New York City's Mayor Michael Bloomberg, in a speech given last Tuesday, said people need to stop using the term "ground zero" to denote the site surrounding the former World Trade Center buildings. He said that this request is in an effort to move past the thought of the destruction; however, this demand will undoubtedly prove null.
For one, he is asking New Yorkers to stop a trend they started. Anyone with a vague idea of the New York mindset will see the futility in this. Second, he says, "We will never forget the devastation of the area," only to tell us later in the speech that we need to get past it. This is just dripping with hypocrisy, and such an obvious contradiction will not sway many to do as he asks.
A similar controversy was sparked earlier last year with respect to the reconstruction of this site. The building constructed where the towers once stood was dubbed the Freedom Tower, but was then changed to 1 World Trade Center (as all the other buildings in the complex had previously been known). This was received with outrage by then New York Gov. George Pataki, who originally dubbed the building with the flag-flying moniker. Pataki believes that the names of 1 World Trade Center and 2 World Trade Center should never be used again. The building company has decided that 1 World Trade Center not only makes things easier for mail and reference but also for marketing.
Much as we were told to refer to french fries as "freedom fries," throwing the word "freedom" in our everyday speech does not defeat terrorism. The triumph comes from exercising these rights — in this case the right to free speech. Anyone vaguely familiar with George Orwell's "1984" and the principles of Doublespeak will see a connection, though subtle, between a foundationless renaming of objects and the loss of a society's rights. Politicians, we are going to say what we are going to say. Please do not persuade us to do otherwise.
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