2026 marks 25 years since four hijacked commercial passenger planes crashed and took the lives of around 3,000 people. This is still the largest US-based terrorist attack in history.
This Friday, September 11, comes with heightened tensions between generations who experienced the attacks in real time.
A recent Pew Research Center survey shows that 10% of adults today were born after 2001 and know of 9/11 from others. 60% say they learned it in class, 16% through family or friends, 8% by watching or reading something on their own, and 1% learned another way. A shocking 14% say they’re unsure how they first learned about the attacks.
Many of the older generations (Millennials, Gen X, etc.) question Gen Z’s understanding of patriotism and sensitivity to the events.
Younger Americans are quicker to make jokes or comments about 9/11 more flippantly than older generations. With the anniversary around the corner, Gen Z continues to defend their approach to the attacks. Many compare them to school shootings, COVID-19, and other challenges associated with the current political climate in the country.
An October 2001 Pew Research survey explained that Americans are “comfortable with the extraordinary unity the country…demonstrated [after the attacks] …”
Many Gen Z users also highlighted the massive wave of anti-Islam and anti-Arab sentiment in media and spectacle following 9/11.
With Zohran Mamdani as New York City’s first Muslim mayor, a petition was created to bar him from attending the memorial ceremony because of his religion. This aligns with recent documents Mamdani released proving air quality concerns post-9/11, but the city lied about the air’s safety.
A 2021 study showed that “…the public initially rallied behind the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, though support waned over time…”
9/11 came at a time that garnered a decade’s worth of controversy around what led to the fall of the Twin Towers. Regardless of bipartisan issues, the truth remains that mass death and destruction continue to spark discussion about US foreign policy and relations well past Y2K.
Gen Z’s removal from the attacks is understandable. Older generations who watched it live and experienced the attacks in-person have a deeper emotional, physical, and psychological connection. Gen Z may not understand what the United States was like pre-9/11, but many understand how the long-lasting effects of September 11 still impact their lives and future generations to come.
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