Ten years ago, when al-Qaeda launched a terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, the world mourned the thousands who died. But the lasting impact was much more than lost lives and missing buildings. It’s changed the world we live in and our idea of security.
How has 9/11 changed the world we live in?
Kyla Cochrane, third-year English student
“It’s made us fearful of the unknown and people of other cultures. But it’s also kind of made us more united because we’re kind of standing together to fight terrorism and all that. And, even though we’re fearful, we’re still kind of together. I think [life] has changed more for the U.S. because they were affected more by it, but I feel that Canada’s feeling the effects too. Just because we’re so close to them and with them.”
Sean Coombs, third-year political science student
“There’s a lot of ways that it changed the world. It’s changed the way we look at security. You just look at airports and that pretty much points it all out to you. It changed the way we look at other people. I find there’s a lot more focus on the conflicts now. We’re now trying to spread democracy to all these other countries who don’t have [it]. I find it all kind of started happening after [9/11]. We’re trying to spread [democracy] and implant it in our own ways and I find that’s not cool. They’re forcing democracy on others and they should be letting it happen naturally. They, I mean the Western powers, the States and all them.”
Kayla Ossachuk, first-year theatre and English student
“Well, for a while I think the world was kind of in a state of shock. And it wasn’t just The States, it was kind of everyone. And, as it went on, the shock kind of wore away, but the fear was always there. So, I think that we’re living in a constant fear now, that it could happen again, that it could happen to us. It could happen somewhere else.”
Sam Saulis, first-year English and history student
“We’re kind of more aware of how things happen and what is happening and how people see things differently. It brings terrorism to a whole different level. We’re more aware of how to judge people. To see…it’s kind of into the racists kind of thing and how you see someone of a different ethnicity and you automatically think that maybe they’re a terrorist.”
Katie Demerchant, third-year English student
I think it definitely makes people more apprehensive about travel and I know from an engineering perspective it’s changed a lot of different buildings, that sort of thing. When you’re building towers and stuff, they’ve changed it so that the steel beams aren’t on the inside anymore they’re on the outside.
For more, read Features editor Lauren Bird`s account from when she was in New York City 10 years ago. Also, see why Alyssa Mosher says bad news matters.
