What fresh hell is this? National VE day

[wetpants]

This has popped up on my local FB page, villagers are all up for it too. Apparently it’s a nationwide incentive??

The thing is, most front gardens are tiny or non existent here. There’s no way you could be 2m away from your next door. Also these villagers who are up for this are the same people who few weeks ago cried about a lone bloke sitting on a crass verge, well away from any pedestrians. How is this any different?

I’m not British (have lived here a long time though) so maybe I’m just not getting the fervent VE day misty eyeness

And don’t get me started on 9pm nationwide singalong WHO comes up with these things???

Well you must have been asleep 25 years ago. I was responsible for the civic stuff in Cambridge and there was loads of it
I must have been asleep as well. I don't remember it as a thing at all.

Its not fresh and not hell its remembering victory for Europe against some fascist regime - without this 'fresh hell' we may not be here - lots of people made huge sacrifice for us to have the freedom to say thing s like 'what fresh hell is this?'
And how many people hanging out their bunting and having a beer in their front garden are really remembering that sacrifice or the liberation of Bergen-Belsen or anything else mentioned in this thread and how many are just delighted about getting pissed, waving a Union Jack and getting some warm and fuzzy feeling about how great Engerlaaaand is and turning it into another Brexit Brexit celebration?

Call me cynical but I reckon a pretty large chunk are the latter.

Why is it a 'fresh hell'? What a knobbish term.

Do it or don't do it, who cares? Why moan about every little thing that other people want to do? As long as nobody's being forcibly co-opted into it then why does it even matter?

I must have been asleep as well. I don't remember it as a thing at all

The link I gave you might refresh your memory.

The link I gave you might refresh your memory
Nope, sorry. Some of the photos in that link from actual VE Day look familiar, I think if shown them without context I'd have guessed when they were from. The ones from 25 years with wreaths could be any Rememberance Sunday, the ones on the balcony at Buckingham Palalce could be any significant birthday of the queen or some such. Nothing I'd have guessed was VE Day related if shown them.

lyingwitch I haven’t moan about every little thing. What a knobbish thing of you to say.

The problem is that so many people do care and are quick to tut and point out if someone isn’t PARTICIPATING. It’s been said many times already but no, you’ll just swoop in and dispense your wisdom. Because this is designed to be on your door step, you can’t escape it. And I’m sure it’ll ramp up on the TV and news too as the week goes by.

Youre not alone dappled

I don’t remember it either

I’m sure it’ll ramp up on the TV and news too as the week goes by

At least it will be a change from wall to wall C19.

I remember the golden jubilee

They had a party on the small green in front of our house

If only the people celebrating the end of WW2 in Europe could see 75 years into the future to a time when people think that marking the end of a World War by flying our country's flag - a country that fought for 6 long years on the side of freedom, against Nazism - would think it 'cringey' or 'jingoistic' to put up a bit of fucking bunting and have a cup of tea.

If anyone is old enough to remember, the BBC commissioned a huge documentary shown in 1964 about ww1. That was timed for 50 years after the start of ww1. I do tenner seeing some of it, possibly at a later date, but it was hard work!

We absolutely never had street parties to celebrate anything to do with war where we lived. I’ve never really had the feeling that anyone wanted to. Mainly because a lot of people wanted to forget it if they had taken part in it. Now they are no longer alive in great numbers we feel we have permission to celebrate. There would have been something where I live now but it’s all now gone because it was on the common. So no meeting up!

And I’m sure it’ll ramp up on the TV and news too as the week goes by.

For someone who has muted those numerous WhatsApp convos and studiously tried to avoid all the Facebook chat whilst checking your business Facebook page out of necessity, I'm sure you can ramp up the thread you started (about the subject you were actively trying to avoid) and ensure it doesn't get forgotten about as the week drags on.

May come in handy as a reminder to some of us to iron the bunting and start making scones etc.

My mother was celebrating at Buckingham palace 75 years ago. I’ll ask her!

@FiveFootTwoEyesOfBlue, they may well think they needn’t have bothered. And who would blame them?

All cancelled in this part of Scotland.

they may well think they needn’t have bothered

I think they fought because they felt it was the right thing to do

Not ‘ oh well if some randoms aren’t going to celebrate in 75 years whats the point of fighting hitler’

wetpants, why do you care what other people think of you participating or not? I'm sure you're forthright enough to stand your ground.

I won't be participating in this, it's my wedding anniversary anyway, but I don't do force jollity and don't feel obliged to, but I won't condemn anyone else for doing whatever they want to mark it as long as they don't impact on me. That's it really, isn't it? If people don't bother you with their doings then there's nothing to mind.

News programmes can be switched off.

they may well think they needn’t have bothered

They might also think that as the years go by that commemoration is more fitting than celebration. Especially as Europe starts to fracture again.

I’m sure they did it because it was the right thing to do. They probably expected that future generations would appreciate the sacrifices they made too.

They probably expected that future generations would appreciate the sacrifices they made too

And future generations have appreciated it...and will no doubt continue to do so

I live in Jersey and Liberation Day this Friday is a very important part of the islands identity. Jeer all you want at VE Day, but to some it's very important.

A chance to remember sacrifices of the generation before and be thankful for them.

Particularly relevant at the moment.

Really? By dismissing remembrance as jingoistic and “cringey”? Sounds pretty ungrateful and disrespectful to me.

Serious question.. do you ever do anything and think about “future generations” as part of your motivation?

By dismissing remembrance as jingoistic and “cringey”? Sounds pretty ungrateful and disrespectful to me

Bunting and singing along to Vera Lynn isn't rememberance. It's celebration. I find celebration of war fairly distasteful at the best of times and this is not the best of times.

Really? By dismissing remembrance as jingoistic and “cringey”? Sounds pretty ungrateful and disrespectful to me

Aaah i getcha

So if the entire population of the country aren’t grateful then no one is

I understand where you are coming from now

See i do the other way...i think the majority are grateful, therefor the generations are grateful

Every generation has had ungrateful people in it...including the war generation

Poor old Burma Star Association and British Pacific Fleet, forgotten again.