We had class on September 11th and as the kids are filing in, I overhear one of them say "I wasn't even a year old when that happened."

I'm surrounded by a large number of students who grew up a short train-ride outside of downtown NYC. The location is such that if prior to 9/11 you walked up a hill or were in an upper floor of a building, you could visibly see the towers. These students are mostly younger (ages 18-22). There is also an international demographic that skews a bit older, and these students come from a diverse set of continents that are not North America.

It blows my mind that the students who were worlds away on 9/11 had to put the younger students in their place when the young students said that "they make too much of a big deal out of 9/11." And, yes, this is the general sentiment that I get from the 18-22 year olds.

I suppose it's hard to communicate quite how much of a big deal it was. In fact, if it weren't for the international students, I myself wouldn't have realized the extent to which it was a big deal outside of the US. But... come on. A significant portion of people that these kids are surrounded by on a daily basis watched two giant buildings collapse to the ground and, perhaps just as importantly it is worth noting that many of us didn't necessarily know whether or not a loved one was harmed until after the fact. You kind of make a big deal out of that sort of thing.

I'm sure many of their own parents saw the towers fall, but I think the fact that it even happened is so "normal" to them that it just doesn't register with them that it was a big fucking deal.