This morning on 1A, one of my favorite NPR radio shows and podcasts, host Joshua Johnson interviewed the author of a new book about the 9/11 attack. The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11, by journalist Garrett M. Graff, is a collection of memories of 9/11 from people who experienced it up close.
With the 18th anniversary of the tragedy, Graff is concerned there is a whole generation of Americans who doesn’t understand the emotional significance of the attack because they were too young to remember it. They know the facts of the day (four planes, two towers were destroyed, thousands killed) but they don’t necessarily comprehend how the chaos of that day changed our nation.
Johnson played several clips from the audiobook of The Only Plane in the Sky, including a recording of a man who didn’t go up into the his office in the North Tower on the morning of 9/11because he had forgotten his keys. He was waiting out in a hall, eating a bagel and reading about Dell computers when the plane hit the building.
Listening to his memory made me cry.
One theme discussed during the show was how American perceptions of Muslims and the Middle East has changed since the attack. At one point, Johnson made the comment, “prejudice against Muslims an ignominious consequence of 9/11″. I wasn’t sure what ignominious meant, and it was a very impressive word, so I looked it up.
ignominious \ ig-nə-ˈmi-nē-əs\ from Latin ig (similar to in, without) + nomen (name or repute); when the two are put together, it indicates a namelessness that accompanies shame or dishonor
It means:
- marked with or characterized by disgrace or shame : DISHONORABLE
- deserving of shame or infamy : DESPICABLE
- HUMILIATING, DEGRADING, ex: an ignominious defeat
Good word, Joshua Johnson, very fitting. Thank you Meriam-Webster. The show today, Remembering (or Not Remembering) 9/11, was a great one. I strongly encourage you to listen.
If you like to learn new words and the origins of their meanings, visit the Wondrous Words Wednesday meme at Bermuda Onion. Each Wednesday, bloggers share new words they’ve learned.
Thanks for getting nerdy with me!
A good word, and a well-used one by the speaker. My daughter had to interview my husband and I about 9/11 for a school project this week. It was difficult to put into words how I felt that day and the days immediately after, and how I feel about it now.
That is a great word and a sad consequence. Thanks for playing along!