London calling...

[lillibet]

Woke up today to the news of the bombings. After a few hours of media coverage, here are some random thoughts.

--One of the bombs was on the train between King's Cross and Russell Square that we took all the time--though never at rush hour.

--In a funny way--very similar to how I felt in Florence on 9/11--I wish I were in London today, but I'm glad that I'm not and that my family needn't worry about me.

--In some ways it's surprising how upset everyone seems to be--I suppose it's because people were killed and because all signs indicate that it wasn't their usual terrorists. The IRA is pretty careful not to kill people these days, so the three bombings that took place while we were there were fairly minor events.

--Somehow the thing that bothers me most is the realization that they must have decided to hit the bus so that there would be media footage--that's a level of cynicism that goes beyond the killings.

--And, in a modern-media moment, both jason237 and I wonder how and if they'll work this into the next series of "Spooks".

Comments

[hammercock.livejournal.com]

Trowa and I stayed at a hotel across the street from King's Cross station last year and took that train frequently during our vacation, so yeah, it's kind of freaky to see this happen in a place with which we became familiar. I'm always that much more weirded out to hear about bombings and attacks in places that I've visited and can identify visually; I guess that just makes it easier for me to put myself in the shoes of people who were there when attacks occurred.

I think you're right, that it's possibly more upsetting that they were targeted by other than the heretofore familiar IRA types. I think it's scarier to feel like you have shadowy international enemies somehow than the usual domestic ones, even if the end result (bombing, carnage) is the same.

[dancenerd.livejournal.com]

I was just talking to a friend about how this attack in London produced a bigger response in me than the one last year in Madrid. One of the reasons, I decided, was because I actually know people who have lived in London, including you and Jason. I've also been to London myself, but never Madrid. He, on the other hand, felt more when Madrid was attacked because his parents have been there several times.

[lillibet.livejournal.com]

Yeah--I've spent a bunch of time in Madrid, but never come to know and love it as much as I do London.

[deguspice.livejournal.com]

One of the bombs was on the train between King's Cross and Russell Square that we took all the time--though never at rush hour.

We also frequently rode on that line, though we usually got off at Russell Square and then walked past the British Museum to get to our hotel.

Somehow the thing that bothers me most is the realization that they must have decided to hit the bus so that there would be media footage--that's a level of cynicism that goes beyond the killings.

My theory is that they delayed the bomb on the bus to give London Transport time to shut down the Underground trains, so the bus would be crowded.

[deguspice.livejournal.com]

Listening to BBC Radio, it sounds like the bus blew up close to a hotel I once stayed at.

The interviewer was talking to five people in Covent Garden.  These were the only people he found in Covent Garden.  This is usually a place that is teeming with people.  It's hard to image it being that empty.