I remember where I was on 9/11. I think
we all do. I don't have much of a ritual around remembering it. I
don't watch the videos of the planes crashing, the buildings
collapsing, none of that. I just can't get my head around it. It's
too big, to unbelievable. It feels like fiction and I hate that,
because it's real, the damage that was caused, and the damage it's
still causing. These are the things I use to remember it.
Jon Stewart's comedy isn't for
everyone, but I get the feeling he's a good deal like me – the sort
of person who jokes at the most inappropriate times, particularly at
times of stress, as a sort of reflexive thing. This is him not doing
that, for once. He's sincere. I appreciate that.
When satire is done well, it makes you
laugh, wince and weep. I think The Onion hits all those notes with
this article. It's gravestone-black humour, but it does provide a
chuckle. And every time, at the end of it, I'm crying too.
For me the Onion article you've linked to is still one of the best, sanest, most touching immediate reactions to 9/11.
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