As you all may know, Monday was the five-year anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York. As this is arguably the most devastating event in our country’s history, Hollywood, in all its moneymaking glory, was quick to capitalize on this tragedy by releasing a major motion picture dealing with the events of that day.

The United States is still dealing with the real life effects of the event, so why the hell would we need a trivial film to evoke our emotions for it? Concerns over terrorism grew exponentially after 9/11, and, to this day, our nation’s leading politicians are still using our fears about it to ply our sensibility into something much more fragile.

Now I didn’t see “World Trade Center,” and I have no intention of doing so any time soon. Call me sensitive, but I don’t think my mind has fully recovered from the harrowing images of planes hitting buildings and people jumping out of 90 story windows. Maybe those of you who did see the film could attest to its dazzling, award-worthy performances and explain to me how the special effects and fake on-screen tears dried up your real ones and brought you closure to such a senseless act.

No, paying $10 and sitting through a watered down version of 9/11 won’t make me feel better about what happened, or give me any kind of tangible hope for times to come. Seeing it happen live on CNN and dealing with it in reality was enough for me. But America apparently needs to see Nicholas Cage collecting a paycheck while he pretends to know what bravery is and the real heroes lie under granite and grass.

So I guess beyond the financial gains, my main concern is, “why now?” I keep hearing people saying, “never forget” as if it’s all some fleeting memory that’s lost all significance in the context of our history. I could understand if it’d happened far beyond the realm of recent memory, but because it was only a mere five years ago, this justification holds no water. With this kind of argument, we’ll need a remake in another five years to further sustain our understanding of that day.

The wounds from 9/11 are still fresh and can be recognized in our daily lives. Every time I hear the phrases “terror alert,” “air marshal” or “airport security,” my mind flashes back to their introduction into our mainstream society.

This past summer I visited New York and stood at ground zero, where there is now a big hole in the ground. And just standing there, looking up at where the Twin Towers once stood and realizing what took place was something that no movie could ever recreate. The conceptual “Freedom Tower” will someday stand on that city block and will undoubtedly serve to pay tribute to those who lost their lives.

But instead, be prepared for people to really clamor when Universal Studios begins construction on “World Trade Center-The Ride.” T-shirts reading, “I rode Tower 2 and all I got was this crummy shirt” will be sold at $20 a pop and pieces of actual rubble at $50. If only, of course, it helps us “never forget.”

Josh Huggett can be reached at [email protected]