather than simply recall.
18 Articles
18 Articles
Times of San Diego
What we forget when we remember 9/11
Scholars of collective memory, also called public memory, have long argued that societies do not remember the past simply by preserving it.
Philstar Global
What we forget when we remember 9/11
For much of the past 25 years, each anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks has arrived with signs and stickers reminding people to “never forget.” I have always felt unsure about what those words mean. For those of us who were alive in 2001, forgetting the day itself is almost impossible. I remember the shock […]
The Conversation
What we remember when we remember 9/11
President George W. Bush reacts in a Sarasota, Fla., classroom after being told of the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington on Sept. 11, 2001. AP Photo/Doug MillsDo you remember where you were and what you were doing when you learned of the September 11 terrorist attacks that occurred 25 years ago? Do you remember what you saw on television or how you felt? Is your memory highly detailed, and are you confident that what you are rememberi…
Year after year, none of these people forget the day commercial planes were turned into weapons and the world has changed forever
Remembering…9/11 by Jina Bacarr
where were you? we all remember where we were that day, how we heard the news, the disbelief shattering our world, then the unbelievable media coverage no one could look away from... i was still groggy from staying up into the wee hours to send off a book proposal to a publisher in San Francisco by email... unheard of in…
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