Shocking Events

By Eleanor Kazdan, Philadelphia, January 1, 2021 — Last night I watched the sickening mob violence in the Capitol unfold in real-time; there was a sense of unreality. This was not a police drama on Netflix. Newscasters were trying to do their jobs while dealing with their own emotions. It was gritty and shocking, an assault on democracy. Violence was incited by a leader elected to protect the people and his henchmen. Like most people, I was glued to the television for hours.
In my altered state, my mind raced back to other events where I felt the same sense of shock, outrage, and otherworldliness. The first time I can remember occurred on October 11, 1991. I had called in sick to work that day and was watching television. Hearings were taking place to confirm Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court and Anita Hill had come forward accusing him of sexual harassment during her years working as an Aide for him. Her brave testimony before a group of powerful men was so shocking. She didn’t flinch as she described in frank detail the sexual comments he had made to her. She kept her cool throughout the four-day hearings despite the open antagonism and misogyny. Like most people I could hardly believe that what I was witnessing was real.
The second event was the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. I was driving to work on that cloudless day when I heard the first vague reports of a plane crash on the radio. We didn’t fully comprehend the scope of what was occurring for many hours. During the workday, we heard snippets of news while trying to do our jobs. It was only in the evening, affixed to the television, that the full details began to emerge. I can still see the horrifying image of a couple jumping to their deaths from the World Trade Center rather than die at the hands of terrorists. Along with the rest of the world, I was almost immobilized with shock as I watched the news day after day and felt that our lives would never be the same.
I have been witness to these awful, historic events and of course, now we have the pandemic. I am at a loss for words.