Skip to main content

On a beach at dusk

 

ANZAC Day Service - Cromer RSL

Whilst I have studied the history of the First and Second World Wars and firmly believe that understanding that history, why and how it happened, is important in understanding the contemporary world, something about the memorial ceremonies sets my teeth on edge. I think it's the way they become an excuse for mawkishness and fawning over the military, which I find more than moderately distasteful. 

Remembrance Day, ANZAC Day and others are also used by the jingoistic to goad and brow-beat those less inclined to take the 'my country, right or wrong' approach to these conflicts. We are asked to remember the fallen without also necessarily remembering the cavalcade of negligence, incompetence and stupidity from their leaders that set them on the path to death. ANZAC Day at least has slightly less of this as Australia and New Zealand commemorate those sent to die at Gallipoli by their leaders half a world away; although I will qualify this with the sense that this is fading every year.

Schools make no allowance for this nuance and happily send their pupils to take part in ceremonies that emphasise the military service aspect with no mention of 'lions lead by donkeys'. So I found myself dropping off Child 1 to Cromer RSL to sing in the dusk service held there. 


Media consumption highlights for April

Charlie Brooker on how to report news features.



Accurate political philosophy ramblings in interview


Useful documentary on one of the most influential schools ever to come into being, despite its rather brief history.


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Recent distraction aggregation

Thinking about Notebooks in B6 size. Hmmm, B6, you say? I don't have many of them, and there are lots of accessories I can obsess over? Perfect. This is all you need. Do not obsess over....oh. Don't do this... ...it will shit on you. Music A German Electro Pop Metal band? It seems unlikely, and yet... Stuck in my head The Prodigy make themselves sound like Daleks intent on destroying Middlesex General The Chemical Brothers and Beck, it was obviously going to be an earworm.
Post a Comment
Read more

Time on my own

  Time on my own makes me cook things, things I wouldn't normally cook with 3 vegetarians living in the same house. Slow barbequed brisket being one... ...and roast belly pork on tabouleh with improvised master stock being another. Other things time on my own seems to make me do is binge-watch old TV series and fall asleep on the sofa. Also, I make beer, as much beer as I have the capacity for in my system. Unfortunately what it hasn't done is provoke me to write any more or amend my habits around meditation or alcohol consumption. Clearly some form of cognitive intervention is going to have to take place for these. Bugger.
Post a Comment
Read more

More distraction aggregation - Feb 2025

It's been a while and I need to refresh some things starting with some more regular posts on here to replace some of the doomscrolling from elsewhere. Audiobooks I listen to a fair few audiobooks but often it's the same ones again and again to try and get me to sleep when I have about of insomnia. However I take on new ones which I listen to whilst doing chores and gardening so that I've heard them properly. There have been some new accessions into the collection which I can recommend. Both are noir detective type genre fiction but take a very different approach. Nick Harkaway's work is something I almost always enjoy and he has some real strength in depth (ake on Gnomon if you want a real challenge). His book Titanium Noir is a lot of fun with some really great ideas in it. It's more sci-fi than straight detective fiction. I've also been enjoying the Fetch Phillips stories by Aussie actor and author Luke Arnold (you might have seen him as Long John SIlver in ...
Post a Comment
Read more