"Uniquely Unique" - The 9/11 industry
I haven't been following the news of debates over what to do with Ground Zero very closely. But according to the New York Times, a "Freedom Centre" which was "envisioned as a living memorial in which the story of Sept. 11, 2001, would be told in the context of the worldwide struggle for freedom through the ages" was rejected after "Critics said the sacred precinct of the memorial was no place for a lesson in geopolitics or social history, particularly when the memorial museum was planned entirely underground, within the trade center foundations."
However, today, "state officials described a plan this morning to develop a half million square feet of retail space elsewhere on the World Trade Center site.
If consumerism and worship of "free" "markets" are an indication of serious social problems that get quite a lot of attention (on the left at least), respecting history gets less emphasis. But a failure (or refusal) to appreciate the meaning of history is in many ways just as clear a symptom of a society in a crisis as unrestrained capitalism. The risk of a "9/11 Industry" serving many of the same functions as "The Holocaust Industry" as Norman Finkelstein described it seems very real. Since 9/11 (like the Holocaust) is a "uniquely unique" event, and no one can comprehend the suffering of its victims by comparison, history becomes meaningless. Thus, in the wake of catastrophe, we shall not look to history to see what we can learn about freedom and justice; we shall go shopping.
This is not the pathology of neo-Reganite neo-Conservatism (or whatever you want to call the "ideology" of the Bush Administration). Domestically, the British government has responded to the terrorist attacks in London in a similar way, and we barely need reminding of Charles Clarke's comments about Medieval historians as education secretary.
History helps us to put the present in context, but more importantly, accurate history helps us see how people have struggled to win freedom from oppression through the ages - where they have succeeded and where they have failed, and why. If power-systems cannot rewrite history to ignore popular victories (and this has been pretty successful in "Western" societies), then history will be ignored altogether. And with no hope remaining of improving the world we live in, what reasons remain not to just forget about the rest of the world entirely, and go shopping?
However, today, "state officials described a plan this morning to develop a half million square feet of retail space elsewhere on the World Trade Center site.
If consumerism and worship of "free" "markets" are an indication of serious social problems that get quite a lot of attention (on the left at least), respecting history gets less emphasis. But a failure (or refusal) to appreciate the meaning of history is in many ways just as clear a symptom of a society in a crisis as unrestrained capitalism. The risk of a "9/11 Industry" serving many of the same functions as "The Holocaust Industry" as Norman Finkelstein described it seems very real. Since 9/11 (like the Holocaust) is a "uniquely unique" event, and no one can comprehend the suffering of its victims by comparison, history becomes meaningless. Thus, in the wake of catastrophe, we shall not look to history to see what we can learn about freedom and justice; we shall go shopping.
This is not the pathology of neo-Reganite neo-Conservatism (or whatever you want to call the "ideology" of the Bush Administration). Domestically, the British government has responded to the terrorist attacks in London in a similar way, and we barely need reminding of Charles Clarke's comments about Medieval historians as education secretary.
History helps us to put the present in context, but more importantly, accurate history helps us see how people have struggled to win freedom from oppression through the ages - where they have succeeded and where they have failed, and why. If power-systems cannot rewrite history to ignore popular victories (and this has been pretty successful in "Western" societies), then history will be ignored altogether. And with no hope remaining of improving the world we live in, what reasons remain not to just forget about the rest of the world entirely, and go shopping?
posted by UK plc at 6:46 PM
2 Comments:
A good understanding of historical forces is certainly necessary, but this "Freedom Center" is actually an exercise in right wing ideology.
I didn't realise this. As I said, I have not been following any of this very closely, and the first I read of it was in the New York Times. Which I know I should treat with more scepticism.
Anyway, it seems the Freedom Centre will not happen at all now...
Thanks for your comments!
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