911 - Falling Man

[Neil]

http://www.esquire.com/cm/esquire/images/fallingman-lg.jpg

In the picture, he departs from this earth like an arrow. Although he has not chosen his fate, he appears to have, in his last instants of life, embraced it. If he were not falling, he might very well be flying. He appears relaxed, hurtling through the air. He appears comfortable in the grip of unimaginable motion. He does not appear intimidated by gravity's divine suction or by what awaits him. His arms are by his side, only slightly outriggered. His left leg is bent at the knee, almost casually. His white shirt, or jacket, or frock, is billowing free of his black pants. His black high-tops are still on his feet. In all the other pictures, the people who did what he did -- who jumped -- appear to be struggling against horrific discrepancies of scale. They are made puny by the backdrop of the towers, which loom like colossi, and then by the event itself. Some of them are shirtless; their shoes fly off as they flail and fall; they look confused, as though trying to swim down the side of a mountain. The man in the picture, by contrast, is perfectly vertical, and so is in accord with the lines of the buildings behind him. He splits them, bisects them: Everything to the left of him in the picture is the North Tower; everything to the right, the South. Though oblivious to the geometric balance he has achieved, he is the essential element in the creation of a new flag, a banner composed entirely of steel bars shining in the sun. Some people who look at the picture see stoicism, willpower, a portrait of resignation; others see something else -- something discordant and therefore terrible: freedom. There is something almost rebellious in the man's posture, as though once faced with the inevitability of death, he decided to get on with it; as though he were a missile, a spear, bent on attaining his own end. He is, fifteen seconds past 9:41 a.m. EST, the moment the picture is taken, in the clutches of pure physics, accelerating at a rate of thirty-two feet per second squared. He will soon be traveling at upwards of 150 miles per hour, and he is upside down. In the picture, he is frozen; in his life outside the frame, he drops and keeps dropping until he disappears.

[capncnut]

He probably used to bungee jump.

[Tricky]

Having done a skydive myself, I can say he probably didnt feel like he was falling,especially if he closed his eyes, still a horrible way to die though & even 8 years on that whole day still sickens me, & look how much the world has changed since the towers came down

[Neil]

Having done a skydive myself, I can say he probably didnt feel like he was falling,especially if he closed his eyes, still a horrible way to die though & even 8 years on that whole day still sickens me, & look how much the world has changed since the towers came down

I can probably say he definately felt like he was falling.

High up at 12,500 feet, with no clouds, it does indeed feel like you're floating, apart from the wind... The closest thing is 12,500ft away and you have no preception of it getting closer.

The moment, even at that height, there's anything at a closer reference point (eg: clouds) the illusion is destroyed as you see things moving, and your brain knows you're not staying at the same height.

I can only imagine flying down a few tens of feet away from a building wall, and seeing the ground just a few hundred feet away getting quickly closer, there would be no doubt that you were falling :(

[AcesandEights]

I always have mixed feelings about 9/11 remembrances, usually something having to do with skepticism of the person or organization's motives, but this is--for me, I'll say--a touching work.

Interesting story behind it (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Falling_Man), as well.

[Purge]

He probably used to bungee jump.

Have some respect, huh?

To Neil and our British brothers, thanks for doing this each year and honoring that day. It's much appreciated.

[capncnut]

Have some respect, huh?
Actually my comment was perfectly serious about the way he was falling, I'd just woken up so gimme a break.

And as for 9/11, I don't bother watching anniversaries because I don't like to dwell and I don't need reminding.

[Neil]

I always have mixed feelings about 9/11 remembrances, usually something having to do with skepticism of the person or organization's motives, but this is--for me, I'll say--a touching work.

Interesting story behind it (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Falling_Man), as well.

The documentary (mentioned on that page) was very moving... And I guess that's why the image is all the more powerful for me...

BXnA9FjvLSU

[MinionZombie]

The documentary (mentioned on that page) was very moving... And I guess that's why the image is all the more powerful for me...

BXnA9FjvLSU
Aye I remember watching that last year, or the year before, whenever it was on.

Fascinating, but also makes you think - what would you do?

With two options - stay in there and burn/choke to death - or jump?

Now I've heard that you'd black out before you actually reach the ground, so surely that'd be the way to go? I think that would be what I'd choose - I know, I know, easy to say just sat here at my computer, but seriously ... in my mind, with those two options, and when you know there's no way out - I think it's gonna have to be to do it on your own (albeit incredibly limited) terms.

It's also an incredible photo, and very chilling.

...

I meant to watch that thing "102 Minutes That Changed America", but I missed it both times on More4 and Channel4 ... and I missed it on one of the Sky channels.

I will say the best documentary I've seen about 9/11 is titled just that, done by those French brothers who were documenting that fire station - an incredible documentary.

As for a narrative film based on the day, United 93 is the "best" one - that film was so insanely moving it was ... well, incredible ... when they make their surge for the terrorist pilots at the end I was on the edge of my seat, gripped in a way I'd never been gripped before by a film.

One of the most powerful film viewing experiences I've ever had.

...

As for the day itself, I think it's important to remember every year - not only for being the defining event of the 21st century (and in the 2nd year of said century too! ... and yes I know we're only in 2009, but you know what I mean) ... but also because it shows mankind at its worst, and mankind at its best.

When stricken by disaster and terror and unimaginable horror, you really can trust in your fellow man.

[Neil]

I think given the choice between those ever increasing temperatures having reached such painful heights (to the poiint of being unbearable) ,and jumping ,most people who probably jump. I suspect most people given impending painful death or a chance of a further 10 seconds more of life (by jumping), would go for the latter...

[Mike70]

i watched a doc on 9/11 last night on the history channel. i thought it was okay but i can only watch what amounts to the same shots of buildings collapsing, debris clouds and people running through the streets, so many times before it loses any sense of meaning and becomes boring.

[Tricky]

Now I've heard that you'd black out before you actually reach the ground, so surely that'd be the way to go? .

Again relating back to my skydive, I jumped from 15,000ft & got a good 8 or 9000ft freefall in before the chute opened,& I was never in any danger of blacking out with no oxygen mask etc so im guessing thats a myth unless you passed out through sheer terror!
Im not sure what decision I would have made to be honest, I wouldnt want to burn alive but neither would I want that pant wetting terror of jumping to certain death, though I suspect it would have been difficult to have stayed rational in there! :eek:
Its one day where you'd have wished you were an experienced base jumper & just happened to have had your kit in your locker at work...

[kortick]

From The Straight Dope:

Skydivers in free fall routinely reach terminal velocity, i.e., the speed at which air resistance and weight balance out and acceleration stops, which often exceeds 120 mph. During a typical plunge they may drop 10,000 feet in 60 seconds, remaining conscious throughout. (The free-fall speed record, incidentally, is 614 mph, set in 1960 by Joseph Kittinger, who stepped out of a balloon gondola into the exceedingly thin air at 103,000 feet.) Nonetheless the belief persists that anyone leaping or falling from a great height blacks out, has the breath sucked out of them, etc. Fact is, some pass out, but not all. We know this because people have in fact survived a leap off the Golden Gate Bridge, and staying alert is one reason they did.

But can you believe this guy dropped from 103,000 ft? I thought 13,500 was
something, now I feel like i jumped off a sidewalk onto the street.

I think those people jumped because the heat of the fire was so intense
it triggered an almost primal urge to flee from it.

[ProfessorChaos]

As for a narrative film based on the day, United 93 is the "best" one - that film was so insanely moving it was ... well, incredible ... when they make their surge for the terrorist pilots at the end I was on the edge of my seat, gripped in a way I'd never been gripped before by a film.

One of the most powerful film viewing experiences I've ever had.

i remember the first time i saw this film i was literally moved to tears...and i'm not exactly the emotional and sappy type whatsoever....

[MinionZombie]

i remember the first time i saw this film i was literally moved to tears...and i'm not exactly the emotional and sappy type whatsoever....
Exactly.

...

As for the blackout issue, well even still, I think I'd choose to jump instead of burn/choke to death. :eek::(:eek:

[Neil]

i remember the first time i saw this film i was literally moved to tears...and i'm not exactly the emotional and sappy type whatsoever....

I recall a particular line from the program when they talked about these jumpers... "individuals who lonely ten second journeys"...

And another something like "a very public way of dying...

[MikePizzoff]

Now I've heard that you'd black out before you actually reach the ground, so surely that'd be the way to go?

"They" just say that so the public isn't horrified by pictures/footage of people falling during the attacks on 9-11-01. They want people to think "Oh, those bodies hurling through the air aren't people screaming and crying... they're at peace and tranquil!" BULLSHIT. Aside from the picture Neil posted, I'd say just about all of the people that decided (were forced to) jump were probably completely terrified the whole way down. It's truly sad and terrifying to think about.

[Neil]

I think they suggested about 300 people jump/fell...

[MinionZombie]

A bit odd really - because what else do people think they were doing before they decided to jump? They weren't sat there having a cup of tea for crying out loud - we've heard the phone calls, people were stricken (rightly so) with horror.

I see the people jumping as at least a little something they clawed back - a tiny decision they were able to make for themselves before their life prematurely ended.

...

What actually creeps me out is the sound of the bodies hitting the ground on the documentary footage (e.g. that film by the French brothers called simply 9/11) and the people not knowing what it is, and then later finding out. That is creepy.

But again, at least the people's deaths would be instantaneous at that point.

Chilling stuff.

I've still got a bunch of newspapers from September 12th, I specifically saved them for future perusal years later. Crazy, crazy stuff.

I remember September 12th in our sixth form was a sombre day with us all huddled around newspapers and TV screens just trying to figure it out, and occasionally heading off to sombre classes.

On September 11th, it was about mid afternoon here in the UK 'cos of the time difference, and a girl came in and said "a plane just went into the twin towers" - with a puzzled expression - and having just heard it, we all thought it was like the time that plane went into the Empire State Building.

Then I got picked up from school and walked in as a replay of one of the towers falling was showing, and immediately knew that this was something very different.

But weirdly, it doesn't sink in at all at that time, it almost feels *normal* ... not sure how to explain it ... like when 7/7 happened in the UK, I was flicking through the channels, saw some clips on the news, and skipped right on by them and didn't think anything of it really (just goes to show you about the density of 24 hour news eh?)

Then of course your mind gets it's head straight and it all becomes very real and very fucked up.

[Tricky]

Then of course came the huge gearing up of the military within weeks of this happening, and the internet was full of those posters of the twin towers as an "up yours" gesture or "peace through superior firepower" ones, at that time there was very few people against the war when the US army & british SAS were storming across afghanistan aided by the northern alliance (whatever happenbed to them?), now 8 years on soldiers & civilians alike are still dying in their hundreds as a result of the 9/11 attacks in a war the west doesnt know how to win & has lost sight of its objectives

[MinionZombie]

Then of course came the huge gearing up of the military within weeks of this happening, and the internet was full of those posters of the twin towers as an "up yours" gesture or "peace through superior firepower" ones, at that time there was very few people against the war when the US army & british SAS were storming across afghanistan aided by the northern alliance (whatever happenbed to them?), now 8 years on soldiers & civilians alike are still dying in their hundreds as a result of the 9/11 attacks in a war the west doesnt know how to win & has lost sight of its objectives
Yep ... sums it up pretty well ... *sigh* :(

[SymphonicX]

Hmm, I thought The Falling Man documentary was opportunist, invasive and sensationalist....I felt no need to discover the families of this man that killed himself much less put other families through grief by highlighting their dead relatives as potentially being this man. It was unnecessary.

[Neil]

Hmm, I thought The Falling Man documentary was opportunist, invasive and sensationalist....I felt no need to discover the families of this man that killed himself much less put other families through grief by highlighting their dead relatives as potentially being this man. It was unnecessary.

I found it very interesting...

And don't forget, the documentary didn't 'put other families through grief by highlighting their dead relatives as potentially being this man,' that had been done before the making of this documentary by tabloid journalists... The documentary simply stated/followed what they'd done...

[SymphonicX]

Oh that's alright then...let's confront grieving families with more cameras and pictures of dying relatives...if I'm not mistaken the first family they confront by this were tortured by the idea of their loved one committing suicide as they were devout Catholics - turns out it wasn't that dude - but hey, great that we put them through that turmoil just so we can put a name to a f**king picture.

sorry, it did offend me somewhat! :p

[Neil]

Oh that's alright then...let's confront grieving families with more cameras and pictures of dying relatives...if I'm not mistaken the first family they confront by this were tortured by the idea of their loved one committing suicide as they were devout Catholics - turns out it wasn't that dude - but hey, great that we put them through that turmoil just so we can put a name to a f**king picture.

sorry, it did offend me somewhat! :p

Do you think:-
a) They turned up with a camera at their front door, and just went for it and hoped for the best
b) Contacted them tastefully about what they were going to do and carefully walked them though the whole process, even (most likely) with an option to pull their footage completely if unhappy with it?

I'll go (b) :)

[SymphonicX]

yeah maybe B....doesn't make the whole idea of this completely distasteful and pointless.

They probably only did the docu to prove to the filmmakers that it wasn't their loved one...it's still traumatic, unnecessary and opportunistic, even if they consented. They didn't even seem like they wanted to know how their loved one perished...why they even thought this would be a good idea, to trace a dead man's relatives because he took a nice photo in the last seconds of his life, is beyond me.

What's the point? Who cares? Let the guy rest in peace. It's a photo, that's all, it may be a chilling and well taken photo, but it still a photo...if someone in my life died in a hugely tragic and horrific situation I would be mortified if people were approaching me asking me to identify photographs of the victims as they were about to die...it's fucking sick!!!!