A major post on Berlin is in the works, but may not make it in time for the absurdly juxtaposed anniversaries of the fall of the Berlin Wall (1989) and Kristallnacht (1938), both November 9. But that reminds me ...
I wonder how many Americans are aware that when they refer to "9/11," they are speaking with an American dialect, and that their friends in Britain and Australia and elsewhere are having to translate. In most of the world, including Australia, dates are written "day/month," so "9/11" means today, November 9.
Americans are used to "9/11" as a kind of shorthand designed to reference a trauma without invoking it, rather like the word "holocaust." But unlike "holocaust," 9/11 keeps rolling around in the calendar, so the shorthand use of "9/11" for the WTC attacks carries a slight whiff of linguistic imperialism that is clearly unintentional and yet can't be shaken off. "9/11? 9th of November? What about it?" "Oh, you mean the American 9/11."
The London Underground bombings happened on July 7, and the Brits occasionally refer to the event as "7/7." If the month and date hadn't been identical, they'd have had to take a stand for their way of writing dates against the American one. As it happens, the terrorists chose a date singularly suited to Transatlantic harmony. It shows they're not all that clever after all.
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