UK patriotic response?

[El Barto]

Americans remember our response after 9/11. Flags were flown everywhere, even hanging out of car windows. There were lines at the Red Cross for blood donations. Volunteers from around the country went to the sites to help out. Posters of missing persons went up around ground zero.

The London attack is smaller in scale and the complete destruction of structures is not present, but more than a day later I would guess some sort of response is developing.

Those of you in the UK, tell us what sort of responses, patriotic or not you see developing there.

Is the media towing the patriotic line? or is the blame game beginning?

Are people moving on with their lives? (We've been bombed before, ho-hum) or are they still in shock?

Is the flag coming out everywhere?


http://www.myanmars.net/pic/flag-uk.gif

[diebitter]

No not really. Flags aren't really our thing, unless we win a big international football game!!!

People are getting on with it though. That is much more our thing.

Ordinary people can't do much to help the situation other than show they're not being fazed by this atrocity - and that's what's happening.

I do believe that professionals that can be of help are turning up and assisting where they can though, and also ordinary people did help yesterday's efforts where they could.

[TheTROLL]

You won't see anything like that in London at all. Difficult to explain why, but even if it were on the same scale as WTC you wouldn't. People just want to get on with their stuff. (Blood donating is a bit different, that's actually immediately useful - appeals in previous incidents have met with very good response.)

[TylerD]

This is pretty much what I was going to write.

Londoners just seem to be getting on with it -- showing the terrorists that they can't win.

[daveymck]

Stiff upper lip and all that people get on with it, no doubt there will be some memorial service or similar but apart from that I think people will get on as normal, which is in a way the best repsonse to terrorism you can give.

Its so much different here we have had 30 years of IRA bombing plus the blitz before that this event is horrible but not new but we have to get on.

I for one will be going to London at the weekend as I planned I am sure by Monday most things and people will be back to normal.

[chaas4747]

Glad to hear that everyone is doing ok.
My favorite commercial post 911 is the one with the picture of the average neighborhood, they say something like "The terrorist wanted to change to US forever". Then they show the same neighborhood with all of the flags showing, and the banners hanging from windows, and they come back with something about them accomplishing their goal. It always hit me, and made me feel patriotic.

Glad to hear the UK is bouncing back. Hopefully all of your lives can get back to normal.

[diebitter]

I found this on the BBC web site, that I think sums it up quite nicely, an account from someone in central London:

"...what amazed me was the atmosphere in the streets of London as everyone was walking home in the afternoon. The feeling of sheer defiance bordered on a buzz - strangers were walking together and talking to one another - it was almost as though we Londoners were saying to our attackers "you will never bring us down". I feel very proud to be a Londoner, and my heart goes out to the people who have really suffered. "

This is on the afternoon of the same day as the attack!

I also had to laugh of a guy talking about going on the tube today, where everything seemed normal, apart from one guy carrying a bag saying 'Up Yours, Osama'

First smile I've had since all this kicked off, reading that!

[ipp147]

[ QUOTE ]
Are people moving on with their lives? (We've been bombed before, ho-hum) or are they still in shock?


[/ QUOTE ]

Woke up and came to work near to where it happened. Just getting on with it. Thats what we will do I suspect.

[schwza]

[ QUOTE ]
Glad to hear that everyone is doing ok.
My favorite commercial post 911 is the one with the picture of the average neighborhood, they say something like "The terrorist wanted to change to US forever". Then they show the same neighborhood with all of the flags showing, and the banners hanging from windows, and they come back with something about them accomplishing their goal. It always hit me, and made me feel patriotic.

Glad to hear the UK is bouncing back. Hopefully all of your lives can get back to normal.

[/ QUOTE ]

i've always thought that terrorists would be pretty psyched about this response. they want to foster arab vs. us divisions and hostility. they want americans to support government and by extension war, because that helps push people who moderately hate america into really hating america. so when they see us getting all patriotic and belligerent, they're not saying "oh no! another flag!", they're glad.

sorry for the off-topic reponse.

my heart goes out to the UK.

[SmileyEH]

[ QUOTE ]
This is pretty much what I was going to write.

Londoners just seem to be getting on with it -- showing the terrorists that they can't win.

[/ QUOTE ]

I really like this attitude.

-SmileyEH

[d10]

Yeah, are you planning on extracting vengeance on any random countries which may or may not have had anything to do with the attack?

[spamuell]

I spent today in Central London, it was really quite similar to before. It seemed like there was a slightly higher police presence but I might have just been noticing more. Oh and a street I was in was evacuated by St Paul's, I don't know what that was about, the authorities are probably just being more vigilant at the moment.

There were people around like there usually are though, it was quite busy.

[Lazymeatball]

[ QUOTE ]
...where everything seemed normal, apart from one guy carrying a bag saying 'Up Yours, Osama'


[/ QUOTE ]

I wonder how many guys there are in London named Osama.

[Larimani]

Arson attack on a mosq in Leeds and threats to an islamic group in Bristol.

But these events are isolated. The UK will show a positive response. Patriotism is over-rated.

[somethingstupid]

Patriotism = nationalism?

[Monkeyslacks]

Stick it in her pooper!

[JaBlue]

they are painting british flags on all their mini coopers

[TheTROLL]

[ QUOTE ]
Oh and a street I was in was evacuated by St Paul's, I don't know what that was about, the authorities are probably just being more vigilant at the moment.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yup, there was a controlled explosion on a bus at the west end of Cannon Street, police told us to stay in the office while it was going on. As you say, they're just being extra cautious for a while...