It’s still hard to imagine how horrible it had to have been that jumping was preferable.
His identity has not been confirmed, though many have speculated over the last 4 1/2 years. Tom Junod wrote an extraordinary piece for Eqsuire in September 2003 on “The Falling Man,” offering several possibilities.
“Yes, Jonathan Briley might be the Falling Man. But the only certainty we have is the certainty we had at the start: At fifteen seconds after 9:41 a.m., on September 11, 2001, a photographer named Richard Drew took a picture of a man falling through the sky—falling through time as well as through space. The picture went all around the world, and then disappeared, as if we willed it away. One of the most famous photographs in human history became an unmarked grave, and the man buried inside its frame—the Falling Man—became the Unknown Soldier in a war whose end we have not yet seen. Richard Drew’s photograph is all we know of him, and yet all we know of him becomes a measure of what we know of ourselves. The picture is his cenotaph, and like the monuments dedicated to the memory of unknown soldiers everywhere, it asks that we look at it, and make one simple acknowledgment.”
Today, the Mirror of London follows up:
“Jonathan fitted the body type, the skin colour, and it left the door open for a possibility that it was really Jonathan,” Lomonaco says.
That image is so… Strong. Not a nice picture to look at minutes prior to sleepytime.
I prefer this picture to be the icon for the horror that occured on 9/11. It is serene. Death of man by man viewed by man.
The other corny picture of two sappy firemen watching a third effortlessly raising the American flag is a picture for imbeciles.
Why would you want heroism to mark that day? Don’t you get enough of that in comic books and in the movies? What does horror have to do with heroism?
If Jeffrey Daumer got into your house and butchered your family but subsequently got arrested by a passing off-duty police officer who heard the screams. Would you represent that day as a picture of that policeman in uniform proudly showing his badge on the honor it represents of protecting citizens.
Grow up boys and girls.
If I ever work in a tower that tall I am packing a parachute. Jebus!
WEEEEEEEEEE!!!
“Would you represent that day as a picture of that policeman in uniform proudly showing his badge on the honor it represents of protecting citizens.”
In a word: YES
It’s a person falling to his death. It is a horrible thing. Does his identity matter to the public as anything more than entertainment?
…not unlike cars crashing in a tunnel. Entertainment. No less horrible, but none of most of our business…as ungainly a construction as that just was.
I read the original article in Esquire. This one frame is just one out of about a dozen. In the others he is flailing and tumbling. So in that chaotic sequence the camera caught one moment that depicted, perhaps, grace and elegance, but the truth was far from that. I will always be sad for him and everyone who lost their lifes that day. But I take heart in knowing that the Jihadists who see this picture have to realize that we too will chose death when pushed to our limit. That we can be sipping coffee, surfing the web at the start of a work day and within an hour come realize our time is up on this planet and choose death. That’s why they will never win.
Wow David…I don’t even know where to begin. But the more I think about it, you have to be deliberately trying to rile people up here with an obvious over-the-top troll. No one with an IQ above…oh I don’t know, 50 or so….could possibly believe what you wrote.
The sign of a master troll is to not be so obvious. Be a tad more subtle next time. Ease into the written troll to get people over on your side at first…then WHAM them over the head near the end. You just start out with both barrels.
Bah…kids these days.
this is a reminder of 9/11..bush should withdraw his army & nuke iraq & iran
glenn
bush must nuqe iraq& iran for sake of world pease
glenn
Michael Lomonaco would have been up top at the restaurant with Jonathan on any other morning. He had a stop to make on the ground floor, that day. Waiting for a shop to open. Stayed alive.
He and others in the restaurant business maintain the Windows of Hope charity for the families and survivors of those who worked at Windows on the World.
There was a documentary about the Falling Man last night on Channel 4 (uk). It was very interesting. I certainly agree with the previous comment that it’s hard to imagine how terrible it must have been inside to want to jump out. Also how sad that some of the families feel that their loved family members would have gone to hell for jumping. That is wrong on so many levels.
The other corny picture of two sappy firemen watching a third effortlessly raising the American flag is a picture for imbeciles.
Why would you want heroism to mark that day? Don’t you get enough of that in comic books and in the movies? What does horror have to do with heroism?
I think Pat Robertson makes a good analogy to this picture. Big on the oratory, but mighty thin on the actions.
I guess some people just don’t understand what patriotism is. That waving a flag somehow makes them a patriot. Or putting your hand over your heart as a flag passes during a parade. Or saying “just nuke all the camel jockeys”. Because if you believe doing any of those things makes you patriotic then you are full of crap.
Scott G.
Practice what you preach. At least david backed up his opinions quite lucidly.
“But I take heart in knowing that the Jihadists who see this picture have to realize that we too will chose death when pushed to our limit.”
David W, the man falling didn’t choose death over life, he chose death A over death B. The Jihadists piloting those planes on 9/11 chose death over life. They were the true heroes of that horrific day. They were brave and fearless. That is a fact that cannot be disputed, despite your feelings. What would drive a man to kill others? To inflict pain and suffering and terror upon an other man? Why are the Jihadists not terrorizing Tibet? Why does Tibet live in peace? Why is no one attacking them? THINK.
Is it because Tibet, and its Buddhists inhabitants leave other people the-fuck-alone?
Why can’t the U.S. leave the Middle East alone? Because we have interests there is why. Look, I learned one thing in life and that is that it takes two to tango. When you WANT something that somebody else has then you must enter into a relationship with that party. You have three options:
(1) you give them what they want in return for what you want
(2) you cannot give them what they want so you GIVE UP what you want and LEAVE them and terminate that relationship.
(3) you declare war and take BY FORCE what you want without giving them what they want in return.
You believe what you want–let it be patriotism, democracy, freedom, America, oil, etc.– is your right over anybody elses. And that belief is being proven WRONG.
If you believe that the U.S. can win the war against terrorism by violence, war and return terror you are gravely mistaken. There is no gun, missile, nuke in the Universe greater than the simplest tool that man has. And that is a fearless human mind that doesn’t mind dying–in fact, WANTS TO DIE.
How do you kill a man that is already dead? You and all Americans FEAR death. The “terrorists” will win this war.
LEAVE THEM THE FUCK ALONE.
Mr. Fusion, david backed what up? How do you back up an opinion like that? Is it a fact that the firefighters in 911 were not heroes and shouldn’t be looked up to…and instead we should be content with movie and comic-book heroes? If that’s a fact, then yes I guess he did back that up…but he didn’t list sources.
Also, if by “lucidly” you meant “insanely” or “out of his fricken mind”…then yes, he backed them up “lucidly”. Take a gander at his last post (or manifesto if you will) to get another taste of that lucidity. Calling the people that flew the planes into the towers on 911 the real heroes of that day?
But hey, if you want to stand by him Mr. Fusion, be my guest.
Scott, the firemen who died on 9/11 were victims. Sure, they were risking their lives just like they do everyday. It is there job. Not one single fireman believed the towers were going to fall. Not one. IF they knew they were going to fall AND THEN went up to do rescues that would be a different story. You and everybody else wants to believe a fairy tale story that will make you feel good. You want heroes. You want the story to end in your favor. You are selfish in that regard. You believe lies because you do not want to face the truth. The truth is ugly. The truth is not tarnished to make you feel good. Don’t get me wrong. Firemen, and others that helped that day, are to be commended. I honor them honestly by not calling them heroes to ice the cake on the story so nicely wrapped up in a title that sounds like convenience store (7/11, ooops, sorry the most horrific event in American History we’re gonna call 9/11…).
To be a man is to come face to face with the truth. If you want to believe lies to soothe your pubescent emotions then you DISHONOR the men, and women, who died on 9/11. You show cowardness because you don’t accept or pursue truth.
I call it like it is, and there is honor in that. I would tell a kid whose firefighter father died that day the truth: that his father died a VICTIM of a horrendous act. That his father died in the line of duty and died honorably. No sugar-coating. Life is hard. It is made harder by not facing up to truth.
Scott
david gave an opinion and explained why he felt that way. You gave an opinion and without justifying or explaining your position, continued to denigrate david. I do not always agree with what david says, but I respect his right to say it and most times admire his tone and writing ability.
Hey, I respect that he has a right to say what he wishes. Say it loud, say it proud! And I apologize in calling him a troll in the first post…when he obviously isn’t. Insane and off his rocker yes…but not a troll.
Isn’t it ironic though that he’s free to say whatever crazy thing that slips off his fingers unto his keyboard, yet I get chastised for criticising him for it. His right to say something trumps my right to say something? Hmmm….
But hey, good times right?
Reply to david from post 18.
There is nothing heroic about being brainwashed by the a false promise of a non-existant afterlife. There is nothing heroic about taking innocent lives. If there is justification for killing those people, then there is the same justification for Israel’s actions which some call “collective punishment”. Those people were not bothering Islam or the Middle East.
Your heros attacked a symbol and the lives were collateral damage. Acceptable in this twisted interpretation of a religion.
And, the falling man’s choice, regardless of how you think of it, was one of defiance. The more the Jihadists threaten us as whole, the less our own self interests matter. The jihadist counts on self interest as the seed of fear. The jihadist uses terrorism to instill fear. The falling man is a perfect metaphor to this concept by the choice he made. There are millions of falling men and women in the West. This is your lesson.
Put your face in his.
the falling man had no choice ,either burn to death, or take the quicker route. same as the people on the outskirts of the fireball when the hiroshima bomb went off, they wanted to die but it took them longer. war is utterly sensless , dispite what anyone says , you have got to sit down with the fanatic,s off this life and ask them why they do these things . education is better than devastation.
i have never thought of the people who didn`t die in the towers as jumpers. iv`e always thought they were taking the only chance they had left to live. It`s easy to see they didn`t have any real chance but it was their only chance.They seemed to me that they wanted to live.
Not one off the women men or children that died thought Death to all Muslims
Why because we are not ignorant animals that thrive on the suffering of non Muslims.
Surley the devil lives in the terrorist Islamic religion. God help you and forgive you. I cannot nor will not. I hate you for what you have made myself and others suffer.
Lord forgive me I have tried to forgive.
iam said to see bush go
he was a man of his word
bush had bottle
& stood by his word