Where Were You When…
It seems that there are these moments that define a generation…where were you when you heard about Pearl Harbor, where were you when you found out Kennedy had been shot, and then RFK, and then MLK….
For my generation, the first of those sad moments was when John Lennon was killed, on December 8th, 1980. I was a geeky kid then, sort of into the Beatles, but not really yet. I got into them much more in High School. I was watching “Little House on the Prarie” on TV, and the announcer came on and gave us the sad news. I was shocked. I thought people were finished with that kind of thing, that it was something done in the 60s. My brother came home a few minutes later, and I told him the news. That really pissed him off…he thought I was making some kind of stupid joke, so he told me that wasn’t funny, called me some name probably, and slammed the door to his room. I do remember being sad about it, but not inappropriately for a pop icon that I never met.
The next such moment came not long after, I’m afraid. When Ronald Reagan was shot, I was in school. The Principal came on the loudspeaker and told us all, and someone in my class laughed (maybe they thought it was funny, maybe it was nervous laughter), but boy, the teacher layed into him. Doesn’t matter what your views of the man are, it is NOT FUNNY when the President of the United States, or anyone else for that matter, gets shot. Gulp. Of course, she’s right.
Then there was the Space Shuttle blowing up in 1986. I was in Southern California with some friends, and I came out of the bathroom and saw it on TV. Went back into the bathroom and threw up. I don’t know why the second Space Shuttle explosion a few years ago didn’t hit me as hard. It was just as horrible. Maybe I was more used to the idea that such things could happen by then.
And of course, tragically, the ultimate (so far, at least) where were you when, September 11th. I won’t talk much about that, because I’ve talked about it before. I don’t think Maya remembers that day, though she does know what happened. But she was only 5, and we didn’t let her watch any TV concerning the event at the time. I wonder, in a morbid way, what will be the first big, Where Were You When of her cohort.
Sad musings for a Friday morning. Sorry about that. My beloved Py put together a pretty groovy montage of John Lennon quotes and such. Go take a listen.
13 Comments
ally bean
I’d add to that list of memorable days, the day that Lady Diana died. That made a big impression on me. I saw an out of control media cause the death of a woman for a story about nothing of consequence. It saddened me then, and still does today.
Ml
It is interesting to do the “Where were you” thing. I remember where I was and what I was doing in all the things your listed. Including what ally bean said about Diana dying. I can remember it like it was yesterday. I also remember where I was/doing when John Kennedy Jr died.
Py Korry
The anniversaries of tragic moments in our history often means we take a moment and reflect on the effect that person (or event) had on our lives.
Lennon, for me, is about peace and love. 🙂
Gina
I was way too young to know about John Lennon, and I only vaguely remember Reagan. I was in school for the Challenger, our teacher had turned it on. I remember she was crying, and we all; started crying.
And of course, 9/11 I was on my way to work and heard it on the radio, and in the lobby of my work, the TV was on and I sadly watched most of it. I remember a bunch of us in the lobby watching all that unfold. We just couldn’t believe it. And then for whatever reason, there was a big panic here on the West Coast and we thought our building could be a potential target, so they let everyone go home.
Dot
I have a good and a bad one. The vivid ones for me was first the space shuttle blowing up. I was home with “PMS” and watched it all day on TV. The second is funnier, Luke and Laura’s wedding on General Hospital. I purposely stayed home with “PMS” just to watch. Sorry, J, Had to lighten this one up 🙂
Heidi
Lady Diana was huge for me. Someone said she “embodied the spirit of the modern age”. I couldn’t believe I was so sad about it. I think it was because she represented that life can go on in a beautiful and elegant way, even after you marry a rediculous wannabe tampon. She was class.
My friend and I actually stayed overnight and got up early to watch the funeral procession together.
JL I did not appreciate until I was in HS. R.I.P He was a cool, cool, dude.
curiositykiller
Oh dear, what a way to start your weekend.
Space shuttle, deaths of mother theresa and princess diane (I seriously felt like all the good people are being called to “go home”), then 9-11. It just got more shocking and personal as I grow older. I was like Maya, my mom didn’t want us to hear about the world tragedies, instead I learned about them through friends and classmates. I was very uninformed to say the least, until I started doing some research on my own.
Keep in mind, the 9-11 was far more epic as well… it’s malicious, it’s pre-meditated, and extremely close to home. It’s not something you just hear about and be sympathetically troubled — it’s something you’ll be freaking out because a friend’s friend or relative maybe present on that horrific day. It is especially impossible to ignore when every television station and radio was broadcasting the event.
Enjoy the beauty that is around you… go and sing and laugh with maya. Go read a fashion magazine.
Cherry
I totally remember where I was with the Challenger as I was home sick and watching it on TV and the 89 Earthquake I was on the phone with my friend Carla, but the deaths of people I don’t know haven’t really effected me unless it is kinda in my face, like when I visted the Pennsylvania 9-11 crash site in the winter of 2001, of course I’m not a good griever anyway so that isn’t really surprising.
Maya's Granny
I think that JFK is the first I remember, and I was in the hospital with false labor before Richard was born. RFK, I was coming out of The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly with three friends and the usher told us (probably because one of us was wearing a Kennedy for Presidant button). MLK I remember being in such despair, it seemed like it was never going to end.
la luna
I remember the walk on the moon. It was not as sad as the ones that you had remembered, but it was the first memory of something that was big a thing according to the world.
Melissa
The first big ones I remember were the Northridge earthquake and then the LA riots. And Columbine was and still is a shock, because that’s where Hubby went to school before they mover to LA. And 9/11, I’ll never forget 9/11. I was in bed and Hubby woke me up. Neither of us went to work and here’s me so big and pregnant wondering what kind of world I was about to bring a baby into. Crazy, but moments like that change who you are.
I also have a personal one, I remember all details of being told a friend had killed himself. That one will never leave me.
Pony Storm
This actually happened:
November 22, 1963, just before 11:00 AM, as I was about to enter our trigonometry class, Mike Reagan (son of actor Ronald) buttonholed me in the doorway. His eyes were dialated like gongs. “(Pony Storm)!” he blurted, “Have you heard? Kennedy’s been shot!”
Judson School (Reagan and I were Seniors)Scottsdale, Arizona. Forty-three years ago and the memory of it is so vivid, it could have been four hours ago.
Jessica
It is sad to think about…I like to consider what he would have been doing now if he were still alive.
Re: Pearl Harbor – my grandfather used to always tell me about how I owed my life to [real] eggs and ham – on the morning of the attack, they were serving REAL eggs (not from the box) and ham and, with a limited supply, my grandpa rose early to go to the cafeteria…his bunk took a direct hit.