To think that it's not hard to take a minute's silence?

[justwonderingtbh]

I work in Manchester. Today was the second anniversary of the attack, which is always going to be a sad day.
I work in an office call centre environment and everyone was briefed about a minute's silence that would be taking place at 2:30. Was told to not take calls after 25 past etc.
It came to half past and a bell was chimed for the silence, I was the only person who stood up for the silence which didn't bother me much but I did think that's the done thing. Also there were people still on their calls! More bothered about making a sale than remembering the 22!
Yes I understand that these people are just trying to hit their commission but just call the customer back afterwards. It has really angered me.

It should've been organised better. Calls (incoming and outgoing) at the latest 10 past. Give everyone at least a chance to finish. And you might be secure in your commission,but others might not be. Not to mention the rules about hanging up on a customer. Presumably these will be waived but maybe some people didn't want to risk it. Or they need every single penny. Or were in a conversation that couldn't simply be ended. Or maybe they didn't give a fuck. Who knows?

We were specifically told that if we were still on a call at 29 past that we were to explain the reason for the silence and offer to keep them on a muted hold or hang up and ring back afterwards. So no one was unsure of the rules, I guarantee.
I'd understand if they made us all run a 10k there's be some refusals, but it's not hard to just shut up for a minute. It's almost like these people just want to draw attention to themselves.

Ok they're wrong, selfish,callous attention seekers. You're right. Happy?

Why can't you just remember the victims quietly, alone instead of insisting that a spectacle is made of it?
I always cringe when there is a minutes silence in the office/supermarket - it seems to awkward and insincere.

I’m not sure why it was at 1430 since the actual event happened at night. Maybe that added to the not getting it.

personally, I think it's ridiculous.

What about the silences for Sheffield, Warrington, Bradford, Birmingham, Heysel, The Titanic, etc ,etc

Something bad happens every day. We don't remember them all. On a personal basis, I bet few of us stop on the anniversary of the death of our loved ones. I bet we can't even remember the actual dates of a lot of them.

I still don’t think anyone should be forced to join in with anything like this, it’s not attention seeking it’s just a different view point. People have free will and it’s up to them if they choose to opt in or out.

Not sure why posters are choosing today to make an issue of it. I'm not keen on silences either. But I am in Manchester and I know that one thing that has helped others is the sense of being together.
This is still very raw for a lot of people here. In their own different and quiet way, everyone remembers what happened 2 years ago.
Lee Rigby was also murdered around today.
Shit stings. Or it doesn't. But no reason to call people out or be snide about it.

"I bet few of us stop on the anniversary of the death of our loved ones"
Seriously?

This lack of respect makes me very angry, too.

It’s not lack of respect for those who died. If it’s lack of respect it’s for those who want a public show of grief with an arbitrary silence.

OP you need to stop dictating what you think is the 'correct' way for people to remember.

For all you know someone in your workplace or one of those callers you sneer at so loudly could have been there. Are you saying they did it wrong?

You don't get to decide what's appropriate for others, only yourself.

Some people feel better doing it. I don't but I don't wish to impose my preferences on others.
It's not hard to shut up for a minute.

People in my workplace were there, and they asked for the silence to be carried out. If you don't want to carry it out by just shutting your mouth for 60 seconds to make your colleagues wishes feel valued, then I will just never understand that.
Also, I don't mind if people don't observe a minute's silence. If there wasn't one planned then I would have no issue. But the fact that management came round and explained what would be happening and made sure everyone was on board, it just seems to me like those people who carried on chatting away were almost trying to make some sort of point.

They were making the point they didn’t want to be forced into an arbitrary display of public grief

I do understand the idea that they don't want to be forced, but if a colleagues family member died and other colleagues were there that night and you knew that it would make them feel remembered, I just don't get why you wouldn't want to.
Like why wouldn't you just want to if your workmates have been through so much, then this is just a little gesture that would show a bit of respect.

If you don't want to carry it out by just shutting your mouth for 60 seconds to make your colleagues wishes feel valued, then I will just never understand that.

Your clear distaste for people not kowtowing to your opinion is clear. But again, you are not in charge of deciding what the approved groupthink is. That's life.

I just keep thinking about the poor girl whose family member died in the attack and how she might have felt when people just carried on as normal in the minute that she kindly asked for reflection. I personally, would've felt deflated, but of course I'm not her.

I will be thinking about them all tonight, at 10.30, and remembering frantically calling dd friends at school to make sure they were all ok.
I don't agree with minutes silence in the workplace when the actual time of the attack was evening.
It should be a personal decision.

Maybe some people like to remember the dead and support the bereaved in small daily acts of active support or other ways; rather than simply standing to attention when you demand it?

I assume you don't know the in-depth personal circumstances and lives of everyone you are publicly disparaging with this virtue signalling thread?

I do understand that everyone remembers and reflects in different ways, but I just don't think it was a lot to ask of people who work amongst victims.
I think the reason that I'm so angry is because it's all still so raw. Maybe my reaction seems over the top but I'm still so upset by what happened and the people so close to me who were victims

She would probably understand that it isn't always possible to be silent, and that it doesn't actually affect her or anyone else if some people were unable or unwilling to join in.

it just seems to me like those people who carried on chatting away were almost trying to make some sort of point.

You mean working?

Yeah I hope she would understand that or just not be bothered, bless her

I work in a call centre (not sales so no commission) and usually try to observe the silences, whether by not taking a call just before or explaining to the customer what was happening.

I’ve also on occasion carried on with my call because I knew the customer would not react well to me saying I wanted to observe it. On those occasions, I’ve taken a minute of silent reflection once the call is over and usually apologised to those around me for talking through the official one.