Claim: E-mail exhorts Americans to drive with their headlights on during daylights hours on September 11, 2007.
Example: [Collected via e-mail, August 2007]
Lights on in Memoriam to all the victims of September 11th !! PLEASE forward this to everyone in your address book asking them to also forward it. Please join us on 9/11. We have over two weeks to get the word out all across this great land we love and call the United On Tuesday, September 11, 2007 everyone in the USA who will be driving a motor vehicle is asked to drive with their headlights on during daylight hours. Though no explanation is needed as to why we are commemorating You can help by sending this e-mail on to others! |
Origins: This
exhortation for Americans to drive with their headlights on during the daylights hours of
an updated-for-2007 version of an
As for the question of whether the headlight memorial is an inherently "good" scheme, we'd say that as a show of solidarity it does provide a simple, highly visible symbolic display. If the issue is to create a memorial scheme which everyone can recognize and participate in, we'd point out that it has a few drawbacks, however:
- Not everyone can take part, because not everyone drives.
- The display will not be visible to most people who are not on the road themselves.
- The scheme is limited to daylight hours.
- Many people already drive with their headlights on during daylight hours, so the appearance of participation may seem much higher than actual participation.
An alternative scheme such as wearing a designated item or color of clothing that day might require a little more effort and be less visible from a distance, but it would also allow for longer, broader, and more distinguishable participation. This, too, has been proposed for
September 11, 2002, is soon approaching. On that day, please wear red, white and blue to work or school to show your support for those who lost their lives on
In this case, the best way of offering a visual tribute to the victims of 9/11 might just be the official one: Since 2001,
Last updated: 8 September 2007