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10 November, 1999
Young people and Remembrance Day

Given the time elapsed since the World Wars, the youth perspective on Remembrance Day is becoming increasingly important. I asked around about feelings regarding the day.

The one unanimous sentiment young people share is that they feel removed from Remembrance Day. One person summed up their feeling quite simply: "time-and-a-half". Another did not comment because they choose to ignore lame holidays they do not like. Another said it is just a relative's birthday. I am young, and I find this appalling.

Detachment is natural, as many of our parents were not even around to experience World War. But to act so callously in the face of the death of millions is inhuman. This is a time when everything is fine and everyone is happy. But that is half because life has improved for the human race, and half because any evidence to the contrary is ignored or silenced.

Many young people resent Remembrance Day because they think it is a celebration of the heroism of soldiers. They claim "We shouldn't celebrate violence." These people are naive. Remembrance Day is not a celebration. It is a reminder and a thank-you for the sacrifices that were made. People were enslaved during the World Wars; someone had to free them. The point of Remembrance Day is in its most common phrase: "Lest we forget". We must not forget what happened.

The harsh fact is that our young have no personal connection to Remembrance Day, so they ignore it. But the truth is that Remembrance Day gets more relevant each year. In the past, veterans, victims, and those involved did not need a reminder of the atrocities that happened—it was their life history. Now we need this day more than ever, because it is all we have to remind us.

We are on the threshold between veterans telling us what happened, and history books. Thus youth are unsure what is expected of them on Remembrance Day. They feel expected to cry, mourn, and salute, and feel guilty when they do not, even though they know nobody involved with the Wars.

On Remembrance Day, youth should think about what happened. Get out of the happy Muchmusic mindset for a few minutes and stare in the face of genocide, mass murder, martial law, and all that had to be fought against. Youth waste so much energy feeling bad about not crying and not "getting it" that they miss the point. The only people who should feel guilty are those ignore the day, the time-and-a-halfers.

We should not feel guilty about dry eyes. We are foreign to the idea of World War. Of course we cannot wrap our head around the idea of planetary armed conflict. But as a race, humanity must preserve the memory of such dark days in order to prevent such darkness from descending again. We do not have to sit and brood all day, faking a grief for people we never knew. We do have to sit and think a few minutes, be it in the shower, in the car, or at breakfast, and maintain our awareness of one of history's most significant and lowest points.

On the bright side, many people I talked to want to remember, and feel anxious about those who do not. The bottom line for youth is that the day is called "Remembrance Day", and not "Grief Day". I plan to enjoy myself the night of November 10, but I will do it with an appreciation that I am free to do so. I will remember that millions of people lost their lives. I have mine, and I will use it thankfully.

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