9/11 birthday

[bobquasit]

I wrote this in a response to a question on Fluther about what to do for someone whose birthday is on 9/11: "What is the appropriate way to handle a birthday on September 11?"

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The person should sit in shame in a darkened room, apologizing to everyone for being born on this holy day. Then the guests should pelt him or her with stones, chanting "9/11!" "9/11!" "9/11!" until their voices give out.

Then everyone can sit down and have a good cry.

Damn. When did Americans become such wimps? How did one day manage to turn America from the beacon of freedom for the world into a torturing, privacy-violating, Constitution-shredding bunch of idiots who will apparently do anything as long as the magic words "9/11" are invoked?

9/11 was bad, yes. But it wasn't as if New York City was nuked, or something. Thousands died, not tens or hundreds of thousands. Does that mean it wasn't bad? Hell no! But other nations have suffered far worse calamities without making such a damned fetish out of it.

It's a birthday party. Have a piece of cake, sing, give some presents. Lighten up!

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Too harsh?

Not being able to leave well enough alone, I then added the following:

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I know! Why not turn it into a theme for the party? You could even make it a party game! Have the birthday cake baked in the shape of the World Trade Center. Then have one of the guests crash a toy airplane into the cake, ruining it. The rest of the guests then pick out some other guest (but never the one who was actually responsible for the crash), and blame him or her for the whole thing.

That person puts on an Arab-style sheet, and then everyone at the party beats the living crap out of him or her...and his or her entire family, as well. Take all their money while you're at it. It's perfectly okay to beat up casual bystanders in the general melee, as long as you never hurt the person who actually destroyed the cake. Anyone who fails to show enough enthusiasm for beating up the designated villian should also be beaten.

Then everyone left standing can call themselves "heroes" and feel really good about themselves. Hurray!

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I seem to have a wicked sense of humor today.

Update: The Fluther moderators deleted my second post. So I deleted Fluther from my links. I don't think I'll be returning there.

Update 2: Why do some sites make it so hard to delete your account? Fluther doesn't have the option, so I had to write to the site owners to request that my account be cancelled. Pity, but I really have no patience left for people without a sense of humor.

Comments

[graceysbane.livejournal.com]

Today is my daughter's birthday. For this is the first year she has actually wanted to celebrate her birthday ON her birthday since the Towers.

I am grateful that none of my family were lost. I am sad for the ones that were. However, for me 9/11 is the day I was given a wonderful daughter and one of the happiest days of my life because of it. I refuse to have anyone tell me I shouldn't rejoice on this day for the miracle of my child because of the loss of others.

To do anything but celebrate her life would be a great injustice to her, and invalidating.

[mom-o-cass.livejournal.com]

right on!!!

[mom-o-cass.livejournal.com]

i can't stand when people tell my husband or my brother that they can't even enjoy thier birthday again. Eff That. they can and they have. this day will be a celebration in my life every year. My cousin Tim was a firefighter that died when the towers fell. my brother is dead because of what he did that day, and i am STILL going to celebrate my loved ones. The day will forver feel sad but the joy of my loved ones will ALWAYS be with me.

[graceysbane.livejournal.com]

I'm not a religous person, but rather more inclined to be spiritual. In response to your post, all I can say is:

AMEN TO THAT!

As an EMT, all lost ones are brothers and sisters to me. I'm sorry for the loss of your loved ones, but I know they would do it again because laying it on the line is what we do.

[janewilliams20.livejournal.com]

Huh? Are Americans STILL making a fuss over that? It's just another disaster, guys. They happen every day. Unless it affected you, personally, get over it. The only bit of your original post I disagree with is the idea that the rest of the world ever thought of the place as a "beacon of freedom".

[bobquasit.livejournal.com]

Yeah, "beacon of freedom" was a deliberate bit of rhetorical excess. You need to talk like that when speaking in public, as a pre-emptive defense against morons who use faux-patriotism as a weapon.

In the end, most Americans love fascism. They just like it to be home-grown.

[graceysbane.livejournal.com]

I just realized this is the first post I've responded to that was not related to your wife or son. Guess this was one topic I just wasn't going to stay silent on.

[bobquasit.livejournal.com]

Is that a good thing, or a bad thing?

[graceysbane.livejournal.com]

good thing :-)

[donnad.livejournal.com]

I know! Why not turn it into a theme for the party? You could even make it a party game! Have the birthday cake baked in the shape of the World Trade Center.

Have you by any chance been to Cake Wrecks recently? It's no longer at the top of the page, but if you scroll down to the daate (9/11) you'll see it.