September 11: Images of war at the heart of Manhattan.
'Generation 9-11': End of Innocence for Americans and Us All (Hertener Allgemeine, Germany)
"In terms
of the consequences of September 11th, there is much in common between those in
both Germany and the United States who are today 30 to
40 years old The 9-11 generation, which ranges in age from the early thirties
to the early forties, is now marked by personal fears. There are massive
feelings of insecurity due to the collective experience of violence on
September 11th."
September 11th, 2001: Exactly thirteen years have passed
since the terrorist attacks in New York shook the world. Sociologists at the
University of Duisburg have established that people who were then between 20
and 30 years of age were particularly affected by the attacks. Members of this "Generation
9-11" report having both considerable fears and
insecurities, as well as a sudden sense of individual vulnerability and
concrete consequences on their own lives.
"In comparison to their elders, people who are now 30
to 40-plus years old had their first collective experience of violence, and in
contrast to younger people, were already adults and had a well-defined
political consciousness," explains Dr. Daniela Schiek,
which is why this age group was, and is, particularly affected.
Commonalities between
the U.S. and Germany
Dr. Schiek, a sociologist, conducted
interviews and evaluations in Germany and the United States, and determined
that in terms of the consequences of September 11th, there is much in common
between those in both countries who are today 30 to 40 years old.
When it comes to global politics, the age group can no longer
remain disinterested. "September 11 brought about a kind of political
awakening. World politics now had ramifications for their personal lives. In
interviews, respondents described this as "the end of the holiday from
history," or as "the end of innocence," Schiek
reports.
Furthermore, the invulnerability of the American lifestyle
was also called into question and shaken by the terrorist attacks.
With September 11, their views immigration has changed. "That
doesn’t automatically mean a rejection of Islam, but we see that some things
have become muddled. In Germany, generation 9-11 grew up alongside the children
of guest workers in school.With
candlelight vigils they demonstrated against the burning asylum centers. Now,
though, there was another perspective, and things have become less clear. Before
the attacks, the undocumented were the problem, less so the immigrants. Now
there are statistics, from independent sources, that show a reversal," the
researcher says.
Greater political awareness and a somewhat diffuse attitude
on immigration: "These are the changes in generation 9-11 - but we cannot
yet say how these changes affect society, the direction is still unclear,"
Schiek emphasizes, and points to the next step in the
project: "We want to compare age groups - for example, the 9-11 group with
the 68rs [members of the 1968
student movement]. And we want to compare what opinion leaders in the
different age groups are doing."
September 17: The smoldering remains of the Twin Towers.
One thing, however, is clear to the sociologist: "The 9-11
generation, which ranges in age from the early
thirties to the early forties, is now marked by personal fears. There are
massive feelings of insecurity due to the collective experience of violence on
September 11th."
What has been the experience of affected individuals in the
district of Recklinghausen [where this newspaper is published]? People in our
area, who belong to generation 9-11, reported on whether and how their lives had
been influenced by September 11th:
Posted By Worldmeets.US
"September 11th shattered the sense of security in my
life. I realized that the world has been thrown off track - and that these
events could have a damaging impact on me as well," Nicola Martens
remembers.
"I think in some ways, I was rudely awakened - before,
I had not really been deeply affected by the great crises - possibly with the
exception of Chernobyl,"
says Martens, now 43. In this respect, September 11 also led to a political
awakening: "Since then, I think more globally - while still considering possible
effects for us in Recklinghausen."
Nicola Martens nonetheless feels that the likelihood of a
direct terror threat to Recklinghausen is small: "This is a type of
violence that I cannot imagine here. In this sense, I’m not afraid on a
day-to-day basis."
