Comment on Question about Australian towns
Nath@aussie.zone 1 month agoWe had a period when I was a kid where the ANZAC stuff really started to wane as the WWI veterans were dying out. Somewhere along the line there was a movement to rekindle the ANZAC stuff and really stress that while it had its roots in WWI, it was about soldiers who died in all conflicts for their country.
Any town that was around in 1918 is going to have a war memorial. I’ve worked at a place that was over 100 years old and they had a shield on a wall remembering the staff who went to WWI. If you really want to find a town that doesn’t have a war memorial, you’ll be looking for a new settlement, Probably some place that didn’t exist before the 1950’s. I honestly can’t think of any.
That said, it’s really easy to avoid all the military stuff if it doesn’t work for you. Most town’s war memorials will only really come into relevance once a year and then go back to just being a feature of the place the other 364 days. A landmark maybe near a kids play ground. Just because every place has one, doesn’t mean you are under any obligation to pay it any attention.
guismo@aussie.zone 1 month ago
Thanks! That seems like a very useful idea and I’ll look into it. I’ll research new towns tomorrow.
The thing is a mental gimnastics. Personally Australian involvement view and involvement with war, very much specially the newer invasions, bother me a lot. I feel guilty living here and my taxes funding an american invasion. To me the fact they get away with it comes from the respect Australians have for the military. But if I do something about it (like going back) I’ll be the only affected and nothing changes. So I want to pretend it’s not true. Live a lie. And if I can find a town without names of it, it’s easier to lie to myself. But if I go to the park and it shows the military worship, I will inevitably remember the truth.
It’s far fetched, but I think it can work.