On the eve of the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, Chris Cuomo reflected on the state of division in the country today relative to prevailing attitudes in the immediate aftermath of that day.
During Friday night’s handoff on CNN, Don Lemon said, “I still look at the skyline and you know, driving on the BQE, on the FDR, what have you, and I expect to see those buildings around every turn” he said, referring to the collapsed Twin Towers. “And it is a reminder every day when you look that way, that it’s not there, but especially today. And it’s also a reminder how much we lost, but a reminder, as well, on how we can come together no matter what as Americans as we did after those horrible attacks.”
“Beautifully said, my brother,” Cuomo responded to his friend. “I have always felt that’s what ‘Never forget’ really is a reminder about. Not what happened. Obviously, we know what happened, but how we were 9/12, 9/13, 9/14. It wasn’t perfect. We made mistakes. It didn’t last forever. But we put things aside and came together in common cause with a collective will.”
Cuomo fast-forwarded to the present:
You contrast that with where we are today. I’m telling you, this vaccine hesitancy, sure there’s a little bit of a
personal freedom thing, people don’t want to be told what to do. Somebody made people think that the vaccine is a personal choice issue. Because it doesn’t naturally occur that way, brother. Because we get our kids vaccinated: mumps, rubella, polio, smallpox. We all do it. That’s all this is. But all of a sudden, it’s a big deal Somebody put an idea of that in their heads. Or somebodies, a group of people. We are not who we were after 9/11. This pandemic has proven that. We are weak people, and making hard times for ourselves.
Watch above via CNN.