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

[Mokel]

Every Remembrance Sunday and Nov 11th, when I worked at retail, we did a tannoy announcement with 5 min, 2 min before to inform customers that the store will be observing the 2 min silence. Then another to start it.

Every time there were customers who kept talking. Plus one time a woman in her 50s shouted “why can’t anyone serve me some fucking fags?” Everyone just looked at her. Some had the courage to say how disrespectful she was once the silence ended.

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

I mean, maybe read the comment and respect the price her husband has paid. You're completely proving her point about performativity.

You dont know how many hours in my life I have spent and I spend thinking about my ancestors, their comrades, and all the sacrifices they have made and for some yhat are making for our freedom.

so again i dont need your holier than thou patronising. If you need 2 mins once a year, I am sad for you.

You find that those who feel strongly against acknowledging the silences, quite often do their best to disrupt it. I’ve seen it happen in public places. Is sowrong on many levels. People aren’t saying you can’t go about your normal business, but to deliberately be noisy is disgusting.

I did read it, but thank you! I understand and am thankful for what her husband has done for us as a country and respect they don't like the 2 minutes silence but they are in the minority and I think it's disrespectful to purposely make noise when other people are doing the silence.

A lot of posters on this thread are saying exactly that. Starting with OP who wants everyone that won't observe the silence to stay at home.

@Ttcagainnow any source for that statement?

This.
People are so utterly self absorbed these days.
@Mokel Quite agree with you.

I think it's just the nice thing to do ti be respectful, it's nothing about being performative at all. It obviously started somewhere? I don't have a source because I'm simply sharing my opinion on an online forum and not writing a uni assignment!

I was in town a few years ago and was told to leave the Waterstones I was in so they could observe a silence. I thought that was inappropriate, I wouldn't have minded not being served but throwing everyone out of the shop seemed excessive.

What is particularly strange is that this is such a new thing. I'm in my 50s, when I was a child in the 70s then this didn't happen even though many people still remembered the war. It's really only in the last 10-20 years or so that it is marked on such a large scale, it started around the time the last veterans from WW1 died.

I know what OP said and it’s clear what OP meant

There's a world of difference between being rude and disrespectful during two-minute silence and simply just wanting to go about your day.

The former is never acceptable, and that includes the woman shouting for fags in your example.

The latter - for example, continuing a quiet conversation - might not be what most people would do but no one should be forced to be silent. Give people the information about why it's important but if they don't want to partake then 🤷🏽‍♀️. I'd hate to see people banned from being out in public simply because they're not mithered about remembrance.

As for those unable to remain silent - I really hope you're not advocating for people with certain medical condition or disabilities - or indeed infants - to be banned from being out incase they make a noise.

Forcing people to do performative acts of remembrance or be banned from being out and about is gross and not really what servicemen and women served and died for.

Don't be ridiculous.

I was at work this morning. Impossible for me to be silent.

I think uou r right and nor is the op suggesting the latter we all know what she meant so not sure why folks can't see she meant those that are actively disrupting silence

People should be free to observe or not observe.

Many cultures don’t observe Remembrance Day, it is possible that they don’t know what is going on.

No she said 'Every time there were customers who kept talking'. She didn't say they were all disrupting others.

Definitely wasn't the done thing anywhere I've worked. And will guarantee tomorrow won't be any different at my work. People, can observe it by being quiet themselves, but certainly won't be an office wide thing.

And not in shops etc either until last few years.

And when my son was younger and played football on a Sunday morning, it was a 2 minute silence before the game but not at 11am as that was in the middle of game time .

Definitely become a lot more performative in recent years. Tv hosts etc slated if they choose not to wear a poppy etc.

I was at the supermarket this morning over 11am. There was an announcement to say they would be observing two minutes silence, and everyone stopped where they were when it started. There were babies and toddlers making noises, as expected, but the majority observed the silence. One couple in the same aisle as me begrudgingly stood still for 30 seconds, tutting the whole time, before the wife loudly declared 'oh that's long enough now, we've not got time for this' and they proceeded to loudly jostle past everyone, throwing tins in their trolley etc. It was embarrassing to watch, but they clearly weren't bothered about that. I did see an older man approach them after the silence to tell them they'd been disrespectful, but they just ignored him.
I could completely understand someone forgetting about the 11am silence and being in a rush to get in and out of the supermarket. But they could have continued their shopping in a far more thoughtful way once they realised other people were observing it.

I observe the 2 minute silence but I think when you started compelling people to behave in a certain way you are on a slippery slope.

I posted aboput this. Its not new its a revival. It restarted in 1995

I can. I'm capable of doing so. But frankly I'm unwilling to conform anymore with this kind of meaningless, enforced performativity, a culture with which I'm rapidly losing patience. Exactly the same applies to sporting rainbows or announcing pronouns. Instead of wearing either a red or a white poppy, I wear a small brooch in the shape of a dove of peace.

The cigarette woman was rude, uncouth and objectionable. She'd have been rude, uncouth and objectionable in any circumstances, to the extent that staff would have been quite within their rights to refuse to engage with her at all. The two-minute silence was incidental.

I would not have approached a staffed checkout in the circumstances (although might well have used self-checkout). But as for standing in abeyance with the appropriately solemn expression, instead of going about my business peacefully, silently and bothering no one - now that, no one has the right to dictate.

As for staying at home as the price for holding such a view: No. I'm unsure where people get off in issuing such directives, but that attitude can - how to put this politely? - exit and multiply.

I have respect for those who were forced to go to war and lost their lives. I have none for those who chose to go to the Middle East to murder civilians.

in the 50s town centres were brought to a halt - roads closed for the parade, and everyone would stop their car for the two minute silence.

it’s not just stopping yourself for remembrance, it’s doing so in an atmosphere of silence, so I do feel non-participants should shut up until they’re out of earshot of anyone participating. They can still go about their business, just quietly

Where is your dove from @SerafinasGoose ?

@jannier

Do you talk through funerals? How sad we used to show respect for others feelings if I'm in a religious environment I don't talk through others reflection or prayers. The country decided to honour its dead soldiers even the ones still dying today.
People choose to attend a funeral. Not a good analogy.