Journal of Student Research 2018

58 Journal Student Research just one might have carried on its own. New York writer and composer Rinde Eckert wrote in his 9/11-inspired essay “Shorebirds Atlantic” that when death becomes “regrettably commonplace, not the grand affair it was,” that there is no longer a “great communal outcry of grief for the dead departed souls,” but rather that, “to the casual observer, nothing [is] out of the ordinary” (Eckert 80). Philosopher and theorist Judith Butler writes in Precarious Life that, “when grieving is something to be feared, our fears can give rise to the impulse to resolve it quickly” (Butler 29), and this is exactly what post-9/11 America has done. America seems to fear grief as an implication of weakness, and it is incredibly difficult to mourn in American society. Distressing headlines fly by on a minute-to-minute basis, each new crisis trying to supersede the last one in its urgency. Students at University of Wisconsin Stout barely had a moment’s pause after the 9/11 attacks before being overrun with news about a local arsonist and the national anthrax scares. There is something new clamoring for attention every second, and Americans across the nation are pressured into such a constant state of busyness that it is difficult--shameful, even--to pause to reflect on grief and sadness. On the first-year anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, student-journalist Nick Coenen wrote in his Stoutonia column that he was looking forward to the catharsis of the anniversary, but the day itself ended up being a “let down [sic]” (Coenen 5). Instead of being able to take the time to reflect on the lives lost 365 days ago, he found himself “scrambling to get to class and keep pace with [his] life” (Coenen 5). There were many opportunities for self reflection in the city of Menomonie, especially for students. From candlelight vigils to art ceremonies to group discussions, the nation was invested in memorializing the event (Werner 4). However, Coenen’s experience of being too caught up in his everyday life to emotionally engage is not unique. While there were many opportunities for discussion and remembrance, they were officially limited to this one-day anniversary—a controlled, officiated memorial that barely scratched the surface of the trauma that occurred a year before. Meanwhile, those who remained deeply affected by the tragedy were struggling every day to work through the grieving process, and were met with an increasingly hostile public reaction. 9/11 widow Alissa Torres writes about her struggle to mourn her husband’s death after September 11 in her graphic novel, American Widow. Not only does she feel isolated as the country moves on, leaving her and many other grieving families in the lurch, but she is frequently shamed for taking necessary time to recover and return to society. “No one likes an arrogant, selfish, lazy, wealthy person,” accused a close friend of hers (Torres 127). Taking time to mourn is seen