anyone know what Wurtzel said about 9/11? - Prozac Nation (2003) Discussion

[–] tsmith11169 19 years ago

opps nevermind. found an answer. i will leave this up if anyone was curious too. it does make her sound pretty heartless but she seems like a bit of a basketcase so it kinda cancels what she said out... :/

The pensées of perpetually-depressed literary ninny extraordinaire Elizabeth Wurtzel are chronicled in today's New York Post. There's the annoyance that people were concerned about something other than her:

"I just felt, like, everyone was overreacting," Wurtzel told a Canadian journalist last week about her experience being near Ground Zero on Sept 11. "People were going on about it. That part really annoyed me."
Then there's the aesthetics of 3000 people being pulverized:

When she finally did drag herself to a window and saw the towers collapse, Wurtzel says, "I had not the slightest emotional reaction. I thought, 'This is a really strange art project.' " Then her windows blew in and airplane chunks landed on her roof.
She may not have been moved by the horrific spectacle of the massacre but, in retrospect, Wurtzel says, the towers' destruction "was a most amazing sight in terms of sheer elegance. It fell like water. It just slid like a turtleneck going over someone's head. It was just beautiful."

Hmmm. Maybe you and Karlheinz Stockhausen need to get together and discuss this. But let no one think she's not without her tender side:

Wurtzel says she "cried for all the animals left there in the neighborhood" after the attack, but as for the 3,000 human victims, "I think I have some kind of emotional block. I think I should join some support group for people who were there."
Lest we think she's just blathering on innocently:

Wurtzel acknowledges she'd never dare say such things in the U.S., noting, "You can't tell people this. I'm talking to you because you're Canadian."
Lady, your little interview should get all the publicity it can get. And the most disturbing thing about 9/11 for La Wurtzel?

Summing up her feeling post-9/11, Wurtzel muses: "You know what was really funny? After the fact, like all these different writers were writing these things about what it was like, and nobody bothered to call me." Of course, she says, "I don't want to tell other people's stories."

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[–] tokenblackdude 19 years ago

Well the ironic thing is that Karlheinz Stockhausen (and Wurtzel, to some extent) are right, 9/11 is the greatest modern artwork in history - every time anyone in the world looks at pictures of the New York skyline they will either se the World Trade Center and go "hmmm, pre-9/11" or notice their absence. You can't look at NY without being reminded that USA is not invulnerable and you can't find a single symbol that's as powerful as that.

It plays on David and Goliath, and the use civilian airlines shows that even things we take for granted can be used as weapons of terror. All You need is determination - it's an inspiration for wackos all over the world.

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[–] 19 years ago

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[–] ElleWoods7 19 years ago

Even if she was thinking these crazy thoughts she NEVER should have expressed them out loud. Sounds like she has completely lost her mind or is on a ton of drugs.

"An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last." - Sir Winston Churchill

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[–] Thehorriblefungus 19 years ago

Sounds like she was drugged out of her head on tranquilzers and antidepressants. Let it be a lesson to us all not to try and fix our problems by throwing pills at them.

''Mary: I desperately want to make love to a schoolboy''

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[–] julis 19 years ago

Honestly, I think everyone should have the right to express their opinion. so much for freedom of speech, not that anyone believes in it anyway. I can't believe her saying that is one of the reasons Prozac nation wasn't released in theaters! freedom of speech huh?

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[–] hppg 13 years ago

My new theory is that she's a sociopath and that supports it.

She might just have been damaged by the trauma of witnessing it, but I dunno. Those quotes sound very odd.

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[–] 13 years ago

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[–] Promontorium 11 years ago

Ha ha ha what a terrible human being she is. She totally belongs in New York. Some places claim to be the "ass hole" of the country/world, but New York is clearly the center of all ass holes.

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[–] sonicinmobius-1 19 years ago

What a bitch.

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[–] j2armstr 19 years ago

She sounds very intelligent, and at least she's being honest, not lurking behind some agenda to evoke greater fear in the public or conform to the acceptable emotions for 9/11.

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[–] graham-rick 19 years ago

9/11 was a tragedy. But those people died quickly, and for the most part, painlessly. Better to feel sorry for the people who survived them.

When I die I want to go like that. If you want to feel sorry for someone, feel sorry for people who die slow agonizing deaths. Or better still, feel sorry for people who have their lives robbed from them slowly like the 'war' prisoners in Cuba. Or the people in Iraq who have had their country torn apart in an illegal war that they did nothing to provoke. (Waiting to hear you blame 9/11 on Iraq)

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[–] CocktailQueen 15 years ago

These people died quickly and painlessly? Sweetie, no. Maybe those who were on the planes, but for those trapped in the buildings it was long and painful. Why do you think so many people jumped that day? Because they were faced with a horrible choice: they could stay in their building and die from smoke inhalation or, even worse, burn alive. Or they could jump and end it much quickly. What on earth gave you the idea that burning alive was quick and painless?

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[–] LextheXFile 15 years ago

It's ironic she said that people were overreacting to 9-11 when she was nothing but a whiny spoiled brat about her own problems. 3,000 plus people died horrible deaths, and left behind countless spouses, parents, children, friends... so the impact is far greater. About 3,000 may have died but the ongoing grief and pain is probably ten times that, if not more.

Some art project? Wurtzel bugged me before, but now I just want to slap her.

"Man is a social animal who despises his fellow man" ~ Delacroix

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[–] lilac2000 19 years ago

i agree, at least she was being honest.

*I think about the implications of diving in too deep and possibly the complications.*

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[–] baj8881 19 years ago

I admit that her comments were insensitive, but atleast they're honest. I love that actually. I wish more people were as forthcoming about things like this even if it will make me want to smack them.

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[–] lilac2000 19 years ago

very well said!

*I think about the implications of diving in too deep and possibly the complications.*

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[–] NoodleMonster 19 years ago

Tranquelizers do not make someone think differentlyjust more...slowly. I think while insensitive it is just another part of her personality. It is clear that Ms. Wurtzel is the most important person in Ms. Wurtzel's life and she has very little empathy for others.

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[–] mistedjule 19 years ago

I have to agree with the person above who mentioned her as having sociopathic tendencies, I mean how could she not give a damn about all the innocent people who lost their lives and yet care about the animals (I am a vegan btw so don't think I dislike animals by that statement but I care about humans also).

I am British so I don't know how much of a 'deal' people made of 9/11 in the States though we made a deal of it here and rightly so IMHO. When things like that happen in any country they should be made a deal of!

Maybe the drugs have made her less empathic... I have just begun reading her book Prozac Nation and I must say her comments are certainly making me feel less empathic toward her personal suffering if that is how she views the deaths of hundreds of people.

NoodleMonster I agree with your points. I am just saddened that she is so self-centred.

Mischief managed
I am not young enough to know everything.

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[–] urbanpixie 19 years ago

huh. (this will probably get me flamed) but while 9/11 did affect me, (living in DC at the time, friend in the Pentagon when it was hit) I also felt after the event not so much that people overreacted, but, well that America is really freaking cheesy. look at all those movies coming out now about 9/11 now....complete all with feel-good music. Look at all those music video tributes they had at the time. Honestly, I think it's kind of in bad taste.

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[–] Total_Lack_of_Remorse 18 years ago

Personally, I agree with some of what she says. I think 9/11 was HORRIBLE, but no more so than the million and one other atrocities man commits against man on a day-to-day basis. I mean, how many thousands of innocent people have died at the hands of the US in the last few years? The US military murder innocent civilians in foreign countries every day. I'm not advocating terrorist attacks or anything, but to be honest, worst things have happened than 9/11.

You Ever Listen To K-Billy's Super Sounds of the 70s?

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[–] tokenblackdude 18 years ago

Why should you be emotionally affected, when people you don't know die?

More than 40.000 die in traffic in the US alone every year, why are they less deserving of sympathy than the people who died on 9/11?

To many people, the main impression of 9/11 was an aestetic one: The images of the collapsing towers and the images of people who chose to jump instead of waiting for the inevitable. Which again underlines the point that 9/11's main significance was symbolic - It showed once and for all, that terrorists can strike anywhere and any time and against anyone.
[Well, actually they can't and they won't, and terrorism isn't a significant threat to people's safety anywhere in the west. But the message that 9/11 sent is still uniquely powerful nonetheless.]
It's an era-defining moment. You could say that the optimism of the sixties is captured in the images of the first step on the moon: Anything was possible - And in the same way the collapsing towers capture and define the mood for the new century: No-one is safe.

It really is the greatest work of art ever, isn't it? ;)

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[–] spacey4 18 years ago

sick as it may sound, i agree with her. with everything. something like what, 8000 people die of aids in africa per day right? thats hell of a lot worse then the 3000 that died on that ONE day. i think its because it hits so close to home that people over react so much. hell...those people r probably the lucky ones, they escaped after all didnt they? they dont have to put up with this sh it hole we call home.

you are a sad, strange little man, and you have my pity- Buzz Lightyear

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[–] Burntout 18 years ago

Gotta agree with many of the posts here saying "yeah, it's a free speech thing and she is allowed to say what she feels." but the one thing that really bothered me about the interview is what her TRUE feelings are:

--Wurtzel muses: "You know what was really funny? After the fact, like all these different writers were writing these things about what it was like, and nobody bothered to call me."

It's all about "me, me, me" with this woman and it's a pathetic existence. Perhaps it's even more pathetic that people fell for her incredibly dull and useless memoir.

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[–] pmdawn 18 years ago

I don't think you're necessarily a sociopath if you actually think the same way she does. I'm not an American, I felt sorry for the victims and families, but as a foreigner I know that tragedies like that or even worse happen around the world and nobody gives a *beep*

Of course it was a symbolic moment, and I can see the 'art' in watching that happen even if I usually feel empathy towards others' suffering. We couldn't see what was going on inside the building, it must have been hell, but the two towers collapsing is an artistic moment in history as is the raising of the Flag at Iwo Jima, or the landing on the Moon, or a genius painting of any great ancient battle.

9/11 went like this: suddenly, and then gradually. If someone she loved had died in the buildings I don't believe she would feel the same way about it.

So if you've seen the movie or read the novel, you should not be surprised she said that. Maybe she's on meds, maybe she's saying what her mom thinks she should be saying, maybe it's the truth. But it's only her opinion and I think we should all be free to express it, no matter how crazy you are.

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[–] Simon_Bocanegra 17 years ago

What a ballsy chick to admit that. Sheesh, if only the politicians had 1% of her honesty instead of going off and screwing things up worse by an order of magnitude. Yeah, right, in my dreams...

The incredible beauty thing about 9/11 in the few days after was the purity and honesty of the shock and grief that everyone felt. It showed like nothing else how superficial and unworthy the day-to-day of American life really is, and how a good can come out of evil.

It's the only time I can recall there were no commercials airing on TV, no pandering, our hideous marketplace life was shut down for something pure. It was really like shutting down hell for a few days. What an irony.

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[–] LextheXFile 15 years ago

Yes, thousands of people die every day in horrible ways but they all deserve sympathy. Just because there are "worse" atrocities like Pol Pot and the Holocaust and the Rwanda genocide and AIDS orphans doesn't mean that 9-11 should be minimized and, in my opinion, mocked. It just means a lot of horrible things happen in the world.

That doesnt change the fact that if Wurtzel thinks 9-11 is no big deal, than her petty problems are laughable.

Add to that the fact the Wurtzel isnt some adolescent troll lurking the boards here. I expect attention-seeking kids to be insensitive, but Wurtzel should know by now that her books (for god knows what reason) are reasonably popular and that she probably has a following of impressionable kids.

I wonder if Wurtzel, being Jewish, would've had the guts or inclination to say something similar about the holocaust (6 million jews died in the holocaust but over 20 million Russians died, and nobody seems to remember that...) I wonder if she'd consider the holocaust some strange art project?)

"I don't LIKE confrontation."
-Rex from Toy Story

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[–] Tracey73 11 years ago

LextheXFile - I could not have said it better :)

You're the angel that came and took these clouds away. ~ Blue October

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[–] breadsticks16 15 years ago

I like this thread. Everyones very honest. I pretty much agree with her, I don't know if it's partly because I was 10 when it happened and thought it was a new movie coming out or what but yeah...

Chances are I'll forget all about this post and this thread by later tonight.

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[–] HenryCW 15 years ago

It is a little disturbing, to say the least, that more than one poster here tried to justify Wurtzel by saying something like: "Why should I feel bad about people dying if I don't know them?" There were even posters who applauded her for her "honesty"! Apparently there are many people who are as selfish and self-abosrbed as Wurtzel, and they are only concerned about themselves and don't care a bit about the miseries of people around them. Although some of you here may find it strange, there are indeed people in the world who do have higher motives, and work towards bettering the welfare of others rather than just think of themselves. Wurtzel was probably upset about 9/11 because on that day, people's attention was focused on something else, and they had no time to care about her whining about her drug-induced depression and other personal problems. In this respect, Wurtzel was even far worse than the people responsible for the tragedy. She had no ideology or cause (no matter how dubious and misguided) to speak of, and cared only about herself. It is really sad that, from some of the posts I read, Wurtzel apparently has good company here at IMDB.

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[–] LextheXFile 15 years ago

I've "met" quite a few insensitive (to say the least) posters on IMDB who bash posts without bothering to read them (or if they do skim over them they miss the meaning anyway), fling insults at others for no real reason, etc... I really want to believe that the majority of those posters are attention starved 13 year olds, but I have a sinking feeling that not all of them are.

Seeing that's how Wurtzel acts (flings insults, bashes other people, deliberately provokes and abuses others' trust)... no wonder she is so well liked here.

I agree- she was being honest. Because in her mind, all that matters is her, and screw everyone else. To her 9-11 is a joke, but if she contracted mono she'd probably write another memoir about her heroic struggle with the kissing disease.

It's people like Wurtzel who give so many people with mental illness a bad name. I have a friend who truly IS bipolar (instead of the borderline narcissist that is Wurtzel) and, of course, he behaves NOTHING like her. In fact, he is so compassionate that, even though her character in the movie irritated him, he still felt sorry for her (and, of course, he felt sorry for all the people she emotionally abused in her wake, aswell).

Me, I just couldnt get over how selfish and destructive (to others) she was. Now I know why Bestbuy was selling off copies of Prozac nation for 4 dollars 9at least they were when I got the DVD).

"I don't LIKE confrontation."
-Rex from Toy Story

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[–] estella2 14 years ago

If you take Wurtzel's remark on 9/11 and combine that with all the seemingly placid posts on this board showing agreement with her numb felt opinion, i think we all have proof that we are indeed living in a prozac nation.

for a writer, allegory is definitely not Wurtzel's strong suit. i think a better and more appropriate way of putting it would have been to describe the beauty of a tornado or a water spout.

Whites and grays coiling together like clay on a potter's wheel. Sliding magnificantly down from the sky as if it were strands falling from a spinning head of cotton candy. funnel shape so hypnotically beautiful the mind lapses from the sight of a killer. chaotic destruction. flat towns and souls residing within them.

looking at the smoke from the twin towers i will admit, that for a second, when i saw it i thought, 'beauiful,' 'hypnotising,' and then i felt guilt because you realize that this is causing pain, heartache, and chaos. of course in the long term you didn't see what damage it would cause for our whole world. September 11th, no matter your political beliefs or what you believe happened, caused a domino effect on our daily routines and international economy that we all feel still to this day.

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[–] joethfc 13 years ago

I think she's making a valid point in the most outrageous and confrontational way possible to just about get away with. I agree that 9/11 has received disproportionate levels of attention. You hardly hear about the 7/7 bombings these days. Not to mention all the other tragedies in modern times.

She does seem to have that Morrissey factor about her; being extremely controversial because it's probably more fun than saying 'the right thing'. The difference is that she IS the media but there are journalists like that too; like Peter Hitchens saying sex-ed is pornography.

Very insecure people like attention. We know this.

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[–] 13 years ago

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[–] jejozi 11 years ago

Google is your friend.

This will be the high point of my day; it's all downhill from here.

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