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Although I was personally unaffected, I still find myself very touched by the many news stories they have been showing recently. This got me thinking back to the conversation in class we had inspired by a Henry David Thoreau quote from Walden in which he says that "all news...is gossip." He also questions: "if you are acquainted with the principle, [of a news story] what do you care for myriad instances and applications?" (69). This made me wonder if Henry David Thoreau had been alive on 9/11/01, if he would have been disappointed in the media for featuring hundreds of stories about the attack. Would he have accused the news reporters of being gossips? Also, when I heard about the london bombings in 2005, should I have shown no interest because I was already familiar with the concept of terrorism due to 9/11?
I think that Thoreau perhaps thought that people like to talk about the latest news stories with a secretly selfish motivation. Sort of confirmation that they are with it, or in the know of what's happening these days. I think there may be some truth to this, whether we do it consciously or not. However, I do not think that I or anyone else talking about the 9/11 attacks should feel that they are gossiping. There is nothing wrong with taking part in conversations about these stories in an effort to pay respect to those who were unfortunately affected or even trying to make sense of the evil that occurs in the world today.
Yes, Thoreau states that "all news... is gossip," and later says "you are acquainted with the principle, what do you care for a myriad of instances and applications?" in reference to people being "robbed, murdered, or killed by accident," and this may seem utterly apathetic and emotionless but it makes sense. Do you remember or were you deeply affected by the news of the passing of each person shot this summer? How about last year? Probably not. All people will die at some point. How and when people will come to their end is application of the principle that everyone will die. That is something that we all know yet it is incredibly uncomfortable for us to acknowledge. I understand this and find the news to be extremely dark and redundant because of it, but something is different to me about 9/11. The news of attacks on the World Trade Center means something more than news about gang violence or drunk driving. 9/11 demonstrated a new side of the human race to me. Until the attacks, I had no idea that humans were capable of such darkness. It was not just an application of a principle I already knew, it was news that stretched the outline of the madness humans were capable of. I do agree that many people talk about the latest news with a self-promoting motivation however I do not think that that is what enables us to discuss the terrible events of 9/11. 9/11 is more than an instance, rather it is a redefining of humanity and that allows us to speak freely on it without gossiping.
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