Armistice remembrance

[Itisnoteasybeingdifferent]

I am saddened that whilst we stood in remembrance, the traffic carried on and people seemed to ignore the time..

in B & Q yesterday everyone stood still as expected, however the management didn`t turn off the pa system so throughout was ghastly music punctuated by what to look for in the paint aisle it wascringeworthy.

TheLambshankRedemption I wasn't making any noise, I was marking jotters silently. If I'd stepped out of the room that would have been more disruptive because I wouldn't have been able to go anywhere without disturbing anyone. And I'm certainly not going to stand in the corridor in silence.

Also, it's my classroom and they are my class. She was the reduced class contact teacher.

It is a person's right not to observe the silence.
It is my right to judge them for it.

I gestured to two men in my office to be quiet (they didn't realise the time - one had asked if it was the fire alarm when the signal went). They were quiet but one muttered "if you want silence go to a bloody church".

Just basic respect.

Ah there we are. Judgement without understanding or questioning. That's definitely what all those people fought for.

Was it your place to do that, roarityroar? I think not, you were not observing either, you were focusing on non-observant people and joining in with them, being just as distracting.

Judgement without understanding or questioning.

The same as you are doing.

I didn't observe the two minute silence, neither do I wear a poppy or contribute anything to the RBL (who are happy to receive money from arms dealers to put on annual balls and other such celebrations). Yes we in the west have our freedom but those in the middle east have lost theirs as a result of agreements and policies made by britain, France and russia post ww1. What is going on in the middle east is as a direct result of our colonial history. 1 million civilians dead in Iraq, 500,000 innocent men, women and children dead in Syria. Our freedom comes at the expense of theirs. Btw, I'm British, white and have family members who have served in the armed forces.

Well no soupdragon because I already know why people observe the silence. And I don't judge people for doing it in the slightest. I judge the government and the charities for perpetuating it.

"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"

I didn't observe the two minutes silence. I was listening to war poetry, Stephen Graham reading Suicide in the trenches, and Christopher Eccleston reading Dulce et decorum est. Both very raw, yet poignant. I often think about "the Great War" and the 18 million souls lost to it.

I support each individuals right to decide for themselves how or if they "remember". That's surely a very personal decision? Rememberence is surely a form of mourning? Forcing people off roads is madness.

No has mentioned the purple poppy yet. Were they just a fad? They were to remember all the animals killed in all the wars, horses, service dogs etc. More than a million dogs and eight million horses, mules and donkeys died on both sides. Not to mention pigeons, who were often vital in delivering messages, (and which had an amazing 95% success rate).

both sides in the the great war alone*

You do understand that this forum is not just for British people in Britain, don't you?

I never claimed otherwise.

You do understand that respect for the traditions of another country, whether you agree or not, is not, in a civilised society, predicated on nationality?

Actually, I'm not really bothered whether you do or not. I've said enough.

I don't think expecting everything to stop to the degree of every car stopping is realistic. I have been driving at 11am and would always observe the silence while carrying on.

I was out running yesterday and we stopped in the street for 2 minutes. I didn't think badly of the cars who passed though - I would have if one had loud music blaring out though!

WickedLazy, no, I've seen no mention of the 'purple poppy' anywhere; I would definitely wear one.

Tbh, I would be amazed if a busy road stopped. Surely you can turn the radio off and drive in silence?

Most radio stations observe the silence so not even a need to turn it off

True true.

I've always liked this quote from the Bible:

But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing

I don't need to make a show of my respect. We can remember in many different ways. Insisting that only one way is valid is indeed childish and immature. Forcing it upon others is bullying. Remembrance is not about that.

I forgot. I don't know what I was doing at that time.

Probably was being quiet but I didn't stop what I was doing.

I paid my respects in my own way. NWIH would I stop driving, that's just fucking stupid.

I agree ohto - unless of course you are with others who are observing the silence and then I think the polite thing to to is to be silent too - even if your just thinking about what's for tea!

In my office, one lady quietly mentioned "it's 11am guys" and we all fell silent for the 2 mins. Then I said at 2 mins past "that's it" and we went back to normal.

Nothing showy or official.

But anyone who had (purposefully) interrupted it would have been very disrespectful.

Stopping cars from driving is ridiculous and dangerous.

Driving in your car, in silence, is no more/less respectful than walking in a street, or sitting in a chair in an office, in silence.

Sometimes people can't just stop at 11am - hospital appointments, surgeries, police, ambulances etc in emergency situations need to carry on.

user1478551766, thanks for the blessing. I do indeed understand exactly what NATO is and why it came about, probably a lot closer up and more personal than you do. It's the US that guarantees and pays for the defence of, and thus peace in, Europe, because the majority of the NATO nations that are also EU member states are not willing to pay for their own defence, and it has been thus for an awfully long time. NATO existed before the ECSC, and furthermore, our NATO membership is not affected in the slightest by Brexit, and you don't understand what NATO is if you are conflating Brexit with our NATO membership.

At my local Sainsburys they invited my DD3's primary school choir to break the two minute silence. It was so lovely: All the shop staff who weren't manning the tills were assembled beside the choir, behind the tills. They announced the 2 minute silence, saying that the store would observe it and the choir would then sing. All the tills went quiet, there was silence for the whole two minutes, then the children sang 'We will remember'. Once they finished, everyone clapped and then the tones of the checkouts resumed and the buzz of supermarket life continued.