September 11, 2001, was a day that can never be forgotten. A day of tragic loss, senseless violence, and a feeling of vulnerability that impacts the Western world even to this day. It is unimaginable the thoughts that went through peoples’ heads that morning: what just happened? Was it an accident? How many people are trapped up there? Or the most gut-wrenching thought of all: my loved one is in that building – are they ok?
Of course, all these thoughts are valid and really have an effect on people about life, and how easy it can be snatched from you. However, there is always room for a humorous side to tragedy, whether for shock laughter or to just regain a feeling of comfort in knowing the subject matter is something to laugh at. In this urban legend, we will see how the 9/11 terrorist attacks on America resulted in a fictitious – yet amusing – ending of a marriage.
The Story
Around three weeks after 9/11, there had been instances of jokes surrounding the tragedy, often used with caution, as opposed to brazen and unfiltered. Late comedian Gilbert Gottfried was said to be the first one to tell a joke about 9/11, quickly getting a negative reaction from the audience and then resorted to the filthy hilarious “Aristocrats” joke to redeem himself. The feelings about the attacks were still raw, and would be for a while, so jokes about it caused a lot of nervous laughter, as well as trekking on thin ice to see what was acceptable to joke about and what was not.
However, by the fourth week, people became tired of being scared, angry, and hopeless all the time, not to mention the fear that they were assimilating to Osama Bin Laden’s wish that America feels victimized. They used humor, so to speak, not only as comfort, but as a way to show terrorists that they failed to break the American identity and lifestyle.
The joke is seen as a fabricated cautionary tale, about being careful when having an affair as well as staying on top of the news. The tale, quoted by Snopes, goes as follows:
“Sept. 11 this bum, who worked at the World Trade Center, had a breakfast meeting. What he was having, however, wasn’t eggs. He was with his mistress. I guess you might call him an early riser. His wife tried to reach him. He finally answered his cell way after 10 in the morning. Panicked, she screamed: “Where are you!” Responding to the angst in her voice he replied testily: “Well, where do you think I am? In the office.””
(Source: Snopes)
By May 2002, there had been an updated version circulating around the Internet, being more elaborate:
“The first divorce directly related to the September 11th terrorist attacks has been filed in a NY court.
It appears a guy with an office on the 103rd floor of the World Trade Center left home for work on Sept 11. When he got to Manhattan, he decided to spend the morning at his girlfriend’s apartment in the Village. When he got to her place, he turned off the phones, TV and radio and spent the entire morning in bed with her. At about 11:00 am, while still at her place, he turned his cell phone back on to retrieve his messages.
A second later it rang. His wife was on the phone crying and screaming at him, “I’ve been trying to call you for over two hours!! I’ve been worried sick about you! Are you OK?!?” He answered calmly that he was fine.
The wife then asked, “Where are you?”
The guy said, “Where do you think I am? I’m in my office!””
(Source: Snopes)
Urban Legend: True Story or Nearly Impossible?
It goes without saying that this was an urban legend and is nearly impossible to be true; for one thing, no names are given to the businessman, his jilted wife, or his lover. While it is true there had been a plethora of missing persons during that time (even 20 years later, some victims have yet to be identified) and whereabouts of people in the buildings remained unknown, it would be more believable to have a name available for the man going through the divorce.
If it was a court case, would it not be made available for public viewing? No case number? No records? Finally, it’s the timing of the attacks; by the time the first plane had hit the first tower, people in Canada were aware of the incident. In the more recent story, for a man to go two whole hours without knowing a terrorist attack was happening in his own city is ridiculous within itself. With him supposedly working in one of the Twin Towers, it just adds to the atrociousness of it. People could clearly see the destruction of the towers from Manhattan, even with all the electronics off in the household.
Humor Despite Tragedy
The point of this urban legend is that, simply put, humor has always been a staple in American culture, even though it had disappeared for a while after the 9/11 attacks. But as with every disaster – whether it’s the Challenger explosion, the death of Princess Diana or the DC Snipers – shock humor has always been expected to follow with these tragedies. These jokes were seen as lowbrow humor, tasteless and gaudy but some people could not help but laugh at it.
Laughter, however, can also be seen as a healing process when it comes to getting closure and conquering fears. When you lose a loved one, sometimes you make jokes not to mock the deceased, but to honor their memory and remember the positive impact they had on your life. In the same venue, something as horrific as 9/11 is also susceptible to be humor fodder, as a means of dissociating from the overwhelming sorrow; it tells us that life and the world go on, and if we want to live a good life, we must go on with it.