To most of us outside of New York City generally, and Manhattan in particular, this likely seems like no big deal. A steam explosion in a century-old underground steam pipe? Hey, most of New York’s infrastructure is old and outdated; these things happen, right?
Try and see if from the perspective of a New Yorker who lived through 9.11, though. A large explosion and what appears to be smoke pouring out from the blast site? What do think the first assumption would be in the midst of the pandemonium and information vaccuum? Of course, it’s going to be terrorism- especially for a city so horribly scarred by the 9.11 attacks.
One of the things that struck me during our trip to New York City in late October of last year was how many reminders of 9.11 remain around Manhattan. Sure, it’s been almost six years now, and most of the rest of the country has moved on. New York, though, lives with the aftermath of 9.11 on a daily basis. All one has to do to see this is to visit the hole in the ground that use to be the site of the World Trade Center. Seeing that scar in Manhattan’s financial districts really helps explain the impact that 9.11 still has on the collective psyche of New York.
New Yorkers don’t dwell on 9.11, but neither is that day very far below the surface of the collective consciousness. Yesterday’s explosion is ample proof of that. While apparently not terrorism in any shape, manner, or form, the intial impact of the explosion was the same as if it had been a terrorist attack.
Who says the terrorists haven’t won?
