In marking the recent eight-year anniversary of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, I thought we should revisit part of the column that appeared shortly after that tragedy. While we came together in the days, weeks and months following the 9/11 attacks, over the long haul it seems like our world–particularly our public policy and politics–has become more divisive than ever. It’s almost as if divisiveness has become an industry unto itself from which commentators and politicians prosper while everyday folks seemingly get caught in the crossfire.
So in the spirit of remembering that there is much more that unites us than divides us, we reprise the notion that you should fill in the blank space of this column–just as we asked you to do a little more than eight years ago.
Here are excerpts from the September 21, 2001 installment of spot.com.mentary:
The terrorist attacks on Sept.11 claimed innocent lives, innocence itself and the sense of security we somehow had taken for granted.
In this week’s lead story, SHOOT’s staff examines the impact on our industry. And also on page one, we pay tribute to William Weems, a veteran producer who was on United Airlines flight 175, which terrorists crashed into the World Trade Center.
But no matter how many stories we write now, with follow-ups in the weeks to come, words fall short of expressing the profound sorrow, anger and grief over the tragedy that has gripped this country and the entire world.
So consider not so much the words that are in this column–but rather the words that aren’t yet in it–as our way of trying to help the situation.
We’re leaving a portion of this column blank. On one level, the white space represents a moment of silence to honor the dead and to offer the entire SHOOT staff’s heartfelt condolences to the victims’ families and friends. On another level, it’s a challenge–to you, our readers. We want you to fill in the blanks with ways our industry can rally to the cause and help to ease the pain and suffering….
At press time, several industry groups were in the process of doing just that–organizing fundraisers and other programs that could be of assistance. SHOOT will report on those in the weeks ahead….
The remaining blank space is for you and yours to fill in with other ways to help out and contribute to society….
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