Memorial Day Parades: Respect, Gratitude & the Glorification of War

[polichick]

Just returned from the parade our charming little suburban town puts on every Memorial Day. I enjoy seeing everyone turn out to thank and honor our vets ~ love it that the clapping is non-stop as long as they are before us. But one thing really stood out for me this year, and that's how we don't stop at respect and gratitude, but glorify war itself ~ even the school bands have girls twirling rifles instead of batons. imo the days for such mindless glorification should be over. What will it take??

[polichick]

1. To answer my own question: a U.S. Dept. of Peace would help...

A cabinet level glorification of peace could go a long way toward changing an old mindset.

My fav t-shirt at the parade: "PATRIOTS for PEACE"

[tokenlib]

2. Twirling rifles??That is sick...

I don't mind veterans carrying them in a parade--because that is what the troops do when they march. But a school band--that is sick..

[polichick]

3. They're not real, but still...

[Gore1FL]

4. That's been around for a long time.

I've seen sword and rifle and flag drill teams in High school bands since I saw my first parade.

They are just drill teams. It isn't a glorification of war. It is just a traditional marching band augmentation.

here is the the well known Drum and Bugle Corp Madison Scouts with Swords http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7tW-KPplMs

here is the the well known Drum and Bugle Corp Bridgemen with Rifles http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lqQgQDHSWg

[Maine-ah]

5. rifles?

One, being a former band geek, I am quite surprised. I know not of a single school band up here that would do that. Second, with all the school shootings, I am really surprised they even let them do that.

I haven't checked your profile, but where are you located?

[AllentownJake]

7. I dated

a bunch of girls in the color guard and the majorettes when I was in band in HS and the color guard girls always twirled rifles. Its not a new thing.

I can remember joking around with the rifles and swords on the practice field and getting in trouble because us boys tended to break the swords when we played with them.

[Maine-ah]

8. no, it's a rather old thing, which is why I'm rather surprised.

considering the current state of this nation and guns.

Then again, we didn't even have anyone twirling batons either. :shrug:

[AllentownJake]

13. I don't know

The rifles don't even look real and are generally decorated with girly things. They are less offensive than super soakers to me.

[polichick]

19. SE Pennsylvania...

I realize that this is a gun-totin' state, but we're in the burbs of Philly.

In general I think this country glorifies war and we need a whole new mindset going forward.

[AllentownJake]

6. I was in the band

and the girls in the color guard never twirled batons they always had the rifles, flags, or swords. That was 13 years ago.

The girls who twirled the batons were call majorettes and generally were the cuter girls.

I think you are over reacting.

Now call me a sexist.

[Gore1FL]

9. We had some guys do it too

there was one guy who played with the Madison Scouts for a while, came back circa 1982 and could through a rifle 20 feet in the air and catch it as he twirled it again. It was fucking amazing. He could do two at once as well.

[L0oniX]

10. Fuck war and the celebration of it. I will only honor WW2 vets.

All others were and are abusive wars over policy, not national defense.

"Military men are just dumb stupid animals to be used as pawns in foreign policy." -- Henry Kissinger

“Blind obedience to authority is the enemy of the truth.” Albert Einstein

[Maine-ah]

11. yes, because our military men and women make the

choice of whether or not they go to war.

:eyes:

as someone who currently has 2 family members serving 3rd and 4th tours in Iraq (also father and son btw) I find your remarks rather offensive. Not that you care, but I needed to voice my opinion on that.

[L0oniX]

14. No one is forcing anyone to learn how to kill others.

So I can't be for peace because others have chosen to be pawns of policy wars? I am all for taking care of the vets and I hate how they have and are being treated. I hate that this country is abusing its people by psyching them with lies so as to get them to fight their dirty illegal wars where innocent women and children are killed. If you want to worship war and those that participate in them that's fine with me but don't tell me I can't be against war.

[AllentownJake]

12. Fuck that

the Korean war vets if your going on just wars deserve equal respect. N. Korea, China, and Russia got together for an illegal invasion and the people of S. Korea were saved from the darkness of N. Korea.

Also my mother was an army nurse in Vietnam who saved lives. Do you think she was doing something evil?

[L0oniX]

15. I think that other countries civil wars are their wars, not ours.

I suppose it would have been ok for other countries to enter our civil war too for some people. Not me. You can see how that whole psych of communism taking over the world thing has worked out. In hind sight it was not a valid reason to go to war in Korea or Vietnam.

[AllentownJake]

16. The Korean War

was not a civil war. China and Russia backed the N. Koreans to invade the south.

S. Korea is one of the most prosperous nations on earth because we stepped in and we saved millions from starvation and persecution at the hand of the North.

I may be a liberal but I'm not naive sometimes unfortunately intervention is necessary.

Not against wars just dumb wars.

[L0oniX]

17. Why are they North and South Korea? BTW they want us out of S. Korea now.

I guess some of our soldiers raped a few girls over there too.

[AllentownJake]

18. Broad Brush

You get 50,000 people in a place we are going to have a few assholes.

Most military people are admirable good citizens and it does our side no good in winning elections to attack them.

[L0oniX]

20. Uhm I just saw a report on PBS about how 20% of women in the service have been raped or sexually ...

assaulted and those women are on our side. I have to wonder about the others. Most military people may be admirable good citizens but 20% is 1 in 5 service women and that is a disgrace. What's worse is the attempt to cover up and delay investigation of these crimes against fellow soldiers. I am sorry if it offends you that I am so anti war but I am a far left peace nick and I evaded the Vietnam war draft because I hate war and I hate killing and I would only kill others if another nation country attacked our country just as I would use my guns to defend my wife and family from those who would break into my home to rape rob and kill.

Peace.