I didn't make it past the first paragraph. You missed the Iraq War and the Afghan War – i.e. the "Global War on Terror." I hear this from time to time. Your list is the same as every other list (9/11, ... , Recession, Covid), which leaves out Iraq & Afghanistan, not to Mention Katrina. Have people really just forgotten these things? They seem enormous to me, for obvious reasons, but appear to have barely registered on the radar of the middle class. What gives?
It's a good point. I think because the War on Terror did not directly affect most Americans in a significant way it's not on the same level as 9/11, the Great Recession, and Covid. The first is arguably the worst single-day event in the history of the United States, the second and third affected everyone on a daily basis for years. And there's a big range between "generational defining event" and "forgotten event". I think the War on Terror and Katrina are neither.
As many others have said, since the end of the draft the US military has become a siloed institution. Some people know and are related to dozens of veterans from the War on Terror, while many don't know anyone. Military families are now the norm, creating a potentially dangerous separation.
By that logic, 9/11 affected far fewer people than Iraq/Afgh. Google tells me as many as 3 million Americans may have participated in the GWoT. Not to mention the trillions $$$ spent.
I didn't make it past the first paragraph. You missed the Iraq War and the Afghan War – i.e. the "Global War on Terror." I hear this from time to time. Your list is the same as every other list (9/11, ... , Recession, Covid), which leaves out Iraq & Afghanistan, not to Mention Katrina. Have people really just forgotten these things? They seem enormous to me, for obvious reasons, but appear to have barely registered on the radar of the middle class. What gives?
It's a good point. I think because the War on Terror did not directly affect most Americans in a significant way it's not on the same level as 9/11, the Great Recession, and Covid. The first is arguably the worst single-day event in the history of the United States, the second and third affected everyone on a daily basis for years. And there's a big range between "generational defining event" and "forgotten event". I think the War on Terror and Katrina are neither.
As many others have said, since the end of the draft the US military has become a siloed institution. Some people know and are related to dozens of veterans from the War on Terror, while many don't know anyone. Military families are now the norm, creating a potentially dangerous separation.
By that logic, 9/11 affected far fewer people than Iraq/Afgh. Google tells me as many as 3 million Americans may have participated in the GWoT. Not to mention the trillions $$$ spent.