If you don’t want to observe two minute silence- don’t be out

"If you are unable or refuse to observe the silence at 11am today or tomorrow, please don’t be in a public place."

No if my disabled son needs me to speak to him at that point I will.

Agreed we went out for bruch today and someone walked up to a member of staff right in the middle of it to ask for a straw

Only one side is attempting to 'stop' the others action...

I'm neither for nor against the concept of the two-minute silence, but surely the point of it is that there is silence during those specific two minutes? Otherwise each person who wanted to participate could just choose any two minutes to be silent, at their own convenience. So speaking during the two minutes' silence IS stopping others from having it.

That said, of course, it's impossible to eliminate all noise (and not everyone has a "home" to stay in).

The fact that she's already stated that she has the freedom to choose, perhaps.

I completely agree. Personally I choose to observe the silence at a time later in the day and I explain to customers why they need to wait. Often a lot of disrespect but HQ didn't specify when exactly the silence needed to be observed so I stick to my principles. The roar of the traffic at the M6 toll booth does get me down during the silence however.

Well exactly
I wondered about that comment too Barbara
I was referring to the British army in Ireland, not the other way round.

Maybe we're more respectful where I live? 😆 It's definitely been happening for a while.

When I said I wouldn’t expect it I meant I didn’t realise this was a thing (shops stopping service) so would have been surprised, and even more so as I hadn’t realised today was remembrance day until I saw this thread. I wouldn’t ‘do’ anything, I would just continue going about my business as normal and if I had to wait 2 minutes to be served obviously I would do that, but I would have been surprised at needing to do it. I wouldn’t observe the silence personally but wouldn’t interrupt somebody else or complain to the shop, I appreciate it’s the right of a shop to stop service it just seems strange to me that they do that; I’ve never experienced it before the only time I’ve experienced similar was in Thailand where twice a day everybody must stop what they’re doing to stop and stand for the kings anthem which is piped on loudspeakers across the nation. This is a country where you can be arrested for speaking against the king so I guess maybe that kind of public expectation that everybody stop what they’re doing seems performative and like something out of a non-democratic country. I wonder how many businesses and employees following this actually care about the silence; I would assume most are just doing it because they’ve been told to by management or because they feel they need to acknowledge it publicly. I would guess few businesses open today or employees working actually care and that neither do the customers shopping at 11am, most people who truly care would be attending a service, and therefore it seems performative.

I can understand an individual wanting to take some time during today to reflect and remember those fallen in war but to want to do it publicly in a shop whilst working and then have to go straight back to serving customers at 11:02 seems bizarre to me, after reflecting on the horrors of war who would be able to just shake off the sadness and sorrow and go back to facing the public straight away? I would need longer than 2 minutes and I would have thought most people would be the same, that’s why it seems performative - I would bet most people are just spending those 2 minute thinking about what they’re going to cook for tea or the message they’ve been meaning to text a friend/ family member and not actually reflecting on war, because honestly who can truly do that in the middle of a supermarket or similar public place, can do it within 2 minutes and can go back to being fine and cracking on with the day straight after?

👏👏👏

My late father was a WW2 veteran and he would have nothing to do with any of the public Remembrance Day or Remembrance Sunday stuff. Towards the end of his life he had a public facing job and his employers wanted him to wear a poppy so he did. He never stopped us wearing poppies or doing what we felt was right but he found it all too painful to remember or commemorate.

Hmmm.

Entitled dog owners value dogs more than humans, perhaps. 🫣

I choose not to acknowledge it in those ways. I respect those who do.

Please don't assume a reply when it wasn't given. You think you actually have to point out that different people will have had different experiences, just because I stated that a lot of people of my age, who grew up in the UK, don't really understand what the threat of all out war feels like? I'm well aware of the wars and atrocities which other peoole have experienced, but I don't know what it feels like. I think others also don't know what it feels like and so forget to be thankful for our freedoms.

Just back from our village service held outside.

Why would you take your dog to a service?

One dog whined, barked and jumped about throughout the service and was continually being shushed and told off by it's owner. It also kept eyeballing other dogs and setting them off.

I'm not a dog hater. I own one myself. I left him at home as:
a) I didn't trust him to remain silent throughout
b) I wanted to concentrate on listening to the service, rather than watching him and keeping him occupied
c) it's boring for the dog who would much rather be walking/playing/sniffing instead of standing in silence

How do you know that remembrance Sunday remembers anyone who fought to keep @EdithBond free, and not quite the opposite?

Exactly this. All those posters who are waffling on about the choice to observe the silence or not would do well to remember the reason they live in a free country and enjoy that choice is entirely due to the sacrifice of the men and women who gave their lives to ensure that freedom continued. It's hardly torturous to show a bit of respect for 2 minutes.

I always observe it and either attend a service or watch Remembrance Day on TV. But I hate the way it’s become performative and part of the culture wars. I don’t care if a footballer doesn’t wear it. It’s the right wing version of virtue signalling and I hate it’s been hijacked this way.

"Two minute silences have existed in most UK supermarkets for decades."

It's only something I've noticed in the last maybe 6/7 years to be honest. Maybe even more recently than that

They close the road next to the war memorial here. It’s lovely, so peaceful.

I find it sad that any drove through tbh.

I'm going to take that as a no, and that you know exactly why some in the UK lived with the potential loss of liberty and actual (not just the threat of) war. And why that means some will never take part in remeberance - whether because they lived that or because they stand with those who did.

Yes.m but your choose not to acknowledge those who did fight in wars.