At the end of Missoula, MT, article on presidential poll numbers in Montana, I found this line:
Just 68 percent [of poll respondents] were able to identify the correct year of the 9/11 terrorist attacks (2001).
Which reminded me of these videos:
If you’ve watched those videos, you’ll know why I’m struggling to think up any insightful commentary. Is it worth pointing out that every society has its share of blissfully uninformed citizens, or that through the dark arts of video editing anyone can be made to look stupid? Or should I point out that we now realize the “Never Forget” slogan was at once overly optimistic and incredibly naive, considering the character and attention spans of the American people?
Actually, no. You know what? These videos are a great indication that the terrorists didn’t win. If the terrorists wanted to intimidate the American public or create a paradigm shift in the public’s thinking, they completely and utterly failed. Terrorism is the most important issue in the upcoming election for one percent of Democrats and five percent of Republicans. And, apparently, some of us think the September 11th attacks happened on August 16th. Take that, Osama.