September 11th and the End of the Millennium Era

In the course of recent human history, we've seen quite a few “were you there?” moments, moments that forever affect both our own personal narratives and the overall global narrative. The beginning of the 21^st Century had two of these moments with only a year's distance between them. The first, of course, was the changeover from 1999 to 2000; the second was an event that overshadowed the Millennium and, in my opinion, signaled the end of what I refer to as the “Millennium Era,” or the space of time between 1996 and 2001.

That event was September 11^th, 2001. Twelve years later, I can still remember it, clear as daylight. I was getting ready for school—I had just started as a freshman at Evergreen Park Community High School—and we had WGN Morning News (Channel 9) on, same as any other morning. It was an ordinary day up until about 8:11 our time; the anchors broke their usual witty banter to announce that a commercial airplane had hit the World Trade Center.

Although it didn’t quite register at the time, something definitely changed within the space of that day. 

When I first opened the Millennium Museum on December 22^nd, 2012, my original concept was to point out how silly the 2012 predictions were by bringing up the old Y2K Bug and reminding everyone that we survived that. As time wore on, my intent changed. As I explored the recurring motifs on the items I posted on the blog—connectedness; international unity; a new vision for the world—a single unifying theme gradually revealed itself: lost innocence. Aha…my new mission became clear: I had to figure out what changed within thirteen years. Granted, the answer was obvious as soon as I asked the question: What changed was September 11^th, 2001.

After the 9/11 attacks, we all lost some of our innocence…Many of us lost the Millennium Dream of financial security and wealth in the fall of Enron and Arthur Andersen, which happened shortly before and after 9/11. Remember in the “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” feature that the ABC run of the show ended in 2002—with the news that so many people had lost their life savings, I think all of us as viewers lost interest in watching people compete for wealth in a glitzy, oversaturated quiz show. The image of wealth tasted not of champagne and filet mignon, but of wormwood. 

Devastatingly, I feel that the events of that fateful day destroyed the dream of a world more in touch with itself. Instead of growing more connected, we became more distant and more fearful than we were before. International travel became a frustration thanks to the Department of Homeland Security and the Travel Safety Administration’s efforts to keep us safe; as a consequence, many of us gave up a chance to broaden our horizons and develop a better, more global worldview. The constant, 24-hour broadcasts of certain cable news outlets, which shall remain nameless, helped us distrust our friends, relatives, and neighbors by reminding us that no place is safe and everyone is suspicious. Worst of all, instead of trying to build trust and create world peace, the world found itself embroiled in yet another violent war.

I remember that the turn of the millennium was seen as a time to shed the bad habits of old and turn to a new, healthier way of living. Case in point: the late, lamented broadcaster Peter Jennings, who had given up smoking around 2000 or so, revealed that he had started smoking again following the 9/11 attacks and coverage. Cancer claimed his life not long after that.

The anger and cynicism that marked the 1990s had come home to roost once more.

Even so, all is not lost. The Millennium Dream lives on in another form. The initial loss of innocence ushered in a newfound awareness of how we must live our lives. The social media boom has rekindled that spirit of connection from so long ago, and instant communication through smartphones and the Internet have exposed scenes of corruption and injustice that we might not have seen on the evening news. The demise of “easy wealth” through game shows, stock-market investments, and other means have proven to us that we must invest our money a little more wisely, and that we must not all follow one investment fad (viz. the bursting of the dot-com bubble and the downfall of Enron) no matter who tells us it’s going to be a splash.

The hope, the wonder, and the idealism of the Millennium Dream are still very much alive. It’s up to us, the Millennium Generation, to reclaim the dream.