Well, though I personally think yes, I also cant help but think no, I mean other national tragedy's, such a Pearl Harbor, got a day named after it at least, even if it isn't a federal holiday or anything. Maybe its because it was the first really horrible national issue I lived though, or maybe because I was in the Marines, but I cant help but think that this day is being written off by to many people.

I mean, I've even talked to people who don't want they're children to know about it!

Anyway.

So do you think today should be a Holiday? And do you think children should be educated about what happened? Like we are about Pearl Harbor?

P.S It is my understanding that some school system don't even cover Pearl Harbor or previous wars. I'd also like to know what people think about that.






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I wouldn't think of it as a "holiday" so much as a "memorial day."

9/11 was a tragedy. It was only the second time in history the U.S. has been attacked from the air on its own soil, and thousands of people died. I think it's important that we remember things like that, and not just out of respect for the dead.

The reason it's such a bad idea to stop covering history and previous wars in school is because history has a way of repeating itself. Anybody ever notice that there were two world wars? How about the Great Depression? Anybody want to guess what current event is getting close to replicating that?

Holidays and memorial days are a good way to make sure these lessons continue being taught, because it's important that some of the serious mistakes we've made in the past get some recognition. Unfortunately, parents who want to baby up their children and make them believe that the world is full of happy gumdrops and rainbows aren't going to teach them this stuff, which is why you have people who don't want to teach their kids about 9/11, and people who think that the holocaust is a lie.

Personally I'd rather not live in a world where there are well-trained teachers who think that WWI is pronounced "world war eye," so yes I do think 9/11 should be given a memorial day.

Too late now it already is a holiday "National Day of Service and Remembrance." Read more here http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2009/03/27/2009-03-27_senate_oks_911_as_day_of_service.html

Hmm thats a nice day but it still does feel like enough, a day of doing good deeds is'nt enough I mean, we should always have it in our minds.

Should it be some sort of holiday? Yes, I think so. Should it be one that's observed in the same manner as the major holidays we have like Memorial Day, Thanksgiving, etc in that people get a day off from work? Probably not. Having a holiday for 9/11 would be too much like Memorial Day. Memorial Day already recognizes those to have fought and died in wars. That pretty much takes away the "Service" part of 9/11. All that's left is the "Remembrance" of the attack. Since only a few people compared to the entire population of the country were affected it wouldn't be a big enough reason to observe the holiday in the same fashion as the major ones we have.

But given the magnitude of the event, there's no way we wouldn't give 9/11 a holiday status.

I wouldn't say a Holiday. Maybe a day of recognition.

So the day has passed and now I find myself a bit disapointed in our country. No comments or statements on the local news, and the people at work did'nt even know what day it was.

I can't figure out why the Bush Administration didn't declare it a national holiday. It probably would have improved his opinion polls every year. Would have been a great political move.

They did... it is on the calenders as "Patriot Day" which I think is a poor name choice. Personally, I am kinda glad that there was not a lot of hoopla this year, we need to learn and move on and it is finally happening. How do you think the Pearl Harbor veterans feel when each December 7th goes by with no mention? As years go by the same will happen with 9/11. It will be a named day on a calendar that will have some memorial ceremonies at the sites but will otherwise go unmentioned except in history classes.

As to the teaching of past wars... they are taught, the problem is that classes focus only on the American perspective so our students have no real understanding of the causes of the wars. How many of you can name the real causes of WWI? How about the Depression? WWII? Do you know what the Weimar Republic is? Or how the Treaty of Versailles lead to its collapse and the rise of Nazi Germany? I bet most of you don't. All we are taught is that America was brought into WWI by the sinking of the Luisitania by German U-boats, that there was trench warfare, and that the war ended with us winning. Then the boom of the 20s happened, then the stock mrket crash and the Depression, then Pearl Harbor and the Holocaust which brought us into the war. It is a whitewashing that brings no understanding. Rote learning of names and dates with no meaning. 9/10 Americans don't even know who fought in the first world war. They don't know that the Ottomans fought on the side of Germany and Austria-Hungary, nor that the Italians fought for "our side". And most are shocked to hear that Australians and Canadians fought alongside the British, most think they have never been in a war.

Sorry for the rant... I have a rather large beef with how history is taught.

It kind of already is. I'd say the big difference between this an a federal holiday is that federal holidays have most people off from their jobs and school.

Elara : I know what you are talking about. But history is written by the winners, so no one can ever be for sure what really happened if you were never there.

But there is an idea when there are detailed records and evidence. It's amazing what you learn in college and doing independent research.

Elara : I'm assuming you learned history in the US. I live in Canada, and although there was some focus on Canadian battles it was certainly not as one-sided as you seem to be describing it. Wow. The Treaty of Versailles, and all that - We learned all about that in history class. I can't believe they only teach the US side of it. The real story is much more complicated and interesting... Shame.

Yes, I think it should be. We have Memorial Day and Labor Day to remember our soldiers, so why don't we have 9/11 as a holiday to remember all those who died in the attacks?

I'm vary happy my thread has allowed so many people to give they're opinions.

To call it a holiday would just be wrong. Celebrate a plane crash? 9/11 shopping days? No thanks. Remembrance day is much more fitting.

About people forgetting about it, our lives are so busy now. The dead are the only ones who could be sane, and the living are trying not to become homeless. With the way we live now, it's no surprise most forgot. I always get horrible feelings on that day, so I didn't forget. I also kinda hate that I was mad at everything just because I wanted to watch cartoons at the time when it was all over the news.

Alot of us were pretty younge at the time and did'nt really crasp it when it happened. I was 14.

Namrea : I was just a little kid.