rap english final

7/29/2019 Rap English Final

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Lindsay CarrEnglish 258RAP

Title

It seems that everyone experiences trauma at one point or another in a lifetime,

whether it be personal or national. It is fair to say that there are a variety of ways

that this trauma can be dealt with depending on the severity of it and the person.

Who is to say, that one-way of coping with a tragedy is any better than anothers?

September 11, 2001 tragedy struck in the form of two towers. There are many

different ways to look and think about what happened, some are bitter, some angry,

some mourning, and some still confused. So how do you argue such a way to view

and handle the tragedies? Pushing the way society wants you to cope is not my goal,

nor is trying to influence one way more than another, but to make a clear debate as

to why these stances even exist. Also to deliver a clear message as to why certain

commodities honoring September 11, 2001 may be significant to one, yet foolish to

the average American.

It seems that everyone experiences trauma at one point or another in a

lifetime. It is fair to say that there are a variety of ways that this trauma can

actually be dealt with depending on the severity of it and also the type of person.

Ten years ago, trauma certainly hit home to the home of the brave. When our Big

Apple, New York City fell to pieces, many lives were taken without choice. Causing

grief, anger, and fear for all who were affected by the aftermath; whether it is felt


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with personal or national intensity. This specific day changed the lives of many in at

least one, if not more, ways; things would never be the same again.

As discussed in class a common way for some to deal with the tragedy is

through commemorative actions. You may be wondering, what types of things may

be considered a commodity. And the answer is quite simple; a commodity is any

product that has value. So for this instance, many common commodities of

September 11th include clothing, American flags, coin collections, and souvenirs.

Now in some perspectives these products can be a little over the top, but to others it

is a significant way to pay respect to the day.

Consumerism in America has grown to be quite ridiculous, however, in this

case, it can be a way to cope, heal, and remember what was lost on 9/11. In 2003

the FDNY alone began expanding its logo-bearing product line (Kadison).

Lunchboxes, backpacks, and bottled water began the FDNYs products, to support

their non-profit organization, The Fire Safety Education Fund. But they are seeking

to raise even more money by expanding their logo to other merchandise, such as

swimwear, bedding, and childrens furniture. Its our job to increase licensing

revenue and retail sales, said Stephen Ruzow, vice chairmen of the foundation

(Kadison). Of coarse these products may not seem appealing to the average native of

New York City, but to a tourist an FDNY shirt can mean a million different things. It

brings a sense of honor to the purchaser, as well as a feel good way to remember.

Licensing brought in between $1.2 million and $1.4 million in revenue in 2002,

proving there is still a very strong demand for FDNY merchandise. Sales of T-shirts,


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hats, lunchboxes, pins and other products raise a tad under $3 million at the Fire

Zone Store near Rockefeller Center, on the Fire Zone website, and from its outpost at

the Bloomingdales uptown (Kadison).

Such products like the FDNY logo-ing, when looked at from a producing

aspect, are not moneymakers at all. Sure they are racking in the big bucks, but the

money made is going towards the firemens foundation of New York City. 9/11 is

often looked at in a negative manner, yet it shouldnt be. There are so many

positives that counter act what may be a negative trait. Everywhere you looked after

the events of 9/11 there was some type of product that was remembering it.

It is known that people love money! It is the root of all evil, and everywhere

you look. After the events of September 11, America experienced shock. Both high-

and low-wage industries experienced a range of employment declines.

Unfortunately, those in (low wage) hotel and (high wage) brokerage industries were

especially affected. On the contrary, (low-wage) general merchandise store

maintained previous employment trends (Bram). This meant souvenir shops in NYC

skyrocketed. Profit was said to be made on any 9/11 commemorative, and it sure

did. So although the earnings losses consist of $7.8 billion in deceased workers,

there was some light to be shed (Bram). It was just a matter of being in the right

business for that time.

Now having a feel for the money involved, why is it that some may pass

judgments on certain commodities, just like the FDNY, the coin collection

memorandum go towards the same type of non-profitable organizations. Whether it

be a psychological way of coping with the pain caused by the events, or its the feel-


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good sensation you get when purchasing an I LOVE NY t-shirt; people are still

spending money on these memorable souvenirs. And why not, sure stores are

making profit off whatever merchandise they choose to sell, but money is being

donated in some way to help re-construct the life of someone seriously affected by

September 11, 2001.

Maybe Americans did get a little post-9/11 patriotic fever, but what would

one expect. It is asinine to say that Americans are fair-weathered friends, just

because we came together in a time of tragedy. This post-9/11 fever may still even

have a grip on us as Americans. The comic Art Spegiman created In the Shadow of No

Towers. This comic displays the way 9/11 occurred from his own eyes, the

animations are images of what he saw and how he interpreted them in his own

mind. Dealing and struggling with trauma with such confusion Spiegelman says, "He

hardly knows anyone who supports the war and no one who voted for that creature

in the White House. The state he lives in is the state of alienation, down in the

dumps in the dark indigo heart of the Blue Zone..." This is a strong statement with a

lot of meaning behind it. It is safe to say he does not agree with the war that has

begun and is not a fan of George W. Bush. Throughout his images you see how he

copes throughout the events pre and post-9/11. In the Shadow of No Towers is a

comix masterpiece that transforms a memory already crinkling with age, turning a

darker shade of sepia with every anniversary, into a nightmare from which we've

yet to awaken.

No man can understand another mans nightmares. So, it is safe to say that

each and every human being has their own way of coping with tragedy. Why pass


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judgement if one mans garbage is another mans treasure. In this instance

commodities of 9/11, to some may seem silly but to others they speak one million

unspoken feelings. With every anniversary, we begin to lose a piece of what has

made us the American we are today. It is time to realize that we are America the

beautiful, and nothing can take us down. . To my knowledge, no reader actually

knows the exact cause of 9/11, if it were all a government scam, or if it was a

surprise attack that NOONE was aware of. Either way, honestly, it doesnt matter;

time can not be rewound, deaths can not be undone, and moving forward is the only

logical thing to do, so why not do so with a positive mind.


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Work Cited

Bram, Jason, Orr, James and Rapaport, Carol, Measuring the Effects of the September

11 Attack on New York City. Economic Policy Review, Vol. 8, No. 2, November

2002.

Kadison, Dan. "LOGO-ING GRAZY; FDNY CASHING IN ON ITS RED-HOT EMBLE." The

New York Post20 Jan. 2003. LexisNexis Academic. Web. 20 Apr. 2011.

Spiegelman, Art. In the Shadow of No Towers. New York: Pantheon, 2004. Print.

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