what’s in a date?

i just read about some hoopla relating to the first anniversary of hurricane Katrina. quick, don’t look it up, just say when it is.

dunno? that’s because we don’t call it by its date.

what about Oklahoma City? what was the date of that? and Columbine? and Pearl Harbor (that one you might know) or VJ Day?

so all these happenings have actual names. they are not known by the date of the event.

so why do we call the terrorist attacks of 2001 “9/11″? i’ll tell you right now that the reason this pisses me off is because 9/11 is my birthday, and is now forever stigmatized. i have had numerous people — both strangers and friends — console me over it. why? it’s always been my birthdate, how come all of a sudden it’s so misfortunate? it actually used to be cool when my dad was in the NYPD and my birthday was the same as the universal emergency telephone number.

i am lucky, though. i have some smart and loving friends. on the first anniversary of the attacks — when everybody in the fucking city was walking around weeping with a candle, vigils on every corner, certainly no room for any kind of birthday gathering (not that i’m so keen on that sort of thing, i just like having options), i went to dinner with a good and wise friend. at the end of our evening together, she quietly said “thank you for giving me something to celebrate today” (karen s., i will NEVER forget those words, and continually thank you in my heart for giving me that perspective.)

yet, do the people born on Pearl Harbor Day (12/7) get consoled about their birthdates? how about Oklahoma City (4/19) or Columbine (4/20). do they get congratulated for VJ Day (8/15)?

finally, someone has given me a rationale for this that makes sense: 9/11 was not just an attack on NYC, it was also attack on the Pentagon, and god knows where that downed plane in PA was heading. so OK, i can go along with it now, with somewhat less resentment, because there is a difference and there is a reason. still, it’s tiresome when people pat me sadly on my back over my birthday. i wish they had all seen the column that The Onion ran on the first anniversary – hilarious!

oh, and in case you’re wondering, Katrina happened on 8/29.

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