--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I doubt the terrorists saw 9/11 as a…" description: "\"I doubt the terrorists saw 9/11 as a teaching opportunity. And we're not really a culture geared to anything as humble as 'learning.' But I was disappo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/917/jess-walter-2228_american_i-doubt-the-terrorists-saw-9-11-as-a-tea_2741139.jpg" --- # I doubt the terrorists saw 9/11 as a teaching opportunity… ![“I doubt the terrorists saw 9/11 as a teaching opportunity. And we're not really a culture geared to anything as humble as 'learning.' But I was disappointed in how quickly everyone wanted to get back to normal. It was as if we watched terrorism on TV for a while, then got bored and turned back to…” quote by Jess Walter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/917/jess-walter-2228_american_i-doubt-the-terrorists-saw-9-11-as-a-tea_2741139.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/917/jess-walter-2228_american_i-doubt-the-terrorists-saw-9-11-as-a-tea_2741139.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/917/jess-walter-2228_american_i-doubt-the-terrorists-saw-9-11-as-a-tea_2741139.jpg) > “I doubt the terrorists saw 9/11 as a teaching opportunity. And we're not really a culture geared to anything as humble as 'learning.' But I was disappointed in how quickly everyone wanted to get back to normal. It was as if we watched terrorism on TV for a while, then got bored and turned back to 'American Idol.'” [Jess Walter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jess-walter/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Society quickly returns to normal after trauma, showing a reluctance to learn from painful events. **In simple terms:** People resume normal life quickly after tragedy. Key Takeaway Encourage deeper reflection after crises. Themes society trauma media consumption Mood critical somber Type literary social commentary When to use this quote - post‑trauma counseling - public discourse - media analysis Key Concepts psychology cultural critique Questions to Reflect On - How can we sustain learning after tragedy? - What role should media play? A Different Perspective Desensitization can hinder learning. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american/) [American idol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-idol/) [Anything](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anything/) [Back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/back/) [Bored](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bored/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Disappointed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disappointed/) [Doubt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doubt/) [Doubt Terrorists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doubt-terrorists-1153502/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Everyone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/everyone/) [Geared](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/geared/) [Get](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/get/) [Get back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/get-back/) [Got](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/got/) [How](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/how/) [Humble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humble/) [Idol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idol/) [Idols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idols/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Normal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/normal/) [Opportunity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opportunity/) [Quickly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quickly/) [Really](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/really/) [Saw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saw/) [Saws](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saws/) [Teaching](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teaching/) [Terrorism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrorism/) [Terrorism Tv](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrorism-tv-3028875/) [Terrorist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrorist/) [Terrorists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrorists/) [Terrorists Saw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrorists-saw-3028876/) [Then](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/then/) [Turned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/turned/) [Tv](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tv/) [Tvs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tvs/) [Wanted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanted/) [Watched](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/watched/) [Watched Terrorism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/watched-terrorism-3028874/) [While](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/while/) ## Related quotes > [There is no doubt that terrorists acting under the banner of Islam have declared war on us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-beckel/there-is-no-doubt-that-terrorists-acting-under-the-banner-of-islam/) [Bob Beckel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-beckel/) > [There are powdered salts, chunked salts, salts shaped in different ways with various additives to work perfectly with processed foods. 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I play what I want when I want and I hope the listener gets as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-sullivan/my-whole-life-is-geared-to-play-guitar-i-play-what-i-want-when-i-want/) [Jim Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-sullivan/) > [The best fiction is geared towards conflict. We learn most about our characters through tension, when they are put up against insurmountable obstacles. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sufjan-stevens/the-best-fiction-is-geared-towards-conflict-we-learn-most-about-our/) [Sufjan Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sufjan-stevens/) > [With the theatre, your whole day is geared towards the evening's show, and that's the job. People usually go to work about 9 and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-scott-thomas/with-the-theatre-your-whole-day-is-geared-towards-the-evening-s-show/) [Kristin Scott Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-scott-thomas/) > [I thought nothing would ever happen for me. 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My first love will always be fiction,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jess-walter/for-me-movies-and-television-are-interesting-because-they-are-the/) [Jess Walter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jess-walter/) > [In seventh grade, with some vague sense that I wanted to be a writer, I crouched in the junior high school library stacks to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jess-walter/in-seventh-grade-with-some-vague-sense-that-i-wanted-to-be-a-writer-i/) [Jess Walter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jess-walter/) > [“There would seem to be nothing more obvious, more tangible and palpable than the present moment. And yet it eludes us completely. All the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jess-walter/there-would-seem-to-be-nothing-more-obvious-more-tangible-and/) [Jess Walter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jess-walter/) > [People sometimes ask who I would cast in my books and I never have any idea. 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