BuzzMachine

The media pundit's pundit. Written by NYC insider Jeff Jarvis, BuzzMachine covers news, media, journalism, and politics.

Remembering people over places

5 comments on Remembering people over places

Remembering people over places
: Greg Allen — inspired by a plaque marking the place where Nathan Hale died — says this about the World Trade Center memorial:

I fear–and the WTC memorial finalist designs make me even more certain–that a memorial centered on the twin towers’ footprints marks precisely the wrong thing: the buildings, not the people. I hope it won’t take 200 years for future historians to correct this error.

So, so right and well-said.

With all due respect to the families who’ve been insisting that the footprints be retained, it’s not the place that is sacred. It’s the memory that is. And the lesson.

: When I came up with the idea of a memorial in video, I realized that could address these issues, for such a memorial would focus on the lives, not the deaths of those memorialized; it would concentrate on the people, not the place; and — most fascinating — it could live outside that place, not only in a traveling memorial but also on the Internet. Not only should such a memorial not focus just on the place, it should not be trapped by the place.

5 responses to “Remembering people over places”

  1. Michael Demmons Avatar
    Michael Demmons

    A plaGue????
    I hope Greg is ok after having gone to that spot! :-)
    [ thanks … it’s early… – jeff ]

  2. gavin Avatar
    gavin

    I have often thought it was a huge mistake to try to fill the WTC site with a memorial at this point in time. I don’t think this country has processed this yet and will make a mistake in choosing a fitting memorial. I think it would be more appropriate once the war against the jihadist has been won.

  3. greg.org Avatar
    greg.org

    I couldn’t agree…with you agreeing…with me… more.
    In addition to the proper focus on the lives–and not just the deaths–of these people, one of the most powerful aspects of the video memorial proposal is itsreach beyond the confines of the site.
    The indelible images of the WTC around the world isnure it’ll never be forgotten. Marking these “footprints” is about as useful to future history as putting newspapers and coins in a time capsule. It’s precisely the people who need–and deserve–to be remembered.
    Nathan Hale’s death was a major event of the Revolution, but the place where he died is now interchangeable with any mall in the country. It’s his life, words, and his sacrifice that carry his memory forward.

  4. The Sanity Inspector Avatar
    The Sanity Inspector

    All of the memorial suggestions I’ve seen are too weepy, for lack of a better word, for my tastes.
    This is a war memorial, yet looking at the designs there’s nothing to indicate that these people were the victim of anything more malign than a random natural disaster. I mean, how about a raised fist or something here and there, to signal our national defiance of the jihadis?

  5. Will Avatar
    Will

    Something that’s rattled around in my brain recently…
    Democracy is generally credited to the Greeks, and Greek architecture was part of the inspiration for the design of Washington D.C.
    My (rather rough) idea was to place three statues around the WTC site, each pointing out toward the Statue of Liberty.
    Zeus ~ for power, justice and mercy
    Athena ~ wisdom and defense
    Apollo ~ light and truth
    All focused toward Lady Liberty.
    Of course, what exactly each god represents varies depending on who you’re referencing.
    I referenced http://www.greekmythology.com
    However, it still doesn’t speak to those who died.