After 9/11 I'll never look at a backpack the same way again!
Tina Peden , Portsmouth: May 29 2008
Made Popular May 30 2008
United States :

After 9/11 I'll never look at a backpack the same way again!

Strange alert!

Sad alert!

Reality check!

Yesterday in Portsmouth it was a sunny 65 degrees.

It was a beautiful day that was both warm and cool at the same time.

An absolutely perfect day for walking.

So I loaded everything into my North Crest Backpack and started a strollin’ to the library.

About 6 minutes into my walk I saw a backpack near a bus stop.

Then all of a sudden a weird thing happened.

I started to get a little nervous and my pulse started racing.

So, I quickly walked past the abandoned backpack.

When I was about 1 block away from the backpack I started to relax but not before getting really pissed off at myself.

Sometimes I really don’t know what gets into me.

Although, if the truth be told I do know what got into me.

It was fear with a capital F.

Fear plain and simple.

Truthfully I got scared because of the following things:

-I thought that there could be a bomb or other type of explosive in that backpack.

-I was scared that some crazy terrorist from a foreign country had put a bomb in that abandoned backpack to make a statement against the United States and that I was toast.

To keep it real, i’m black enough. (I like my skin color just the way it is!) And I don’t need to get any blacker because of a bomb.

-I feared that my timing was bad and that I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

I really was scared that I was gonna’ go kablooey!

Again, I got really pissed at myself for being so ridiculous and acting so paranoid.

Again, I really don’t know what gets into me sometimes.

However, even through this emotional rollercoaster part of me was really proud of myself.

It’s little reminders like this that make me realize that I am not invisible.

I can be hurt just like anybody else.

We live in a very violent world.

And no matter how careful you are at times when it’s your time to go to heaven or hell, it’s your time to go!

Part of me really wants to believe that things like getting blown up only happen to other people, not me, but in reality it could happen to anybody including a 38 year old black female who lives in boring Portsmouth New Hampshire where nothing bad is supposed to happen.

I’ll tell ya’ since 9/11 I will never look at a backpack the same way again!

And that’s a shame!

P.S. I’ll also never look at washed-up actress Sharon Stone the same way again after her stupid and insensitive remarks about the earthquake in China.

Hey Sharon, shame on you!

Hey China! May the Summer Olympics in Beijing be the best ever!

You guys totally rock and will rebuild and be stronger than ever!

No earthquake is gonna’ take China down!

After 9/11 I'll never look at a backpack the same way again!

Add Images and Videos
Close X
Recommended Tags or Keywords
Search by Tags or Keywords
Selected Media ( You can Upload only Six media )
1 Stars
Justin
Baton Rouge, United States
You started to get a little nervous and your pulse started racing and you quickly walked past the abandoned backpack...and what about the duty of an ideal citizen who reports such a thing to authorities nearby? I guess you pissed your paints with fear.

i think that's very irresponsible on your part...i do agree that fear can make us think all the stupid things at on time but LADY, we are fighting Terrorism and we have gone too far, so now its not just democrats or republicans who's gonna take care of this nation...it all comes down to us...THE CITIZENS
1 Stars
Mike
Columbus, United States
Can someone tell me what the photo is supposed to be showing (the one at the bottom of the story)? I don't quite follow what's so interesting about it.

(I am at the end of my work's day and it feels like I have spent it trying to nail jello to a wall, so please be gentle with my lack of imagination at the moment.)
1 Stars
Eadan
Phoenix, United States
How are people supposed to forget about 9/11 if you keep submitting threads mentioning 9/11?

For the last time, STOP. 7 years ago. Let it go. Move on.

I'm gonna be highly annoyed if I'm still hearing about it 5 years from now. At some point we're gonna have to give it up, so let's start now.
1 Stars
It seems that terrorism has really instilled a fear among the public, across the world. India is one place where we find plenty of stuff, from tiffin boxes to bags and all sorts of stuff in between. This stuff gives the already overworked Indian police a real hard time.
1 Stars
I find nothing wrong with your behavior Tina for such has been the fear that the 9/11 Row has instilled in every Citizen. Forgive me for this, but that was terror at its Colossus best. One incident has changed the way people think about terror . But yes you should have gone ahead and reported the matter as an Ideal Citizen.
1 Stars
Milind
Thiruvananthapuram, India
it's obvious that after 9/11 the world is always skeptic about the things around. the attack filled ppl with the fear of being attacked by the terrorists anytime throughout the world. now everything left out is judged with the suspicion. this is a common thing here in india where the terrorism is fueling fear and killing our system as a termite does to wood.
1 Stars
Nkosipile
London, United Kingdom
terrorism is an abhorred deed in any form whatsoever, but how china Olympics are coming in to tell something about terrorism. ok fine! china is wicked nation with a wicked Marxist regime. human rights violations at home and violent crackdown on the innocent Tibetans is enough to unveil its diabolic side. as far as my opinion goes, china do not deserve the Olympic games. the world community should make strenuous efforts to force them to end all these shits or else...
1 Stars
Nkosipile
London, United Kingdom
jayaprashanth

"It seems that terrorism has really instilled a fear among the public, across the world."

world is in panic after the 9/11 and still you are gouging your mood to be afraid of or not. post 9/11 era is marked with hassles that terrorism put it in. and you...strange!!!
1 Stars
@eadan

I feel the same way about the holocaust... It’s like Jesus! The guys that built the camp, ordered the deaths and those that died in it ARE DEAD NOW! Yet somehow, it still comes back and is a fierce talking point about how the Jews were prosecuted...


What about the gypsies?!?!?!??? they never got a state! Im gonna convert to gypsyism and demand compensation from Germany for my great great grandfathers death!!!

/rich
1 Stars
@ Nkosipile
How do the Chinese Olympic hosting rights manage to find a place here. I agree to all the facts concerning the Chinese regime you’ve put in there but still fail to comprehend the reason for the same. What’s gotten into you pal! It is about 9/11 and its aftermath.
1 Stars
Tina Peden knowledgeable.tblog...
Portsmouth, United States
Thanks to all of you who left comments on my article.

I really appreciate it.

And next time, I will report anything suspicious like that backpack to the authorities.

To be honest, I never even thought about doing that which is something that should have sprang to my mind immediately.

Please forgive me, i’m only human.
1 Stars
Ryan theryanthomascollect..
San Francisco, United States
I think the intial awareness of the unattended backpack is great of you, whether you took action or not. We all have to be aware of our surroundings for personal and social safety. I keep an eye out for any suspicious actions such as someone randomly leaving a bag and walking away. However...

In regards to a comment made above about not taking action because of too much fear, I have to respond. I live in San Francisco, and if everyone called about every single unattended box, package, trashcan, bag, etc they came across, we wouldnt have police doing everything else. Perhaps Baton Rouge is a bit cleaned up or a bit too small to understand the realities of a dense population.
Add your Comment