In my Humble Opinion The importance of this moment in history

Author: Daniel Roberts

In one of my literature classes last year at Trinity College Dublin, we studied the poem "Easter 1916" by W.B. Yeats. Our professor said the poem is a reminder of how some time periods seem more "historical" than others. In many periods, people can already sense that they are living through a weighty and significant time.

He then asked, "Do any of you feel this way about your own time?" I nodded vigorously and said, "Oh, absolutely."

"What is it specifically that makes you feel that way?" I figured he was just coaxing out the obvious, so I said, "9/11." I guess I hadn't really thought about the fact that I was one of only two Americans in a classroom of 35 Irish kids. And that this was an American event, most tragic for American citizens. I must have forgotten all this, because I was surprised when some kids looked skeptical. It took me a moment to realize that it may have been a really stupid comment.

Then I decided it wasn't stupid at all, maybe just a bit self-absorbed (obviously someone from America would feel that 9/11 was an event of epic worldwide proportions), and the teacher finally asked, "Does anyone agree?"

One girl said, "Well, it definitely was a major event and none of us will ever forget it … but every generation has something like that. I don't think it's going to mark our era as an important one, and I'm also not sure it was as meaningful to Irish people as it was in the States." Lots of people nodded assent, but I was annoyed. No, I don't think that every generation has something "like that." That's a gross oversimplification. I think no single event in recent history created anything close to the horror of 9/11. It woke people up from their stupor, and reminded them that safety was an illusion.

The teacher told us that it often feels like events are significant when you are caught up in them, and you haven't yet had the time to zoom out. For example, he said he felt for a long time that 1989-91 was massively important, due to the fall of the Berlin Wall. And then he said, "But I'm sure to you all, that means nothing." One guy confirmed, "Right, nothing."

But now, seven months later (and seven years after the attack), I still believe that we are literally living through history. Today's current events will be the content of high school textbooks fifty years from now.

It's not just 9/11. It's the huge boom in Internet "e-content" (some day soon, it seems, every single written text will be available as a download). It's the Bush presidency - one of intense public opposition (has there ever been a president besides Nixon who was so obviously hated by the people of his nation?).

And it's McCain selecting Sarah Palin as his VP. The choice was obviously deeply disturbing, for many reasons, but it was her appearance on SNL recently that really showed just how unnerving her ascendancy to fame has been. Check it out on Hulu: Amy Poehler is standing there rapping insults about Palin as Caribou Barbie herself sits there at the desk boppin' her head to the beat. Was she merely being a good sport, or was she actually on another planet, mentally - not even truly hearing the words? I'd go with the latter, but either way, it was downright spooky.

In addition, her almost mandatory (after Hillary, Obama, and McCain before her) appearance on SNL perfectly represented the merging of politics, pop culture and Internet. It's a merger that is only just beginning to crystallize now, in the year 2008.

If McCain does not win the presidency in a week, only time will tell whether Palin's fifteen minutes of fame will end and she'll fade away, or if she'll remain in the limelight as an unofficial leader of the hyper-conservative Republican sector. Regardless, I can't shake the feeling that just by being chosen as nominee - win or lose - her importance is ensured for generations to come. What a shame.

Unfortunately, all of my reasons for thinking this era is a major historical time are based on American events. Acknowledging this bias is helpful, but it doesn't change the fact that it's still there. The compulsion to care only about issues on our own soil is very powerful, and it's difficult to overcome.

So are we actually living through history right now, or on that day in class was I just being another American tourist A-hole?