Basil Jarrett | September 11 –Twenty years later

There are events in life that are so visceral, so historic and so life-altering that when they happen, you immediately know that for as long as you live, you will always remember the exact date, time and place you were standing and what you were doing when it happened. For me, I’ll always remember that fateful Sunday morning when I woke up to the smell of fried dumplings, bully beef and cabbage, and the news that Mike Tyson was knocked out by Buster Douglas the night before. I’ll never forget waiting in line at a patty shop in Half-Way Tree when I first heard someone say, “Yow. Yuh hear say Michael Jackson dead?” And in the case of September 11, 2001, I will always know the stomach-roiling sensation I had as I sat in my downtown Brooklyn office and watched the second plane hit the south tower that wretched Tuesday morning.

I’ve always had a deep sense of history and occasion, and so, after watching the towers come down that day, I stopped at a Duane Reade on Nevins Street and bought a small notebook to chronicle the events of the day. Not that I thought I’d ever need a reminder, since those days are so permanently seared into the back of my mind. The acrid smell of jet fuel, hydraulic liquid and concrete dust at Ground Zero, mixed later with the reek of burning flesh and human death; the feeling of bewilderment and disbelief as to how something like this could happen in America, of all places; the frantic and endless online searches to get up to speed on this Al-Qaeda thing; and the 24/7, round-the-clock news coverage as I gobbled up every news bulletin that I could. Netflix binge watching has nothing on CNN during 9/11.

DESPERATE TIMES

And so, as we approach the 20th anniversary of that other day that would ‘live in infamy’, it is fitting that my thoughts go back to that Tuesday morning as I reflect on how life as we knew it changed with that fateful event. Not that I needed much of a reminder, given that the US military’s bundled and shambolic withdrawal from Afghanistan two weeks ago once again proved the futility of modern warfare where hearts, minds and ideologies are much more difficult to seize and hold than geographic territory. President Biden’s pullout from Afghanistan ended a 20-year process that started that fateful day in 2001. America’s longest war not only defined the Bush-Cheney presidency, but it triggered major changes to US foreign policy and domestic initiatives to combat terrorism. September 11 allowed the US government to implement sweeping national security reforms under the Patriot Act which improved communications and cooperation between security and law-enforcement agencies, increased penalties for terrorism-related crimes, and allowed for wider surveillance of US citizens by law-enforcement and government agencies. For a country that has always jealously guarded the privacy rights of its citizens, this latter provision was perhaps the most eye-opening. But desperate times call for desperate measures, and Americans gladly handed over these rights to the government if it meant keeping them safe. The Patriot Act was big, broad and sweeping, and although some of its surveillance provisions have since expired, many of its enactments are still very much permanently in place. And it wasn’t just the Patriot Act that we’ve had to learn to live with even 20 years after 9/11. I can remember, prior to the twin towers attack, when you could chuck almost anything that could fit in a suitcase on to a plane, so long as it didn’t weigh over 70 pounds. Yes. That’s right. 70 pounds was once the maximum weight limit for airline checked luggage. I must have moved an entire engine and transmission at one point or another through airport security. Today, you can’t even get past TSA with a pen in your pocket. It’s the new norm, borne out of a desperate tragedy.

FUTURE OF COVID-19

My mind takes me therefore to 20 years from now and asks the question, what new norms might we still be living with in the post-COVID-19 era? The face masks? I think I could get used to not having to shave in the morning. The hand sanitizer at every building entrance? Less hand soap to buy means more money for Reggae Boyz tickets. The no-movement days and nightly curfews? Please. I’ve been married 15 years – I’m used to restrictions on freedom of movement.

But as I take a deeper view of how COVID-19 has fundamentally changed our lives, it becomes clearer just how unimaginable such a future is. I have come to detest online learning, so much so that in post-COVID-19 life, I don’t even want to hear anything about a ‘hybrid learning environment’. Kids are best schooled in school, and discussion around virtual learning must be in the context of supporting face-to-face classes, not supplanting it. Zoom parties and online social mixers are the next set of abominations that must be banished from the face of the earth, as are empty stadiums and sporting events, elbow bumping as a form of greeting, and travel bans to places I’ve not yet visited. And the only way to avoid this apocalyptic vision of the future is to encourage a healthy view of the currently available COVID-19 vaccines. Well, actually, that’s not quite true. Herd immunity – resistance that is built up over time based on a large number of individuals having been previously infected – is another option. But herd immunity costs lives. Many, many lives. Not just in actual COVID-19 deaths, but also in the death of persons who are unable to receive urgent medical attention because hospitals were either full or medical equipment or resources were already tied up treating COVID-19 patients. COVID-19 vaccines are far from perfect. Though safe and effective, they have waning efficacy. They require boosters, and they appear to be less assured against the mutating versions of the virus. What they do offer, however, is time. Time to slow the virus while we develop better treatments and solutions; time to provide hospitals with breathing room for other patients; and time for us to slowly retake some of what we’ve lost in the last 18 months.

VACCINES

I’m not a big fan of vaccine mandates, but if we are to avoid this dystopic future, we must begin to look at vaccines in a positive light. In that regard, I believe in communication, education, engagement and empowerment. This is the key to defeating COVID-19. Combining this with a logistically efficient availability and deliverability of vaccines, and we will finally start to turn the corner on this pandemic and move back to life’s little pleasantries, such as shaving in the morning, wearing pants to meetings, and shouting in each other’s face about Whitmore’s Reggae Boyz team selection.

Major Basil Jarrett is a communications strategist and CEO of Artemis Consulting. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com; basiljarrett.artemis@gmail.com.