It's only 2 minutes...

[Seshat]

I don't stop for the national anthem - I guess it doesn't really mean much to me. *
And Taps - well, a brother who learned trumpet, and spending a lot of time in the music room at high school has partly desensitized me to it. Especially when played in a novice-y way.

But combine either with a group of soldiers, or either in the vicinity of an ANZAC memorial or a funeral, and yes, I damn well stop and wait.


* In general, Australians don't seem to have much patriotism for symbols. Flags, anthems, all seem a bit 'meh, okay' to most of the Aussies I know. But at least around my friends, ANZAC memorials are sacred, you do NOT climb Uluru, and you protect national parks. It's also common to be a member of the Army Reserve, the Surf Lifesavers, the State Emergency Service, the Country Fire Authority, or at least some community organisation that's restoring bushland or looking after the local disabled or some such. Pragmatic patriotism.

[protege]

I just know that it was a labor camp and not an extermination one), and if there's one thing Grandpa has said over and over was how much he loved the American soldiers who set him free. (Later he immigrated to the US and joined the Army). So, a big thanks from mine to yours! I think he would have wanted me to share that.

Grandpa would have appreciated that. I know my family does...when we hear things like that! Sadly, he died of cancer in 2001 But, up until then, he kept telling me that he'd eventually tell me about the war. Even though I was 24-25 when he died, it never happened. Partly because he didn't want that stuff in my head, but also because his memory was failing. Most of what he'd tell me, was about his experiences in boot camp. Found out later that he was a "golden acorn".

[NorthernZel]

Aw man... ¨

I remember that I and my SO were in the UK back in 2005, and were there during the Remembrance Day weekend.

When the clock struck 11, we were at a café, and people went very VERY quiet and solemn. We didn't know anything about observing 2 minutes of silence (or what Remembrance Day was, or why the hell everybody were wearing poppy badges for that matter), but the atmosphere alone made us shut up pretty quickly, nobody had to tell us that the 2 minutes of silence had begun.

After the 2 minutes of silence we asked the waitress what all that was about, and she was very kind to fill us in.
We left the café with each our own, newly purchased Poppy Badge.

[Talon]

I have no personal or family connections to veterans or the armed services. On that day I was off. At 11:00am I paused the game I was playing to observe 2 mins of silence.

What's everyone else's excuse?

[Arcade Man D]

If one of my customers is military or a family member, I make it a point to thank them for their service.

I did that a fair few times at my job. Of course, in a campus bookstore, it gets pretty easy to tell, as they often charge their books to VA financial aid (I saw quite a few who were quite glad for their GI Bill financial aid), and the younger ones used their military ID as their photo ID to either prove their identity for financial aid or use a check.

[Getpowned]

im a verteran also

my lack of respect for this country drops more and more every time i read sad things like that every day. why do we fight for a country that does not care. every other person has great respect for there country. forced or not forced we are the only people who have a choice and end up making the wrong decision. i always thought maybe people would have more respect once we got attacked and people actually had to worry.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Would it be wrong of me to admit I've had the "Moment of Silence" song from TV Funhouse in my head ever since first reading this thread?

[Jester]

I'm not sure how I feel about someone wearing, say, they're grandfather's or uncle's uniform or service coat. It might be a sign of respect, but not sure how I'd feel about it being used as a costume or such; kind of a grey area.

I have my father's patches from his time in the military in the Fifties. I can see maybe wearing them as a sign of respect for him, though I would probably have them in a protective laminate or something, as I can't imagine what I would do if anything happened to them. As part of a costume? The way *I* get when I go out for Halloween/Fantasy Fest? I just couldn't see it. But then, not everyone who has their parents' military stuff is like me, or has lost their parent. *shrug* To each their own, I guess. Fact is, if their parent gave them that stuff, it is their to do with as they will, as long as they are not disrespecting the uniform or the service it represents.

As you said, kind of a grey area.

Anytime you hear the national anthem or taps, people, you stop. And you [I]remain[I] stopped and silent until the ceremony is over with.

As a bartender, sometimes this is an odd area. During major sporting events, when we are busy but they play the National Anthem, a lot of times we try to stop what we are doing and stand at respect. It never works, though, as people are still demanding their drinks. About the best we can do is take off our hats if we are wearing any. It sucks, sure, but while people will deride their fellow fans for not showing respect for the Anthem, they will also go haywire if they are not getting their drinks. It is definitely one of the less pleasant times for us as bartenders, as no matter what we are do, we are screwed. If we don't keep working, people get mad, and if we do keep working, people will get mad that we are not respecting the Anthem, etc., etc. No win situation. *sigh*

Me either. The only time I'd played a "military hero" was usually at Halloween.

There is a distinct and important difference between dressing up in military garb as part of a costume for a festival, event, party, etc., and actually trying to impersonate military personnel.

I just know that it was a labor camp and not an extermination one

Not to put too fine a point on it, but other than POW camps, virtually all of the Nazi labor camps were extermination camp. They may not have had the ovens and such, but prisoners were often exterminated by being worked to death, shot, or whatever.

my lack of respect for this country drops more and more every time i read sad things like that every day. why do we fight for a country that does not care. every other person has great respect for there country. forced or not forced we are the only people who have a choice and end up making the wrong decision.

People do care, and this country does care. A lot of them don't, but don't judge the whole by the idiots. And this is coming from someone who is rather jaded politically.

And we are not "the only people who have a choice," as we are by no means the only democracy on the planet.

[Blade]

To be fair...

Not to disagree that many people are often rude or just insensitive (lawdy do we all know that), but...



Most of the time I can hardly hear or understand the announcements at the store I *work* at, where I'm used to listening for them as part of my job- when I'm just out shopping they tend to either be part of a general background noise I don't really hear, like the sounds of the coolers and cash registers, or I just can't understand them ("Oh, good, Charlie Brown's mom wants something.. I wonder what it is").


If I was on a phone when an announcement came on, or had been busy talking to someone else, or even had just been intently peering at a cantaloupe while thinking about breakfast, the chance would be great that I wouldn't know any "special" announcement had been made, if I'd known one had been made at all.


Being judged a Bad Person because of, say, innocently perusing fruit and talking to a friend seems pretty harsh.