WASHINGTON — Rep. Ilhan Omar introduced a resolution Friday proposing that September 11 be officially renamed “National Day Of Unspecified Things Happening To Buildings,” arguing that the new designation would allow Americans to commemorate the anniversary without becoming unnecessarily focused on the vague specific events that took place that day.
Omar said the proposed name would provide a more inclusive and less judgmental way to discuss the 2001 attacks, which she described as a complicated historical event involving “some people doing something” and several buildings experiencing unexpected structural difficulties.
“Every year, we continue to use language that makes people feel uncomfortable about what happened on September 11,” Ilhan Omar said during a press conference on the Capitol steps. “I think we need to move forward with a more neutral description of that afternoon, when certain individuals engaged in certain activities involving certain aircraft and certain buildings.”
Under Omar’s proposal, the annual observance would feature a moment of silence for “the people affected by the various things that occurred,” followed by educational programming encouraging Americans to avoid making assumptions about who was responsible for the unspecified incidents.
The resolution would also replace the traditional phrase “Never Forget” with the more historically sensitive slogan “Please Remember That Something Happened.”
At publishing time, Omar was reportedly drafting a follow-up bill to formally rename Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day to “The Morning Some Boats Got Wet.”
