Come on, let's get real here. Your average listener does not know what NYD is written about, it's written in a way that many can take on their own meaning(it's just a love song to many), SBS not so much.
I find that War is my least listened to U2 album, I find it to be incredibly dated. I have almost since the day I became a U2 fan back in the late 80's.
Are you trying to tell me you hear 'Ohio' still played on the radio where you live? I have a classic rock station that plays a lot of CSNY and I've never heard that song played on the radio. I wouldn't have even known the song except that I roomed with a guy in college that was obsessed with them.
A bit of advice:
Try and hide your bias and how it is influencing you a bit more. You don't like War that much, ok, good for you.
But it's obviously influencing what you are saying here, because I highly doubt you'll get too much agreement anywhere(U2 fan or rock industry in general) with your prediction that ATYCLB will be remembered more.
Younger people generally are as clueless as to the event that inspired SBS as they are NYD. They just know it's an iconic song written by U2.
Like I said, SBS has already been adapted many times and taken on many different meanings. It's a condemnation of a black and white, blind wave- the -flag and count the bodies way of dealing with problems in the world.
SBS is not some little niche protest song and if you think it is, you are the one who needs to get real.
I hear "Ohio" played plenty on the radio, same with many other Vietnam era songs that are a lot more event/time specific than SBS.
I don't even know why I am answering your "Ohio" question, because it's not even like you have a strong argument there. Since when does event specific mean it won't be remembered????? By that standard, the Star Spangled Banner should have faded into obscurity 100 years ago, same with all the classical numbers honoring kings and queens and other luminaries that are still played in music halls and done by composers the world over. Hell, what about Fortunate Son by CCR??? That's still around, still resonates, hell, U2 even covered it!
Fortunate Son, like SBS, like many other well written, passionate reactions to circumstances at a specific time, sends such a timely and powerful message and speaks to the broader human realities and consequences of a situation. It's these broader realities that persist beyond the specific time of the inspiring event, and the songs stay around because they speak to them so well.
See?
One more test if you don't like what I wrote above:
Go down the street in your city and stop people. Ask them if they know what SBS was written about, the specific event. 1/10 will know if you are lucky.(many will say Easter Rising, many will say some IRA bombing, most will give you a blank stare)
None of us has a crystal ball, obviously, but looking at U2's career so far and popular/critical reaction to different parts of it, War is far more likely to come out ahead of ATYCLB than behind it when the books are written.