The podcast from Duke University that I listened to was called, "Looking Back: 9/11 Across America" which contained interviews with people after the 9/11 attacks. Americans were asked what their reactions were when they heard the news or saw on television that the country had been attacked. Most of the people were in shock and couldn't believe what they were seeing was real. Some even thought it was a movie they were watching, not an actual news event. For others, the news of what happened wouldn't sink in until days later.
They were also asked what impact the 9/11 attacks has had on their lives. Many said their gut reaction was that the United States should get even with whoever did this and we were right to have gone to war with Afghanistan. Others called President Bush an idiot and think we shouldn't have done anything. One young women said she enlisted in the Navy and hoped her contributions would make a difference.
They also felt that the tragedy caused stereotyping of Muslim-Americans. Many people had said that if they even looked Muslim, they were discriminated against or given hateful glances or unkind gestures. One girl, who works in a hospital, was asked if she was Arabic (she was Cambodian). It was one of her patients and the women made her feel very uncomfortable.
One common thread in all the conversions is that people realized that they have taken their country for granted and that it took a tragedy like the 9/11 attacks for them to appreciate America and what she stands for. Some said they didn't even own a flag before this happened but now they fly their flag everyday. If anything good has come out of this tragedy, it is that the act has united our nation and instilled in many Americans new found patriotism.
I wouldn't use this particular podcast in a classroom because it contains some cursing, but I can see how podcasts of this type could be useful. It is important that children be made aware of what happened on September 11, 2001 so I would include a podcast of this type in a history lesson. I would focus on the fact that American was attacked but we survived. As a nation, we stood together and helped each other get through this, as we have when other tragedies have occurred.
One thing that bothered me about the podcast was how some of the interviewees referred to President Bush as an idiot. I feel this was disrespectful and sends the wrong message to our children. Like him or not, the office of the president should always be respected if not the man himself.
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