The Tear Drop
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My mother sent me this. I have researched this with Snopes – and it is true! I had never heard of this before receiving it. Why didn’t the press report it? installed by the Russians to honor those who died in 9 / 11 and a statement against terrorism. It is very impressive. The tear drop is lined up with the Statue of Liberty . Monument to the struggle against world terrorism, artist Zurab Tesereteii" statement against terrorism. Sometimes…I wonder about the media. A dear friend, Padmini Natarajan, has written this fine verse to accompany the sculpture: So many tears Thank you, Padmini, for so beautifully capturing what we are feeling… |
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Tags: 9/11, Corky, Memorial, New York, Russia, Tear Drop
This is magnificent.
You are right. This should have received the highest coverage by the media and spread all over the world. That it has not happened is a crying shame.
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I never heard of it Conrad. Thank you for bringing it to my attention. Alas, good news seldom makes headlines.
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This is of monumental importance. Such a gift from the heart!
Glad that you are able to shed some light on this!
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Both my parents and I are outraged that no one has ever heard of this beautiful, sensitive Russian gift to the American people. I guess it didn’t have enough drama, enough negative content to make the news.
I disagree that the media always talks about negative news. NBC Nightly News has been giving a lot of coverage to people who make a difference in the lives of others. I salute them for that.
Jean Browman–Cheerful Monk’s last blog post..Digging for the Treasure
I got this email also and, like you, immediately Snopesed it because I had not ever heard of it and did not believe it. It is sad that bad news – sensational news is what sells. I cannot believe that not one news agency covered this event. Could it be that we were at odds with Russia over the incident in Georgia and just different opinions or simply that it wasn’t big enough news? The publicity of such a meaningful gesture should have been publicized! Knowing that the Russians sympathized with our pain over 9-11, makes such a difference in how I feel about them, as a nation.
Jean, perhaps I went too far with that statement. But I think the balance is more negative than life itself is. Negative events are often more exciting than everyday healthy ones, newswise. It is harder to sell the news of all the kids who came home healthy last night than the one child killed by a cold-blooded murderer. Or, the number of commuters who made it to work with no incident whatever today, compared to the accident on the highway. When legislators do good work on a number of mundane bills, it won’t get the notice of the controversial one. The 1,000’s and 1,000’s of successful flights daily won’t receive the attention of the rare crash. All the healthy companies get less coverage than AIG.
That is just human nature. We are drawn to these events, we are interested in them, for we are saturated with the mundane. Many of these extraordinary events should have our attention. Although I don’t really know why this wasn’t covered, I think it should be.
I think the media talks about what sells. You are right to salute those news outlets that cover those people making a difference or human interest stories. I step back and salute that with you.
Then I ask why this wasn’t. It is a beautiful and important gesture. I simply wanted it to be saluted and recognized.
Your last sentence is exactly why I thought people should know about this. Thanks, Deb!
This takes us to another kind of bias. I have been writing recently about colour bias and PC bias but this Russo bias is amazing. Conrad, with your permission, I would like to write about this post and give a link in my blog. Thank you.
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So many tears
shed to counter
terror
washing away
grits of
sorrow, loss
grief, pain
frozen in stone
a gift
to clean
to wipe out
years of hate
generations of
antipathy
one tear drop
that has cleansed
the carnage
Thank you for spotlighting this beautiful gesture who signals along with the Lady of Liberty that people can be there for each other sharing, empathising, contributing to alleviating grief, pain, sorrow!
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i am so greatful to you for bringing such a wonderful thing to my notice.
its really a matter pride to be part of this chain.
Ramana, you absolutely have my permission.
Padmini, thank you so much for gracing us with your beautiful writing. With your permission, I would like to put it on the post itself, and beautiful poetic addendum.
And, Sunil, I am glad that you feel this way. It gives me pride, too, although my role is only that of someone receiving an email regarding a piece circulating on the Internet and posting it on my blog. Still, by posting it on this blog, I was able to direct the producer of the CNN Newshour to look at it yesterday AM and she read it. She was unaware of its existence also.
There may be hope yet on getting the word out on this beautiful gift. If anyone finds out who the person was who took the pictures and produced the original email piece, I will give them credit. In fact, I might be able to discover that by returning to Snopes.
The New York Times did have an article (6/30/04) about it: http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/30/nyregion/our-towns-a-jersey-city-teardrop-for-9-11-or-a-10-story-embarrassment.html
Apparently not everyone liked it. Art can be controversial.
Jean Browman–Cheerful Monk’s last blog post..Digging for the Treasure
The line I like best is “But when the artist turns out to be Zurab Tsereteli, a Russian sculptor whose works — like a 300-foot statue of Columbus or a 165-foot Peter the Great — are so controversial that opponents once threatened to wire Peter with explosives and blow him up, another level of tumult is pretty much guaranteed.”
Jean Browman–Cheerful Monk’s last blog post..Digging for the Treasure
Here are more links:
http://www.russiablog.org/2006/07/russia_donates_911_memorial_to.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tear_of_Grief
http://www.roadsideamerica.com/news/10099
Part of the trouble may be it’s in an out-of-the-way location. Originally it was supposed to be in Jersey City, but local residents protested. They thought it was too big and unaesthetic.
Jean Browman–Cheerful Monk’s last blog post..Digging for the Treasure
This is wild, Jean. At the risk of being rude, a woman who lived in New Jersey for years just told me online that putting Jersey and Art Critic in the same sentence is the ultimate contradiction. LOL Sounds like Zurab is something else, though, doesn’t he?
You know, I still like the thing. And I like what it stands for to me!
Thanks Conrad! That would be an honour.
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I just wrote to NBC Nightly News saying this topic is being discussed over the internet, the question being why haven’t we heard about this before through the media. I gave them the link to this post as an example.
Jean Browman–Cheerful Monk’s last blog post..Digging for the Treasure
The honor is ours, Padmini.
I, likewise, have been in touch with CNN.
i am and will always remain thankful to you for bringing such a wonderful thing to my notice.
and let me be part of this chain.
what a way of expressing feelings and emotions.
very touchy way of extending support.
it has not been covered by media the way it should have.
Thank you, Sunil, for being part of this. Come back often.
I’m writing next Friday’s post at Transforming Stress on the subject. I can understand why it hasn’t been covered—there was too much competition for the anniversary of 9/11. The nice thing about blogging and e-mail is we can generate our own publicity if we want.
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Right on, Jean. Right on…
About those stones with the engraved names… apparently for $50 you can be a part of history too: http://www.bayonnenj.org/pavers.htm
Jean Browman–Cheerful Monk’s last blog post..The Times They Are A-Changing
It turns out if you had taken a cruise ship from Bayonne you would have known about the monument. It’s just us hoi poloi who are ignorant.
Check out this picture.
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In case you don’t recognize the monument from this angle, it’s between the cruise ship and the ship in drydock.
Jean Browman–Cheerful Monk’s last blog post..The Times They Are A-Changing
So maybe the media didn’t tell us about the monument because they’re hoi polloi too. (Misspelled it above, it has two l’s.)
Jean Browman–Cheerful Monk’s last blog post..The Times They Are A-Changing
Jean, you are without a doubt one of the best researchers – by nature – that I’ve ever seen! Love it!
If you’d like to see more pictures see Why Didn’t We Know About This? I couldn’t get permission to use all of them, so I had to put in a few links.
Jean Browman–Cheerful Monk’s last blog post..The Times They Are A-Changing