9/11 at the dinner table
I thought it would be nice to take my grandparents out for dinner. Two of my cousins got together and we met the folks at Swiss Chalet for a dinner in honour of them. It was going quite well as my grandmother was impressed that we were paying for their meal. So just as things were going perfectly I thought this was the opportune time to ruin everything.
“Grampa,” I began, “Five years ago you asked me what I thought about Sept. 11. I didn’t know what I thought then. Today I have an answer: Inside job.”
I should have told them I’m gay it would have gotten a warmer reception. Anyways.
“I disagree,” my grandmother said, shaking her head.
I suppose I felt that I knew what I was talking about. I replied, “That’s because you haven’t looked into it. You watch CTV News, and read mainstream newspapers, but the fact is it is in their interest to maintain the official story.”
“Did you convert to Muslim, too?” my grandfather asked, referring to my mother who now lives in Lahore, Pakistan with her new husband. I replied, “No. I’ve just watched a lot of movies and read a lot of articles…”
My grandfather was displeased. He said, “That’s the sort of thing that people who deny the holocaust would say.”
I rebutted, “I don’t agree with that parallel because there’s evidence of the holocaust. You can visit the gas chambers. The Germans admit what happened. Whereas with 9/11 the rubble was immediately shipped off to China before there could be an independent investigation. It took 400 days for an investigation to start, they ended up getting their cronies to investigate themselves”
As any 9/11 truther knows, the big question mark is building seven.
“Did you know that at 5 p.m. on Sept. 11 a third building collapsed - at free fall speed? After the twin towers, it’s the third time in history fire has ever caused a building to collapse — ”
“That’s true,” my cousin Raymond agreed.
My grandmother could see the look on my grandfather’s face. I noted that it was getting a bright shade of red. Did I think, hey, maybe I should ease up? Maybe this isn’t the best dinner conversation? Not quite.
I continued, “The two towers also fell at free fall speed into their own foot print. Debris went flying in 100 meters symmetrically outward from the building. And then there is the question of molten metal in the basement. There is an ‘energy deficit’…the first time ever in history fire has caused a building to crumble.. to dust!”
Suddenly, there was a crashing noise and my cousin Raymond was covered in cola. The conversation paused while the young lad mopped himself up.My grandmother said, “You know, it’s Rachel’s birthday, so let’s talk about something else. It’s very interesting. Even though I disagree, I’d be willing to talk about this again.”
That was about six months ago and I haven’t had the chance to bring it up again. I’m not sure if I want to.
I’ve been heavily “indoctrinated” with 9/11 films and websites. It would seem I can regurgitate conspiracy theory like the best of them. At the time I thought my opinions were built on rock solid foundation.
What I didn’t realize then was that I was operating with what is known as confirmation bias: This happens when you have a preconceived notion which you seek to prove. It’s an information filter that means you only seek out information which reinforces your world view. I thought I was “more informed” because I read a lot, but it might be that I read a lot of crap. Might be. I’m now willing to reconsider my opinion and take a hard look at everything.
I have an open enough mind to say the official story could be a lie. But I should also admit that it’s as likely or more likely that the alternatives aren’t the truth either.
One of the purposes of this new FlatPlanet is to not only challenge the official reality as it is provided (eg. world is flat) but to challenge the alternative story because it too has it’s flaws.
I’m no longer willing to repeat the claims of conspiracy film makers but I am still not willing to buy the official conspiracy either.
The nascent concept which birthed FlatPlanet was to allow for individuals to speak their minds. All sides would have had a chance to speak and each argument would be factored in until finally a “unified theory of everything” comes into view. Clearly that idealistic experiment is not possible, but FlatPlanet also is about challenging the status quo.
As “9/11 truth” has become more mainstream and ever more controversial it appears I should double check my sources. I’m officially sitting on the fence. I will remake my opinion after I’ve objectively reviewed the evidence.