Looking Back a Year
Later—How Americans Have Dealt With the
Changes
There’s no denying that the past year has
been a time of immense change in America. Regardless of
profession, heritage, or perspectives on life, most
Americans were shocked by the events of September 11,
2001, and have experienced a multitude of changes since
that day.
News for a Change contacted several people who
have played some role in post-September 11 events. They
represent just a small segment of the people who have
helped to shape the fabric of our future, but we believe
you’ll find their perspectives
enlightening.
NFC: What was your initial reaction to the
news that the World Trade Center and the Pentagon had
experienced terrorist attacks? Please describe the
conditions that existed when you became aware of the
tragedy.
Farmer: Interestingly enough, when the first
plane flew into the World Trade Center, I was meeting
with two other individuals to plan a workshop on
interest-based conflict resolution. One of the
individuals was late for the meeting, having passed a
television monitor on her way that was covering the
crash. She heard the announcement that a plane had
crashed into a tower at the World Trade Center and shared
that information with us when she arrived. Initially, I
thought she was joking, using a preposterous story as a
humorous antidote to diminish the impact of her being
late. But she wasn’t joking and that was made clear
when we heard the announcement that a second plane had
crashed into the World Trade Center. We were incredulous;
experiencing news that was so foreign that it took days
to comprehend what had happened.
Robinson: My initial reaction was both shock
and anger, coupled with some disbelief. I was sitting in
front of my television, switching channels to find out
what the weather would be that day, when I went past CNN
and saw the picture of one of the towers
burning.
Romines: I was waiting in the lobby of the
Edison Hotel in downtown Manhattan, a block from Times
Square, with 80 other vacationing theater volunteers when
I first heard of the tragedy. I was having a cup of New
York “regular” coffee and a bagel. When we
heard the news of the first collision, we were told it
was a commuter plane. I couldn’t believe that any
pilot could make that kind of mistake. The World Trade
Center towers were massive and the day was beautifully
clear. The next thought that ran through my mind was that
possibly there had been a medical emergency—heart
attack, hypoglycemia, or seizure—that had caused a
pilot error and subsequent collision.
Then the word came that a commercial jet had rammed
the building. The bagel I was eating got stuck in my
throat, because I realized the collision was a purposeful
act. It couldn’t have been an error or mistake
because there are two capable people flying every
commercial jetliner.
I
pondered with others what could have happened; then I
went back up to my wife and my room to check the
television. I heard a breaking newscast headlined by the
crash. A few moments later, when the second plane hit, I
knew it was a contemplated, planned, horrific act. But
who could do that? I couldn’t believe what was
being said on the television.
I
went back to the lobby and quickly walked to the corner
of Times Square and looked toward the World Trade Center.
I froze. I saw the top of the most gigantic ball of smoke
I had ever seen, climbing into the sky. What the
television was broadcasting was true. It had
happened.
I
then questioned myself, asking if there was anything else
that was going to complicate the event. Training had
taught me to assume that a planned event such as this
would be accompanied by other happenings. Later we heard
of the other planes.
NFC: What are your current feelings regarding
the attacks?
Farmer: I am encouraged by the coalition that
was created to fight terrorism, but I am concerned that
President Bush has a tendency to listen to individuals
who would pull out their six-shooters, and then, after
blowing the enemy away, might sit down to talk. It seems
that answering hate with hate only keeps the dance of
hate going. We have an opportunity to work with the
coalition to quiet the voices, supporters, and funding
sources for terrorism. But then we also have an
unparalleled opportunity to listen to those nations who
have signed on to fight terrorism to understand what has
worked in our international efforts and what has
contributed to the desperation that was expressed by
those terrorists, resulting in the loss of so many
friends, family members, and colleagues…precious
lives.
Robinson: I still feel anger along with some
frustration. I am glad that the Taliban that supported
terrorists has been ousted, but I am still frustrated
that the main person responsible has not been brought to
justice.
Romines: The act was despicable. There is no
reason I could possibly imagine that would justify the
actions of the people who planned and executed that act
of terrorism, that act of murder. As far as I am
concerned, the word terrorism is too clean; the act was
unprovoked, contemplated murder of innocent civilians in
the first degree.
NFC: As you reflect on the past year, what
changes have you observed in our culture and lifestyle
that seem related to the attacks?
Farmer: As a nation I have seen a coming
together, a merging in a sense, where we have all
suffered a striking blow, and with that, a death of
innocence. Distinctions that served as dividers before
9-11, such as geographical location or urban versus
rural, seem to have been erased. Instead, I see a nation
of people who have come together as a community, proud to
be Americans, embracing the freedoms we are assured
through our Constitution. I see people from the West,
North, South, East, and international locations reaching
out, offering what they can to be a part of the healing
process. I see a nation that has experienced a death that
has joined us as one to grieve those and what we lost and
to celebrate what we are about. I see the young and the
old with a renewed sense of accountability...a sense that
their voices do matter and that it is important to be
heard.
I
see a nation wounded by a vicious attack, but emerging
stronger and determined that those lives lost will not be
lost in vain...that we as a nation won’t cower in
fear...that we are a part of a larger community that
wants to end the senseless killing and egregious assaults
that generate from a point of greed and blind
fanaticism.
The most profound change to me has been a heightened
awareness of my responsibility to partner with those
individuals who have been elected to represent the
collective voice of the American nation. I have been
alarmed by statements that have suggested that
questioning decisions of the president is
“un-American.” It has been alarming to see
this president working so hard to develop an
administration that is cloaked in secrecy and directly
attack the gains we had made regarding civil rights for
all. I don’t think the president has a great deal
of power, as there are checks and balances in place to
make sure all sides of an issue are explored so that an
informed decision can be made. But, the president does
have tremendous power to set the tone for the
nation.
When President Clinton left office, the tone in the
country was one of service to one another, reaching out
to your neighbor to offer a helping hand, building a
sense of trust and inclusion among the American public.
What I have seen with President Bush is a charismatic
personality who is using this situation to breed fear,
and with that fear, unchecked authority. In my opinion,
it is important to answer such a hateful act with force,
to demonstrate that there is a significant consequence
for attacking the United States. But equally important,
we need to demonstrate an attitude to understand what
caused such an escalation of emotions that led to such a
destructive act.
With that combined approach, I have hope that the
coalition of nations can truly eradicate terrorism and
the destruction that comes from unchecked power. Without
the latter, the attitude to understand, I fear that we
will just trade hate for hate in an unending, destructive
dance.
Robinson: I think there have been a couple of
changes. First, the general populace has gotten a little
more patriotic. There was an initial surge immediately
after the event when people were still angry, but the
long-lasting effect is evident. For example, recruiting
among all the armed services is meeting the goal this
year when it was way behind the last few
years.
Second, the general populace is more paranoid. They
are less tolerant of strangers and less likely to be
“sheep” if something happens.
Finally, the transportation industry, where I work,
is a lot more tightly controlled. Personal freedom has
been curtailed slightly for the safety of the general
population.
Romines: I have noticed that we have become
much more patriotic as a nation. It seems nationally and
with our allies that people are closer to each other.
People seem to be sharing emotions more. Also, there
seems to be a heightened awareness and a searching for
reasons why this would happen, why people would do this
to our people, our nation—an attempt to make sense
of the event. Naturally, I see more people preparing and
protecting themselves from a future act of
terrorism.
NFC: Try to imagine life in America 10 years
from now. How do you think the attacks and our reactions
to them will affect us at that point?
Farmer: We are in a critical time now as it
relates to life in America 10 years from now. If we base
our decisions on fear, in the short term we will focus on
outpowering the opponent, rather than seeking a lasting
resolution to the conflict that resulted in the 9-11
tragedy. The result of basing decisions on fear will be
an ongoing struggle for that ever-elusive
“power,” leaving only back and forth
exchanges of “might.”
If, on the other hand, we take a long-term approach
as demonstrated in the efforts of building a coalition of
nations to fight terrorism, and if we listen to the
members of the coalition, I believe we will eradicate
terrorism. I’m hoping for the latter
action.
Robinson: I think that as time goes on the
general population will try to return to life as it was;
however, I think that because of laws passed by Congress,
life will not return entirely to that point. I think it
will reach a median between the pre-9-11 days and the
reactions immediately after 9-11.
Romines: I think we will have traded some
freedom for a heightened level of security. That will be
somewhat of a prize for the attackers; however, the
difference I feel is that we will have voluntarily traded
some freedom for security, versus it being taken from
someone by the whim of a controller. Some of the loss of
freedom will be obvious, such as lines and ID checks.
Some will be less obvious, such as tracking of events and
routines or non-entry to places considered part of
critical infrastructure, that in the past were public and
accessible.
NFC: Has America’s role in global
affairs permanently changed as a result of this tragedy?
If it has, how? Will it stay changed or will it revert to
the status quo?
Farmer: That is yet to be seen. The initial
steps to create a coalition of nations to fight terrorism
demonstrated the leadership potential of the United
States. If we treat those nations with respect and are
willing to listen, as well as tell, we have the potential
of remaining a leader among nations.
Robinson: Yes, now we are the watchdog of the
world against terrorism. We will no longer tolerate
countries that either shelter or support terrorism. I
believe that will make the biggest
impact—particularly depending on what the president
does about Iraq. If war is waged on Iraq, I believe the
United States needs to realize that one of the byproducts
might be terrorism here—not on the level of that in
Israel, but more than we have experienced in the past. I
think it is only a matter of time before the United
States starts experiencing terrorism on a more routine
basis. I think that this will cause government officials
to step back from being so proactive into adopting a more
reserved role.
Romines: I think our role has and will remain
changed. I think we will be seeking to strengthen our
collaborative approach to global affairs. All see the
threat; all see the cost. Many have lived daily with less
horrific tragedies, but tragedies just the same. The
global wave has been toward freedom and democracy; this
threat applies to a larger audience than it has in the
past. Given the magnitude of the murderous event, our
nation and the world have no choice but to respond. As
long as the conditions that caused the effect remain, I
don’t see a possibility to revert to the status
quo.
NFC: Please describe for our readers how your
work was affected by 9-11—particularly any tasks in
which you were involved in recovery and/or response
efforts. Help us understand what you did before 9-11 and
how it changed after 9-11.
Farmer: I work in the field of organization
development and training. My work has continued, much the
same as before 9-11, only with a deeper compassion for
others and a heightened awareness that each moment is
important, as what is here today may be gone
tomorrow.
Because of my association with the International
Association of Facilitators, I received a notice asking
for facilitators to serve at a large town hall meeting in
Lower Manhattan, titled “Listening to the
City.” Wanting to participate in the healing
process, I volunteered and, to my delight, was accepted
as a facilitator. I traveled to New York in July and
participated in a town hall meeting where 4,000
individuals came to voice their opinions, share ideas,
and offer a collective voice in reviewing the initial
plans for the World Trade Center site.
Through the use of computers, responses were sent to
a database where a word analysis was done to identify the
top five or six themes for each question asked. Those top
themes were displayed on large screens in the hall
shortly after the questions were posed, allowing the
collective voice to be heard not only by the participants
but also by the decision makers in Lower
Manhattan.
The participants at “Listening to the
City” included residents, individuals who had lost
dear ones on 9-11, and others from across the nation who
were interested in exploring options and being a part of
this healing community. The decision makers have been
responsive to what they heard at the town hall
meeting.
Before 9-11, I thought only the premier players in
the field of facilitation would have an opportunity to
participate in such a monumental undertaking. What I
found is that opportunities to participate are limited
only by our willingness to volunteer, our courage to look
beyond our fear, and our interest in being a part of the
solution.
Robinson: As a commercial pilot, I was not
directly involved with the post-9-11 response. I was,
however, greatly influenced by it. My job industry is
hemorrhaging from its effects—from being treated
daily like a criminal while going through security just
to get to the aircraft, to the uncertainty of whether I
will even have a company to employee me.
Pilots are no longer treated with the respect that
we once had. Since terrorist “pilots” did
this dastardly thing, ALL pilots are now considered a
threat and treated accordingly.
In
addition, the airline industry has lost billions of
dollars in revenue since 9-11. Average people still want
inexpensive seats with unlimited choices of when to
travel. They also want all the amenities that go along
with the service we had prior to 9-11. Unfortunately,
that is no longer possible. Any business that loses from
20% to 40% of its customers cannot keep charging the same
way to obtain the same profit—especially, when on
the average, most airlines operate with only a 4% to 8%
margin.
Romines: Actually, work for me had started in
earnest a couple of years prior to the 9-11 tragedy. The
state of Washington and local areas began work to plan
for and mitigate acts of terrorism with a
multi-jurisdictional, multi-disciplinary anti-terrorism
committee. The committee has been assessing our
capabilities and vulnerabilities; developing needs for
equipment and training; and determining what, how, and
who would respond, which is a significant part of the
workload for many emergency providers.
One of the biggest difficulties is imagining what
kinds of things could happen in the freest country in the
world. How and where should we prepare for what? Some
things are predictable and easier to plan for, some are
not. I believe the effort is much more real to people
after 9-11. Because it is more real to the world, nation,
and people, I think the major change I have seen is a
heightened seriousness, effort, and timeliness that the
anti-terrorism tasks are now a much bigger blip on the
radar screen.
Our Distinguished
Panel
PAM FARMER is an associate with the Human
Resource Development Center at Pennsylvania State
University. She is responsible for the design and
delivery of professional development programs for
academic department heads, managers, and directors.
She serves as an executive coach at Penn State and
also coordinates the communication curriculum and new
employee orientation program for university
employees. Farmer has extensive experience in public
relations and events planning in higher education.
She has instructed in human resource management,
human resource development, and organizational
behavior at the University of Idaho and Washington
State University.
WILLIAM ROBINSON has been a pilot with
Alaska Airlines for more than 13 years and he
currently serves as a captain on B737 flights. Prior
to his time in commercial aviation, he spent 13 years
in the Air Force, including nine years as a flight
instructor and four years flying AWACS in the Far
East.
STEVE ROMINES has been administrator for
the Thurston County [WA] Medic One/ Emergency Medical
Services System since 1992. He previously served as
EMS administrator Tacoma/Pierce County Health
Department/EMS division, as well as director of the
Tacoma Department of Emergency Services. His
background also includes time as an emergency medical
services instructor, firefighter, paramedic, and
LPN.
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