That poppy time of year

[pebblerocker]

It was Anzac Day this week and the entire town is a sea of paper poppies and plywood poppies and crocheted poppies. Poppies on trees and poppies on churches and poppies on kindergartens.

Outside a childcare centre I saw a noticeboard which said "In lieu of Anzac Day..." and I had to turn back and read it, because that is not a phrase one expects to see in these nationalistic times. Could it be that this particular childcare centre is run by people who thinks glorification of war is an inappropriate thing to teach small children? Perhaps they were planning a celebration of international friendship and co-operation in lieu of Anzac Day? No, it turned out to be a request for parents to bring in photos of soldier ancestors for the children to stick on a commemoration wall, written by someone who thought "in lieu of Anzac Day" was a fancy way to say "for Anzac Day".

Ten or fifteen years ago we didn't have this sort of nationalistic fervour. I remember when Anzac Day was just something old people did, people who had lived through wars, and newspaper columnists worried about the dwindling numbers attending dawn parades and whether the whole thing was about to die out. It's very strange how things have turned around.

Comments

[jekesta]

A similar sort of thing has happened with remembrance day over here. It used to be about actual remembrance, and sorrow, and 'never again' and nothing to do with glorification of war. But slowly as people who actually remembered war died, it's become some sort of victory parade and it makes me sick.

[spiralsheep]

My local area has begun holding council-funded "St George's Day" events too, which aren't traditional, while they're cutting library services.

[pebblerocker]

There is no sign of 'never again' about it.