Remembrance Day used to be the day we’d all stand around in grade school class for an awkward minute as we were required to pay homage to those who fought and died in WW1/2. Now RD has diversified. New improved purposes include: (1) Conservatives and war mongers can hide their true lust for stealing resources from poor countries abroad by pretending to respect the poor Canadians they sent off to do it; (2) Universities (McMaster for example) are getting in on the jingoism by promoting their highly touted, little used “Project Hero”; but for (3), the main event, you’ll have to wait until Friday November 13 for “The Support the Troops Kegger“, jointly hosted Ottawa and Carleton campus Conservatives. If you are lucky enough to be invited (as we were), you must attend…and take pictures (we’ll post the best picture). With almost 200 confirmed guests, almost 300 maybes and at least 5 keggers, we expect all sorts of camera-ready patriotism to be displayed, the likes of which will make this patriotic stunt look weak. Get your cameras ready!
2009’s Remembrance Day Achievements: Pointlessness of Canada’s war forgotten for one day, universities get free advertising, KEGGER!
November 12, 2009 · 15 Comments
Categories: Uncategorized
15 responses so far ↓
Gerald // November 12, 2009 at 5:06 pm |
They may set the record for the most Remembrance Day pregnancies ever.
Sam Reynolds // November 12, 2009 at 9:59 pm |
Regardless of your political views, this is a low blow. Attacking ideological beliefs is healthy, but rememberance day? That’s the day where we remember those who paid the ultimate price so we could have the freedoms we are exercising now, and you choose to mock it. Shame on you.
Justin Donelle // November 12, 2009 at 10:27 pm |
Seriously, this is a charity event.
This article needs some cleaning and thought put into it. If you think that our mission is to steal resources from poor countries, somewhat of a contradiction, then blame the policy for that.
This event is not to support the goal of war, but to support the brave men and women who are serving us. Many have died so far and it is to know and raise money to help those who are serving by giving their life or extreme stresses and fears to simply protect us.
It’s “Support our troops”, not support the war in Afghanistan.
Jason // November 12, 2009 at 11:18 pm |
It is painful to think how many soldiers fought, suffered and died to give you the freedom to say the stupid things you just published in this article. A “pointless war”you say? Tell that to the 57,618,153 people who died for the sake of freedom in both of the Great Wars. They did it for a**holes like you, full-well knowing that you’d forget the gift they gave you and just take it for granted. Shame on you.
Sam Reynolds // November 12, 2009 at 11:46 pm |
Wow, you people disgust me. While it’s a perfectly legitimate argument to oppose the war in Afghanistan, mocking Remembrance day? Thats pretty disgusting. It’s not a left/right, conservative/liberal thing, its just an issue of respect for those who have died so you can have the freedoms you are exercising now.
Ron Summersville // November 13, 2009 at 12:47 am |
This is possibly the best Canadian blog going. I LOVE IT! Keep it up.
patriot // November 13, 2009 at 1:04 am |
So when your pictures get returned showing crowds of people having fun while supporting the rehabilitation of soldiers so they can represent our country in the Special Olympics, you can be shown for the disrespectful ass hole you really are.
Note the singular addressing pronoun showing my hope that there is only one fool of your proportions.
dean // November 13, 2009 at 1:50 am |
What exactly would we be exploiting from Afghanistan? I think we have enough sand.
Carson // November 13, 2009 at 2:20 am |
Wait, this blog calls out a bunch of meat-headed douchebag conservatives (sorry, I’m assuming here) for hosting a Remembrance Day *kegger*, and you attack them?
Wow, let’s back up. Writing about people disrespecting Remembrance Day isn’t disrespecting Remembrance Day. Charging a 10 dollar cover so people can drink their faces off and celebrate Canada’s role in foreign occupation is disrespecting Remembrance Day.
Brad // November 13, 2009 at 2:37 am |
Patriot: If I were a wounded solider, the last thing I would want is for a bunch of drunk students to “rehabilitate” me so that I could subsequently perform for them at the Special Olympics. Idiot.
Erin // November 13, 2009 at 5:40 am |
All the proceeds go towards injured soldiers. That’s why it’s called the “Support The Troops Fundraising Kegger”. I would know, I helped pick the charity and designed the tickets you so kindly helped advertise. The event is purely about the respect we all, not only conservatives, have for our men and women both at home and abroad serving in the Canadian Forces. To suggest anything otherwise is strictly disgusting and a slap in the face to anyone who has or will benefit from The Soldier On Fund, the charity we chose. The charity is not only about promoting the Paralympics but also about assisting those who protect you, so you have the freedom to verbally tear them apart, while recovering from serious injury. The reason for the nature of this even was to draw in attention from those who might not have known (or cared) about the cause and to promote and donate to Soldier On. Remembrance Day is not about war mongering or pushing Conservative ideals, it’s about respect for your fellow Canadians in the CF who keep you safe and protect you everyday.
campusconservativewatch // November 13, 2009 at 1:38 pm |
Current war efforts in Afghanistan are nothing like that of WWII. So we reject the moral indignation which is based on that war as a defense for Canada’s current war mongering, especially in the context of a ‘kegger’. Correlating the Afghanistan mission with that of a war for resources is fair. It is also fair to correlate soldiers’ economic background to that of the countries they are sent to attack; at least in relation to those who are calling the shots who are rich and powerful. The fact is that many soldiers take these jobs, not because of the lofty principles espoused by campus Conservatives and their mentors, but because going to war is a way out of bad economic circumstances. The most disgusting culmination of war making at the expense of regular people is preying on heavily indebted students, or potential students, who just want to get an education and get on with their lives. Alas, all too many get stuck in years of indentured servitude only emerge with mental problems, missing limbs or dead. Greasing the wheels for this seamless transition from youth-to-grunt-to-dead are war games that are funded by the Army and/or developed for huge profit by private companies who daily help blur the line between entertainment and politics.
So to be clear, the soldiers are not at question here. It is a sad reoccurring theme to reduce criticism of war and the jingoism around it (which is largely what RD has been reduced to), to criticism of the soldiers who are forced to do the dirty work on behalf of the elite.
Our commitment to the young people of Canada, will be to expose Conservative rhetoric and double speak so that they never get into the situation where they have to “benefit” from a fund which serves as much as a band-aid for a poorly funded health-care system as it is as a tool to help the pro-war community sleep better at night.
Ryan // November 13, 2009 at 6:33 pm |
You may be right that the war in Afghanistan is simply a grab for economic resources – heck, you probably are right as well that the elite are sending the poor to war as well (isn’t that the nature of most institutions in this hemisphere?). You may also be right that throwing a “kegger” is a disrespectful means of conveying support. However, these are all questions that can be answered with objective facts but are decided by subjective thoughts (i.e. a person may believe it to be right that Canada should secure its economic future by seizing resources). The same cannot be said about the principles of Remembrance Day.
Remembrance Day is a time to remember those that fought in the name of our country and gave their lives in doing so. Remembrance Day is a time to show those that survived or are currently active that we are thinking of them as human beings, not as a part of a political entity. Remembrance Day is a time to wear poppies with pride and give 1.90258752 × 10-6 of our year (that’s one minute) to remember.
By the way you have phrased your article, you never respected Remembrance Day to begin with (it’s not “required” of you to give an “awkward” minute of your life anymore, isn’t it?), so what right do you have to criticize where it is going? Unless, of course, you believed it to be a bad institution to begin with, which is all that the reader is left with. If you have family members (especially from WWII) that are still alive, I suggest you tell them the first line of what you have written and study the look on their face.
Oshawa born // November 13, 2009 at 11:37 pm |
Interesting discussion. I tend to think that people make too much out of remembrance day. I probably feel this way because I am skeptical of the role we play in wars these days. I lost family in WWII, and I grieve that like I would other lost relatives. But I don’t really like the hysteria around celebrating war deaths as “heroic” deaths. I don’t want to send the message to my kids that violence is something to glorify.
Shireen // November 14, 2009 at 7:08 am |
It was to totally awkward. Why was I standing around bowing my head as if I’m praying followed by a short sermon from the teacher about duty and war. F that.