Remembrance Day

[HugeFanOfBadReligion]

Anyone doing anything in particular tomorrow to remember the fallen? I'm not particularly sure what I'm going to do, but I do plan on dedicating a lot of my day to remembering the men and women who gave their lives to protect others. There's going to be an assembly at the school (hooray, an assembly that is actually important, rather than a load of athletic propaganda!), I plan on watching any documentaries on the History Channel that can relate to the subject, and if they have a whole day of documentaries, then I plan on spending the whole day watching documentaries (I won't have to worry about homework as we have Friday off since we get our mid-term report cards tomorrow) other than ones that are playing during my school hours (on the 65th anniversary of Hitler's death, I spent an entire day only watching documentaries on the subject on the History Channel, nothing else), I plan on surfing the Internet for any text pieces, videos, etc. relating to the day, I plan on reading over some articles that my grandpa has given to me in the past, if there's any movies relating to the subject on the On Demand channel, I may watch one or two, and I don't know about anything else.

Unfortunately, towards the end of school today, I found out that there was a field trip that was offered to people in grade 11 and 12 history classes (I'm in grade 10), along with an extra-curricular group for people looking to organize school related activities (I'm not in this group), where the people who attended the trip would get to listen to a speech given by two survivors of Nazi Concentration camps. If I would have known such a field trip was available a day before, I would have asked to go, but since I found out today, and permission forms would have been due today, I couldn't have gone. That really sucks, I think it would have been an amazing and moving opportunity to listen to that speech, and I likely won't get the chance to experience that in the future.

[HugeFanOfBadReligion]

An update to that assembly I mentioned at my school: During the two minutes of silence, not only did some kids talk, but they also thought it would be funny to make farting noises. Come on, seriously? Before I discuss how disrespectful this is, I should also note that even in a situation where a standard of respect is needed, making farting noises is a completely immature joke, and people should recognize the immaturity of it before they even enter middle school. But here we are, an audience of people around 15 years old, and they think false farting noises are funny? Now, to discuss the obvious disrespectfullness of this so-called humour, well, I don't even think words can describe my anger towards these kids. This makes me ashamed of my generation, and it's pathetic that students are making rude jokes in a moment where people should be respecting the men who fought for their country, which over half a century ago, stopped a man who wanted to conquer the world. They take it for granted that the world isn't run by a giant Nazi regime. It's sad how so many men gave their lives to save a generation of ignorant, disrespectful dickheads. I even shed a tear during the assembly, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. When was the last time I shed a tear before that? 365 days ago. I'm no crybaby, but Remembrance day is a very emotional time for me, and I recognize the significance of what the world would be like without the brave men who fought to defend their countries.

[Lewis]

I did the two minutes silence at 3 o'clock today. About four or five years ago I went to France and Belgium on a battlefields tour and I saw Tyne Cot, Menin Gate and Thiepval. It was deeply moving seeing all the graves, it makes you realise how brave all the soldiers were and how destructive war is.

Though it saddens me to see things like this in the news: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... e-Day.html (Yes it is the Daily Mail and it is sensationalist. I know that 99% of Muslims are good, honest and decent people, who utterly condemn these actions, but this sort of thing makes me lose faith in mankind)

I did some of Wilfred Owen's poetry in lower sixth and it is quite moving to hear what the soldiers had to live with: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qts3K3Kz ... 8&index=34

[Fat Man]

In response to HugeFanOfBadReligion

To shed a tear and to cry does NOT make you any less of a man or a "cry baby" as some would have us believe.

No, it only makes you human!

I remember when I was living in Las Cruces New Mexico, and when the movie Schindler's List came out. I went to the movie theater to watch it.

During the movie, I broke down and cried right there in the theater, and some people told me to shut the fuck up. Yeah, I was called a big fat "cry baby" and everything else.

When the movie was over, I got on my motorcycle and I cried all the way home. I was wearing a helmet with a tinted face visor so nobody noticed the tears, but I didn't care anyway if people saw me crying out in public.

When I got home, I was very tired and needed to lay down, but I could not sleep right away. I laid there on my bed for two hours, and I literally cried myself to sleep.

I don't know, or understand how anybody could watch a movie like Schindler's List, and not be moved by it.

If I ever knew anybody who could sit through the movie and be unmoved, I would have no further truck with such a person, because if he has no human feelings at all, that would probably make him a dangerous sociopath, and I would no longer associate with him.

Yes, real men do cry!

[HugeFanOfBadReligion]

Yes, I agree Fat Man, and in my post, I wasn't implying that it is wrong for a man to cry. I was just stating the influence that Remembrance day can have on me to evoke emotions that are never that strong at any other time of the year (unless someone I knew personally were to die, that definitely would have the potential to affect my emotions just as much as Remembrance day).

I've never seen Schindler's List, although I hope I do see it eventually. I know it's sad, but I enjoy movies that can move me emotionally.

And to Lewis' post: It must have been a memorable experience to visit the battlefields and the graves, I intend on visiting Europe when I can to visit the battlefields and graves. I'd especially like to visit the beaches of Normandy.

And that's just such a disrespectful protest. I'd have no problem at all with them protesting the military, I'm by no means a pro-military person, but that's just disrespectful to protest a day dedicated to remembering people who bravely laid down their lives for the good of others. Extremists like them aren't helping their cause, they're just allowing people to believe in more negative stereotypes and making a bad image of themselves. I have a good friend who is a Muslim, and he was there at the Remembrance day assembly, and after the assembly was over and we left, both of us talked about how rude and disrespectful the people I mentioned in my previous post were.

[i_like_1981]

Wow, you sure sound like you have some Grade A morons in your school. Back when I was at high school, whenever we observed this silence everybody would stay silent and stop whatever they were doing to show their respects. I do have a lot to say against my old year at high school but I must concede this point to them - they understood the significance and importance of Remembrance Day and that it demanded respect. Two minutes of silence, to remember those who have died for your country, can't be too much to ask once a year. Maybe they were bullying dickheads the rest of the time but at least they had some form of respect about them. But then again, Britain has had a lot of involvement in wars over the last century and it's something that everybody in our country is expected to know about. Regardless of whether you're studying History at a high level or not, it's always important to remember who and what exactly has brought you to wear you are today. Anyways, at my office we observed the silence at 11am, and I made sure to donate £1 to one of the collection boxes. People who have died for your country, many of whom were younger than I am, deserve the utmost respect and Remembrance Day is when the nation officially displays its respect. I can't believe it would be beyond some people to just stay silent for two minutes to show their respect to those who have died to give them the lives they enjoy so much today.

To be honest, HugeFanOfBadReligion, I would suggest that you changed school. It seems to me that you are a great mind who has been thrown in with a load of bad eggs, and over time, their bad influences are only going to wear away at your determination for studying. Sounds like you're at a school where sports and obnoxious yet popular dumbasses take precedence over academics and the smart, gifted students, and that sort of system does not build great minds... it erodes them. I'm sorry that you have to put up with such arseholes who have no consideration whatsoever for people who have lost their lives. Admittedly I get a laugh out of flatulence and some forms of immature humour, but there is a set time and place for that, and it certainly isn't during a time of silent remembrance. Very disappointing conduct there.

Best regards,
i_like_1981

[HugeFanOfBadReligion]

The way I view it as their reason (but certainly not a remotely good reason) not to pay respect to the dead, is that they'd be ruining their reputation if they quit their supposed badass act for two minutes and acted civilized for a brief amount of time. How ridiculous, their egos are simply overinflated.

Believe me, I'd like to switch to a better school, but I have reasons not to. One of them being the fact that my school is the only school near me that offers the IB Programme, which has advanced classes where, if you pass these classes and meet all the other expectations such as 150 community service hours, you can basically get into any school internationally. A second reason is that the school that would be the next option for me to go to would be even worse. The only important thing in that school is sports. At least in my school, academics are recognized to some extent. But that school is made up of a bunch of brutish, athletic thugs and if you aren't good at sports, you amount to nothing there. Even excluding that school's view on athletics, it is still a horrible school based on gang mentality.

One time, me and two other friends decided to go for a walk to a store that is a bit farther than the school I described, but still inside that school's "territory". When we were walking back, four kids who looked about a year or two older than us came up to us and stopped us. They came up to me first and asked me my name, and then what school I went to. It was clear that they were looking to beat up some kids from my school, you could tell from the way they asked what school we went to. I was about to tell them the truth of what school I went to, as I was in a mood that day where I simply felt hatred towards low-lives like them, and even though I recognized that we'd almost certainly have the crap beaten out of us as we were outnumbered, I didn't even really care. The guy that asked me the question was standing where he could easily push me onto the main road which had cars quickly passing by (I don't think he would try to do that as I could get seriously injured or even killed from that, but he seemed like an idiot so I don't think he could recognize that). When I was about to tell him my school, I looked at my two friends and they gave me the stare that told me they just wanted me to lie and tell them I went to their school, they didn't want any trouble. So I just told him I went to that school, and they went on their way.

Now I'm glad that I didn't tell them the truth, it wouldn't have done any good, and after those guys left, my friends said they were definitely glad that I told them I went to the other school, so there was no harm done. But if I switched to that school, I'd have to deal with kids like them regularly, and they seem worse then the idiots at my school.

[Lewis]

And to Lewis' post: It must have been a memorable experience to visit the battlefields and the graves, I intend on visiting Europe when I can to visit the battlefields and graves. I'd especially like to visit the beaches of Normandy.

And that's just such a disrespectful protest. I'd have no problem at all with them protesting the military, I'm by no means a pro-military person, but that's just disrespectful to protest a day dedicated to remembering people who bravely laid down their lives for the good of others. Extremists like them aren't helping their cause, they're just allowing people to believe in more negative stereotypes and making a bad image of themselves. I have a good friend who is a Muslim, and he was there at the Remembrance day assembly, and after the assembly was over and we left, both of us talked about how rude and disrespectful the people I mentioned in my previous post were.

I enjoyed the trip, even though it was quite sad at times. I remember that a school friend actually found his great-uncle's grave and I thought that was so moving. When I went to Tyne Cot I was shocked by the sheer number of graves there were, it really brought home how devastating the war was.

Reading about the protests reminded me of the services they did at Menin Gate. I wish everyone respected the war dead as much as the Ypres fire brigade do. I wasn't in favour of Iraq, but I wouldn't go around behaving like those thugs did. It's a shame that the actions of the few, damage the reputation of the whole.

[i_like_1981]

Today was Remembrance Sunday over here in Britain, and I'm presuming that other countries also held commemorative events today. I viewed the commemorative ceremony on TV this morning, at the Cenotaph in London. It lasted nearly 2 hours, the full screening, and I watched it all the way through. It is extremely moving to see how the whole country can be united in its respects to those who have died to defend it, and I never fail to be impressed by the sheer number of people who undertake the march following the two minutes of silence. I do have some pride in modern Britain after all, given how dedicated it has proved to be in commemorating its war dead. And even today people are dying for Britain on the battlefields over in the Middle East. We owe such events as Remembrance Sunday to them.

Best regards,
i_like_1981