Am I the only one here...

[TheShiningWizard]

..that.

1) Wasn't in the least bit suprised by this terrorist attack.

2) Can't really force themselves to care.

I'm not trying to be malicious or anything. I'm just wondering if anybody else feels uneffected by the day's events. I can empathize with others, because I could see how it could really shake a person up, but personally today seemed like just another day to me, albeit half of my school was crying, and the other half was watching the news during class.

[Mad_Dog]

you're probably the only one...

[SGT.Peelover]

I was not all that suprise that an attack took place, but the way those attacks were carried out just blew mine mind off with a sawed-off shotgun. Knew we were having to much peace time. Damn, it never lasts... If you dont feel bad you need to think of all those you care about and put them on those planes or in those buildings. If you still dont fell anything got take some damn prozac.

[TheShiningWizard]

See, that's the thing - nobody I cared about died in that attack.

It's just like when that pop star died. I didn't care about her death because she meant nothing to me. This is the same kind of thing, except it's upwards of 15,000 people instead. If I cared about one of those 15,000 I'd be upset, but I don't, so I'm not. It's that simple. It's not like I'm heartless or anything, as I'm trying to empathize with others. I spent half of my school day giving hugs, backrubs, and soothing words to students I'd never met. Before someone calls me a hypocrite, keep in mind that those people meant something to me because they're my classmates at a school I love. If I was still at my old high school I wouldn't care in the least about people crying over this (aside from my friends, of course).

So, to sum up my rambling, I don't feel bad about this because I didn't care about the people who are dead. I'm not happy about it, but I'm not losing sleep over it.

My condolences to the many people who are feeling otherwise about the day's events.

[Kuroshio Apocal]

It becomes real personal when someone you know may of been killed. One of the kids I knew at school last year, everybody liked him, was doing intern work at the WTC. Several people have tried to contact him, but no word yet.

So yeah, I'm ****ing pissed.

[The_Fur]

you are not the only one, it was only a matter of time.

[SGT.Peelover]

Does not matter if you do not know them. How can you not feel anything. I dont know anybody in the Holocaust but it makes me pissed and emotional as hell to know that it happened. Do you need to see pictures or someting? These are everyday people, that were living their lives!! Living like you. Everybody that died had a name like you, Had a mom like you, had friends like you. Can you imagine that many indivisual lives stopped by some freak Terrorist!! I value life of all kind. I understand life is lost everyday but when it is unnecessaryly wasted!! It just pissses me off!!

[The_Fur]

Not feeling anything is easy, to me all these things are just a statistic, like the hundreds of people that die every hour from starvation and warfare all over the world every day.
I don not think you spend every minute of your life feeling sorry for them either.
This is supposed to be worse because it happened a little closer to home, but it isn't. Just because they are people that live in the so-called civilised world doesn't make it more or less tragic.

These things happen almost every day why would yesterdays events be of any more importance to me?

[Trak]

I am not trying to be rude, I suggest you seek therapy. I spent most of my day watching CNN with tears running down my face. I almost definitely didn't know one single person that died in the attacks today, yet I am an emotional wreck now. All I can do is look at my wife and be greatful that we weren't involved somehow.

[edit] Added subject [/edit]

[The_Fur]

right so we should seek help because we do not suffer from emotional distress but keep a cool head instead. It figures.

[omen]

don't worry, you're not alone. i feel the same way. it simply doesn't bother me. it amazes me that something this grand has happened, but i'm not losing any sleep over it either. i can imagine how terrible it is for the families of those that died, and i wish it didn't happen, but i think our country is partly responsible for this. we wouldn't have planes ramming into our buildings if we treated people worldwide as humans.

anyways, there's something that disgusts me which i've seen recently in most forums. many arrogant americans are angrily asking for war ("drop a bomb!"). we aren't even positive who the terrorists are. for all we know, they could be a small group of fanatics. so how do you declare war on a group of these people? do you take the eye for an eye approach and bomb an entire state in retaliation, also killing innocents? that would make us no better than the men who flew those planes into those buildings. in fact, it makes us worse because we are now sponsoring state terrorism. and for all you bleeding hearts: open your eyes. it's strange how most of you show no concern for the exploited and the oppressed, your government isn't innocent either. why else would the symbolic buildings of american wealth be destroyed? maybe they wanted to make a statement? i'm also very disappointed with the way our government is handling this. instead of grieving over this nation's loss, bush is already preparing for his merciless revenge. it seems a little too quick, considering we don't even know was responsible. i think the politicians who speak of retaliation are too afraid to admit our country was in a vulnerable state. and instead of bombing afghanistan, why don't we stop screwing over the arab people? maybe if we stop supporting israel and stopped oppressing the iraqi people with ruinious sanctions, there would be a less likelihood of people commiting terrorist acts.

[Trak]

Originally posted by The_Fur
right so we should seek help because we do not suffer from emotional distress but keep a cool head instead. It figures.

There is a difference between a cool head and a cold heart. I think I have managed to keep a pretty cool head through this. I didn't load up my shotgun and shoot the Iraqi shopkeeper across the street. I went over and bought my daily stuff from him like I usually do, and he was in just as much shock as everyone else in his store. I haven't posted racist tirades or exclaimed nuke em all. I have stated that when we find out who did this and we make them pay for there crime. A simple call to action. Emotional distress and a cool head are not mutualy exclusive, emotional distress just makes a cool head harder to acheive.

[TheShiningWizard]

Yes, let's all run out and get therapy so we can be depressed, too. Sheesh, some of you people are just plain silly sometimes.

As was mentioned earlier in this thread, those people are, to me, just like the hundreds that are dying from starvation as I type this.

Why should I bother being sad over this? I've got my own problems to worry about. I've had to deal with events that are, to me, much more important and more tragic. Events such as being bailed on by my friends simultaneously, or hearing my then-Muslim brother tell me how he was going to kill me once Jihad starts up... While that may mean little to other people, it means the world to me, because it affected me. Seeing a plane crash into a building and destroy it is, to me, more "interesting" then "tragic."

Few things annoy me more than people who say "How can you not be sad? You must be evil! You must have a cold heart! You should be depressed like everyone else!" That's just ****ing stupid talk. Some people have bigger things to worry about then the lives of a few thousand complete strangers.

Anyway, if you bothered reading my other post, you'd notice that I spent most of the day at school CONSOLING PEOPLE. Yeah, I'm such a cruel, heartless bitch.

[Trak]

I apologize for the therapy remark. I guess with my personality comes alot more empathy than you aparently have. That dosn't make me better than you, and I am sorry for implying that there is something wrong with you.

I just can't help putting myself in the place of these people. When I was young, any image of suffering would do the same thing to me as what is happening to me now. And guess what, my parents took me to therapy. They told them that I empathized with people on an unusual level for my age and that there was nothing really wrong with me. Inversely the same thing could be said about you, if you don't receive any direct consequences or have no direct conection then you just don't feel it. Nothing is wrong with you, we just have a hard time understanding each others position. Once again, I apologize and I am sorry.

[The_Fur]

I understand their position, i understand the positions of all involved, I can see why some Americans cry, i can see why some Palestinians feast in the streets. It just doesn't affect me that is WHY i can see it from all standpoints.

[Aeris]

Yup

[TheShiningWizard]

It's alright Trak. Like I said, I can feel for those who are crying, and I understand why they are crying. That's why I've been consoling people all day.

With this post I was just wondering how many other people thought about these things the way I do.

Anyway, no offense taken, Trak.

[Donnellizer]

A single death is a tragedy; a million deaths is a statistic.
Joseph Stalin (1879 - 1953)

[striderteen]

I've taken the news calmly, but I'm not apathetic to what's going on. I suppose it's my personality -- I was much the same at my grandmother's funeral, didn't cry or anything.

And yes, I did expect a major terrorist campaign. The tactics were unexpected, but that something like this would happen was not.

[phatcat]

hello, where is the humanity in you people?
talk about the highest form of being selfish. *sigh*