November 12, 2001
No great insights here regarding this morning's American Airlines crash in Queens, as the eerie surface similarities to September 11 must have been the first thing to involuntarily jolt everybody's thoughts. As I'm guessing was true for most people, I was sitting in the same spot here at work, at almost exactly the same time, when I first heard the news from the same co-worker, followed by some frantic web and radio news searches. Of course, the main difference is that on September 11 my immediate reaction was that something insane and life-altering had happened, whereas this morning it was that a horrible accident -- but only an accident -- took place.
And I suppose this reaction is natural, given the circumstances, but what does it say of me that I can feel even the slightest sense of relief after a plane carrying hundreds of people crashes into a crowded city, based only on the thought that the signs seem to point to human or mechanical failure as opposed to malice? Is it because if I can see these 300 deaths being random it makes me feel somewhat safer, or at least as safe as I did yesterday? Too many thoughts for a busy Monday morning.
And I suppose this reaction is natural, given the circumstances, but what does it say of me that I can feel even the slightest sense of relief after a plane carrying hundreds of people crashes into a crowded city, based only on the thought that the signs seem to point to human or mechanical failure as opposed to malice? Is it because if I can see these 300 deaths being random it makes me feel somewhat safer, or at least as safe as I did yesterday? Too many thoughts for a busy Monday morning.
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