The New York Times has just run a fascinating story about one woman's story of surviving the 9/11 attacks: fascinating because it represents a particularly recent and powerful strain of American tragedy/heroism, and also because now it turns out that it might not be true. Tania Head, the woman in question, has changed her story several times, and the internal inconsistencies seem to be pulling it apart.
Time will tell, probably in partnership with the courts. But for a second, before judgment is rendered, let's think about who Tania Head is hurting. If she lied, it's easy to see why -- by placing herself at the epicenter of the most terrifying and best-marketed American tragedy of the century, she instantly gives her life meaning. By telling a story that makes her one of only nineteen people who survived after being at or above the point of impact when the planes hit the towers, she gave her life special meaning. But the question of how else she has profited remains open. Head serves on the board of the Survivors' Network, a nonprofit devoted to helping 9/11 victims and families. There has not been any suggestion so far that she has skimmed money, or stolen it.
So, is she hurting anyone? Everyone knows someone who has slightly exaggerated their proximity to the events of 9/11, people who claimed they stood in the street six blocks away when in fact they were twenty blocks away, for example. It's human nature. This may be an extreme example of the phenomenon, but is it worse? Is she trivializing the experiences of those who did actually survive? (And, if so, is she countering that by serving on their behalf?) I'm not saying that lying is right or good, only that sometimes, when experiences are too large to fathom, it's useful to have smaller, digestible narratives that help us process them.
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Is 9/11 Survivor a Liar?
Posted Sep 27th 2007 8:14AM by Ben Greenman
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Reader Comments ( Page 3 of 3)
31. This woman is my fiance's ex girlfriend. They were together many many years ago in the Nashville area. He just heard this on the news this morning and called me in to watch it. He was shocked, to say the least. He did tell me that she was receiving services from Community Mental Health when he knew her.
It's too bad there are people in this world who use other people's tragedies for their own sordid agendas.
Debbie at 10:31PM on Sep 29th 2007
32. The buildings were both made so that in the event of any collapse, they would do exactly what they did on 9/11- collapse straight down, pancaking one floor ontop of another. This was so neither of them would topple over like a domino, taking out other buildings, and countless other lives.
There was no conspiracy.
there were no explosives planted.
There are, however, hundreds of theories.
There were (and still are) countless theories on who actually shot JFK. Years later, it hasn't been put to rest, and years from now, I would imagine, the theories of 9/11 will still be thrown around.
dressbluesbaby at 1:04AM on Sep 30th 2007
33. TO ANYONE WHO THINKS THAT THIS STORY WAS TOLD BY THE "RIGHTIES" HAD BETTER CHECK THEIR HEADS FIRST. THE FAMOUS(?) NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE IS TO THE FAR LEFT WITH THEIR VIEW AS YOU CAN POSSIBLY GET. WELL MAYBE HILLARY IS MORE TO THE LEFT THEN THE TIMES...
BY THE WAY THERE ARE A LOT OF IDIOTS ON THIS FORUM WHO STILL THINK THAT THE W.T.C. COLLAPSED BECAUSE OF AN INSIDE JOB !!! MORE STUPID THEN THIS NO ONE CAN GET....
ROSA at 5:18PM on Sep 30th 2007
34. If this is a true story then maybe it's a Munchausen-by-proxy situation.
LOREAL at 1:29AM on Oct 2nd 2007
35. I also was horrified when someone asked me if Bush "did it", that same week, and most of my life in NYC, having moved out two years before. What has convinced me this is a "Tail wagging the dog" issue is my own observation of tapes over the years of HOW the buildings fell, NOT THE FACT THAT THEY DID FALL. No one built into them something that would "make them fall straight down", and yes, of course the airplane would have added a ton of weight and burning fuel to melt the structure. That would be hard to do with explosives alone. Look at the Okla bombing, ragged chunks, but half the building is gone. What are the specs of you folks who believe the WTC had the government's complicity, as I do? Just interested.
Sojourner at 10:24PM on Sep 30th 2007
36. #34
" Look at the Okla bombing, ragged chunks, but half the building is gone"
If you look real closely
at the pictures of Oklahoma and compare those
with pictures, videos, and or films from inside of the WTC before 9-11 . The difference is noticeable.
Oklahoma was construct with vertical support
columns every 15 ft. or so in all directions.
The WTC was noted for and I believe advertised
as having wide open floors with minimum vertical
columns so that office space was roomy with little
obstruction. The Murrah building in Ok, was not
of that design. Also the Oklahoma blast was from the ground up which lifted floors and knocked over
support columns causing partial floor collapse.
JZeeeeeee at 2:21PM on Oct 3rd 2007
37. What? Lies surrounding 9/11, how preposterous! She's probably lonely, No reason to believe that being a fake witness in the megacrime of the century is nefarious. They should put her in charge of a new 9/11 investigation. WooHOO! Let the Traitors and infiltraitors do it again, do not question them. Who cares if Bush did it? He was probably lonely too, They've already turned this country into a porn addicted, red meat, neocoservative hell hole. Nothing illegal happening there... Medicate yourselves, they've rotted your minds, 9/11 was not an accident. Investigate before those f#ckers get you again! Tania head is the daughter of a diplomat, following orders and rubbing shoulders with the next hand picked 9/11 complicit traitor, making him look the part for the next election. Wake the F@CK UP!
john at 12:19AM on Oct 4th 2007