It is important that we understand 9/11 as a tactical application of slowness in an accelerated culture.

Paul Virilio discusses a mutation in warfare, driven in part by technology, that vectors us towards a theoretical end-point of “ONE MAN = A TOTAL WAR”.

The 1993 attack was a failure, however. It wasn't until the September 11, 2001 attacks on the WTC that the terrorists showed evidence of a lesson learned, ironically enough, from the Americans in the First Gulf War. The lesson? The use of camera-equipped smart bombs, which, while zeroing in on their destructive paths, transmitted images to CNN of their approaching targets before vanishing to static—a unique merging of medium and message, or weapon and reality TV.

In a more poignant example of Virilio's new political economy, a similar effect was achieved by the terrorists on 9/11.

It was the slowness of the planes that made them a particularly useful weapon that day. As opposed to the bombs used in 1993, which exploded so fast that television was only able to capture the damage done, the slowness of the airliners allowed the audience to get their camcorders around in time to view the plane striking the tower—in other words, to witness the actual event taking place.

And following the logic of televisual society, in case one missed the “live” action, an instant replay occurred 17 minutes later.

It was only at this point of critical mass that speed accelerated to the absolute real-time of the global media image, delivering an experience far more tactile and visceral to the networked millions than seeing the rubble after the fact in 1993.

I asked Sean, "Why are you writing about such a tragic event?"

1. To understand better.
2. To try and figure out what is next.

I also think it is important that this story gets told in as many ways as possible, not solely through the filter of the mainstream media.

Sean Smith
http://www.sportswebconsulting.ca/sportsbabel