INVESTIGATINGMedia & PropagandaA viral post argued that 'Never Forget' was deliberately weaponized: not to honor the victims, but to keep Americans in a permanent state of emotional reaction that prevents critical examination of what actually happened on 9/11. The post got 6,235 upvotes.
“A viral post argued that 'Never Forget' was deliberately weaponized: not to honor the victims, but to keep Americans in a permanent state of emotional reaction that prevents critical examination of what actually happened on 9/11. The post got 6,235 upvotes.”
"Never Forget." You see it every September. On bumper stickers, t-shirts, and political speeches. But a viral post with 6,235 upvotes made an argument that reframes the entire phrase: "Never Forget" wasn't designed to honor the dead. It was designed to keep you angry, scared, and incapable of asking questions.
Grief is a weapon. A population in permanent mourning doesn't ask who really benefited from 9/11. They don't ask why the 9/11 Commission was underfunded and obstructed. They don't ask why Building 7 collapsed. They don't ask about the dancing Israelis, the put options, or the Project for the New American Century's call for "a new Pearl Harbor." They just feel. And feeling isn't thinking.
Before "Never Forget" became the default, the natural response to 9/11 was "what really happened?" The phrase redirected that energy from investigation to emotion. From "who did this and why?" to "never forget how you felt." It's the ultimate thought-terminating cliché.
Twenty-five years of "Never Forget" produced: two endless wars, the Patriot Act, mass surveillance, TSA security theater, and trillions of dollars transferred to defense contractors. What it didn't produce: accountability, truth, or answers to the basic questions that were obvious on September 12, 2001.
No one's said anything yet. Be the first to drop your take.
