TWO Minutes' silence

[MobNet Wolf]

Posting this here in the hope it will get a little more reasoned discussion than on the Mix!

Is anyone else of the view that the two minutes' silence yesterday was OTT? What was wrong with having one minute? To be honest, I thought it was bizarre and probably detracted from the purpose of the silence.

I understand that on Remembrance Sunday, a two minute silence is observed at 11. But on all other occasions, a single minute is sufficient. So why not yesterday?

I appreciate these are touchy subjects, and I have no issues whatsoever with the poppy appeal and having a moment of silence this time of year etc, but we do seem to be in the grips of a jingo-ist/nationalist surge and 'remembering our troops' is often used as a thinly veiled cover to test people's apparent patriotism. Poppy-fascism, and now apparently minute silence inflation are symptoms of that.

Discuss.

 

[Deleted Cyber]

I respect silences however long they are . They should be on the appropriate day or it devalues the commemoration. You don't celebrate your birthday for 2 weeks do you? Xmas day isn't Xmas week? So remembrance Sunday should be just that. If you're not playing that day don't hold a false event. Its just ticking a box. Additionally I don't like to be told what I should and shouldn't commemorate and why or when to do it thank you. See my views on Xmas for that to.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

I think (personally) that doing the remembrance before halloween is even done is a long time premature, but I also understand the issue with the international break always being over remembrance weekend.

Two minutes should be reserved for 11am on the 11th for me. Other remembrance displays should really be the one minute silence.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

I respect silences however long they are . They should be on the appropriate day or it devalues the commemoration. You don't celebrate your birthday for 2 weeks do you? Xmas day isn't Xmas week? So remembrance Sunday should be just that. If you're not playing that day don't hold a false event. Its just ticking a box. Additionally I don't like to be told what I should and shouldn't commemorate and why or when to do it thank you. See my views on Xmas for that to.

Bang on.

 

[The Bear]

Our whole workplace comes to a standstill at 11am on 11/11. Which I don't mind as it's the correct time to do it.

It was too premature yesterday really. It's not as if the whole country would be up in arms if they didn't have one at a home game because of the scheduling.

 

[Tony Towner]

It's become too political. Teams are afraid not to have one which results in forced efforts on October 28th like yesterday. Clearly the International Break doesn't help, but the league could schedule it that teams play at home the last weekend before Armistice Day every other season, so it can be observed at least one year in two by everyone.

 

[The Saturday Boy]

I agree, you won’t get reasoned discussion on the Mix.

The ever increasing societal pressure to affirm your patriotism by demonstrative support of the armed forces can be traced back to the Iraq war, mainly the Bush/Blair one. For the first time probably ever there was a mass anti-war movement mobilised and while the ire and anger of the masses should have been reserved for the politicians (off all hues) who led us into that war there was a sense that our forces were also bearing the some of the criticism and they were largely blameless.

There was then a feeling, justified, that our armed forces were not supported after they returned and organisations like Help for Heroes popped up gathering support quickly. The government of Gordon Brown then invented Armed Forces Day for no real reason other than to deflect attention away from the fact that it was his party who led us into Iraq.

Around the same time we saw the rise of “poppy fascism”, over the top criticism of anyone who chose not to wear a poppy - whatever their reason they were “disrespecting our troops”.

Now people and organisations are more fearful of criticism than they are of actually remembering ALL the victims of war. The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month is being watered down, its poignancy is lessened by all that comes before it.

War has often been a legitimate and just means of resolving disputes, that does not mean it should be celebrated or glorified and this is a place we have moved to almost by default and this enable our political leaders to take liberties with our consent to war.

There was no need for any silence on Saturday other than for QPR to avoid any criticism - surely that is a poor reason to do it? I don’t need to be instructed how and when, there is an ideal opportunity on 11/11 when we can all silently reflect and that is what it should be about, not who wears the most ornate poppy/fashion accessory.

 

[MobNet Wolf]

Agree with all of the above.

For me it's ludicrous that teams should feel the need to have a 'Remembrance fixture'. If you've got a fixture at the appropriate time, by all means reflect that. But holding it two and a half weeks before the relevant date just because that's the nearest fixture, is silly.

 

[slink]

Yeah it felt far too early yesterday and while the majority observed the silence as they should, 2 minutes, 2 weeks before remembrance Sunday is overkill. Now i know QPR haven't got another home game before the 11th but surely they could do something with social media closer to the day. Like what has been said before they are only doing it so they avoid any criticism that they really shouldn't get.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

It all stems from what TSB correctly labels as poppy fascism. If you don't do something, you get shit for it.

Reminds me of white feathers.

 

[Parkins left foot]

When it's done on the 11th or the nearest Sunday together with veterans of whatever conflict it has meaning - any time before it doesn't

Feature of modern immediate media condemnation for anything else

 

[Doctor Doog]

What was OTT yesterday was that the names of players who died in the wars were read out followed by the Ode of Remembrance from For The Fallen, then the Last Post was played, before finally the two minutes silence. I thought QPR were more interested in the performance than the sentiment. I don't wear a poppy any more as the lines between remembrance, patriotism and xenophobia have been irreparably blurred.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

I also no longer wear a poppy at all. I will give a donation happily, but I will turn down the poppy.

 

[PPB]

Xmas day isn't Xmas week?

:nod:

 

[Keef]

I think it should just be remembrance weekend,it's too early to be doing it now,and stands a chance of getting watered down and losing the significance,while other things take over,like halloween(when did that become massive as it seems to be now)but as pad says,don't do anything you get shit for not doing it. I buy a poppy and remember the couple of mates I've lost fighting for their country.

 

[Lycan]

https://mobile.twitter.com/henrywinter/status/924650807663919104?s=08

Lest bee forget.

 

[The Saturday Boy]

I also no longer wear a poppy at all. I will give a donation happily, but I will turn down the poppy.

Same.

 

[visage]

People died so you lot can be forced to observe remembrance.

 

[SSB]

Our whole workplace comes to a standstill at 11am on 11/11.

We have also always done that but there is always some knob who is still on the phone and thinks by whispering their way through it no one else will notice.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

I always had that happen to me.

And then the next day I would get an exec moaning that a better share price was missed for getting their option exercised and at that point "I was doing the silence" was not considered an acceptable excuse.