The attacks happened over 12 years ago and they are still talked about with high frequency in the media today. I think it really changed America and in some ways the World as a whole. Nobody felt safe anymore and there was a huge paranoia that something was going to happen again. There were terrorist attacks in London and Spain in the following years. New laws like the Patriot Act were passed, Bush played into this fear and ordered the invasion of Iraq, new airport restrictions took effect, and there was an anthrax scare.

I was 10 years old about to be 11 in a few months and in 5th grade. I didn't know what a terrorist was before that day. I remember waking up getting ready to go to school and turning on the news to see the towers on fire and then they fell down on live tv. When I went to school that day, all the teachers and school staff were really sad and we talked about it at school that day. Then in 6th grade, I remember watching the invasion of Iraq as it happened on the teacher's computer at school.

Do you think if 9/11 had never occurred that things would have been much brighter in the 00's? Would the recession of the late 00's still have happened with or without the preceding war? How different would things have been?

Actually, it wouldn't have been much different. Not long before 9/11, the Afghan and Iraq wars were already being planned, government spying was already happening, the Patriot Act was already in draft.

http://georgewashington2.blogspot.com/2010/09/did-911-really-change-everything.html

This post shows various points of evidence about how most things associated with the post-9/11 era were already coming into effect.

The only real difference is that if 9/11 hadn't happened, people may have been less paranoid about terrorist attacks happening on US soil. However, if airport security was not tightened like it was after 9/11, we may have had a similar terrorist attack take place later on, which would have done the same effect.
In reality, 9/11 did not really change everything, it was simply a catalyst for existing plans.

Maybe. I want to read some more opinions. :)

For the money we've wasted on "security" we could have had a friggin' colony on Mars by now.  The same defense contractors would have made the same money, and we might even be proud of what we'd achieved.

For the money we've wasted on "security" we could have had a friggin' colony on Mars by now.  The same defense contractors would have made the same money, and we might even be proud of what we'd achieved.


I agree. Now space travel is going private. The only people that will be able to travel to space in America are the ultra wealthy that can pay for it.

Even though the recession was the result of a plethora of factors, I think the war spending post 911 played a part in the recession too. A huge portion of money was pumped into the military and the department of defense during that time.

There was also a big deal about the torture of terrorist suspects at the Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay prisons.

I remember Mayor Bloomberg was a year away from getting elected into office.

I was hoping this thread would have a little more popularity but it is what is I suppose.

War in Afghanistan and Iraq. It seemed in the 00s we were itchy for War, now in the 2010s we're doing everything we can to avoid one.

Look at what's happening with Iraq and Syria, we're using diplomacy instead of guns. But I'm not knowledgeable with politics, so don't mind my whiny self.

If 9/11 never happened, hard to say if a future terrorist attack would have been successful on US soil..maybe yes, maybe no.
One thing I do know is that this caused enough fear and panic in the US...that in a way..the terrorists have sort of "won" because they got you to feel exactly the way they wanted you to feel...scared and afraid.  :-\\

I cannot say that is a fact...that's just how I see things from observing things in your country.

If 9/11 never happened, hard to say if a future terrorist attack would have been successful on US soil..maybe yes, maybe no.
One thing I do know is that this caused enough fear and panic in the US...that in a way..the terrorists have sort of "won" because they got you to feel exactly the way they wanted you to feel...scared and afraid.  :-\\

I cannot say that is a fact...that's just how I see things from observing things in your country.


now we live in a country with fear, always have to watch your back.

now we live in a country with fear, always have to watch your back.


And that's how the terrorists win.

So just go out, enjoy your day as if you have no fear.  I guess that's easier for me to say coz I don't live in America. But if I lived in America, I'd be more afraid of some crazy guy with a gun ready to go postal (Adam Lanza, James Holmes) than a terrorist attack.

If 9/11 had never happened, would we go about our day as normal?

If 9/11 never happened, hard to say if a future terrorist attack would have been successful on US soil..maybe yes, maybe no.

I would probably think so, maybe years down the road.

And that's how the terrorists win.

So just go out, enjoy your day as if you have no fear.  I guess that's easier for me to say coz I don't live in America. But if I lived in America, I'd be more afraid of some crazy guy with a gun ready to go postal (Adam Lanza, James Holmes) than a terrorist attack.


Yes! Terrorism isn't what we should fear in America today. We have an epidemic of mass shootings. Every shooter tries to outdo the previous and it's something our politicians should look into. Not more gun control necessarily, but the mental health and the warning signs of a potential shooter.

Yes! Terrorism isn't what we should fear in America today. We have an epidemic of mass shootings. Every shooter tries to outdo the previous and it's something our politicians should look into. Not more gun control necessarily, but the mental health and the warning signs of a potential shooter.


shootings seem to happen every month now.