Irony or something worse?

 

Yesterday we had a flyer posted through the door by a well meaning neighbour. I understand the sentiment and the intent but I find the irony excruciating.

VE Day celebrations flyer

Come this Friday, for my own sanity, I’ll be desperately avoiding the TV coverage of national gratitude for the sacrifices of WWII and admiration for the great British people of the time. What a contrast to today!! My neighbours having to be coaxed from behind their sofas where they’ve spent the past month cowering from the 24 hour propaganda intravenously fed by the MSM.

I’ll wish them no ill as they stand on their doorsteps in silence, hang their bunting whilst being respectful of each others’ social distance and wave their little union flags singing a few words to We’ll Meet Again downloaded from Google.

But how anyone thinks any of that even begins to redeem us from our cowardly (let alone illogical) response to COVID-19 is quite beyond my comprehension. VE Day comes as a timely reminder as to why we should be proud to be British but in the face of a national crisis we’ve quickly and unquestioningly relinquished freedoms that so many lost their lives defending. Lest we forget.

Published in History
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There are 13 comments.

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  1. Al French of Damascus Moderator
    Al French of Damascus
    @AlFrench

    Welcome aboard. It is interesting for us Yanks to hear a British perspective.

    ironic, for sure.

    Is VE Day always a big celebration there? We’re more attuned here to VJ Day, but neither is much noted any more.

    • #1
  2. CatchMatt Inactive
    CatchMatt
    @catchmatt

    There seems to be more awareness than usual, maybe it’s the lock down or maybe because it’s the 75th anniversary. I think to most folk who acknowledge VE Day it’s either an excuse for a knees up or an opportunity to preach down at younger generations. I was never sure if people really believed what they preached, I guess now we know.

    • #2
  3. Al French of Damascus Moderator
    Al French of Damascus
    @AlFrench

    CatchMatt (View Comment):
    knees up

    Had to look that up.

    • #3
  4. James Lileks Contributor
    James Lileks
    @jameslileks

    Al French of Damascus (View Comment):
    Welcome aboard. It is interesting for us Yanks to hear a British perspective.

    Indeed! And I had fun looking up Leonard Gould Way on Google Street View. Seems to be named after a local packaging firm – is that right? 

    • #4
  5. CatchMatt Inactive
    CatchMatt
    @catchmatt

    James Lileks (View Comment):

    Al French of Damascus (View Comment):
    Welcome aboard. It is interesting for us Yanks to hear a British perspective.

    Indeed! And I had fun looking up Leonard Gould Way on Google Street View. Seems to be named after a local packaging firm – is that right?

    @James Lileks it is indeed a local packaging firm and our houses were built on the site of their original factory. They outgrew the site and access for cars isn’t great, let alone the lorries that they needed to get in and out.

    • #5
  6. James Lileks Contributor
    James Lileks
    @jameslileks

    CatchMatt (View Comment):
    our houses were built on the site of their original factory.

    Ah, that explains it. Mid-late 80s, early 90s? Do the houses follow the original roads, or did they make new roads? It does look a bit narrow. I’m largely ignorant on English suburban development modes, and am always curious how these things end up. 

    • #6
  7. CatchMatt Inactive
    CatchMatt
    @catchmatt

    James Lileks (View Comment):

    CatchMatt (View Comment):
    our houses were built on the site of their original factory.

    Ah, that explains it. Mid-late 80s, early 90s? Do the houses follow the original roads, or did they make new roads? It does look a bit narrow. I’m largely ignorant on English suburban development modes, and am always curious how these things end up.

    The houses were built in 2011/12 and the road itself (LGW) was built for the new housing estate. You’re absolutely right about the road being narrow, causes all sorts of issues with dustcarts and deliveries not being able to get through. It’s pretty typical of British new build estates, cram as many houses on as possible and minimal space “wasted” on parking and access.

    • #7
  8. J Ro Member
    J Ro
    @JRo

    CatchMatt (View Comment):

    James Lileks (View Comment):

    CatchMatt (View Comment):
    our houses were built on the site of their original factory.

    Ah, that explains it. Mid-late 80s, early 90s? Do the houses follow the original roads, or did they make new roads? It does look a bit narrow. I’m largely ignorant on English suburban development modes, and am always curious how these things end up.

    The houses were built in 2011/12 and the road itself (LGW) was built for the new housing estate. You’re absolutely right about the road being narrow, causes all sorts of issues with dustcarts and deliveries not being able to get through. It’s pretty typical of British new build estates, cram as many houses on as possible and minimal space “wasted” on parking and access.

    What a concept, letting property owners develop their land in ways they think will best add value to it.

    Some new neighborhoods in the Land of Liberty are required to have HUGE paved areas at the end of their culs-de-sac because the city government bought some big new firetrucks. So the streets are enlarged to fit the firetrucks rather than providing firetrucks to fit the streets.

    • #8
  9. tigerlily Member
    tigerlily
    @tigerlily

    Welcome Matt!

    • #9
  10. RightAngles Member
    RightAngles
    @RightAngles

    tigerlily (View Comment):

    Welcome Matt!

    You said “Welcome mat” hahaha

    Anyway, a great post, could not agree more.

    • #10
  11. CarolJoy, Above Top Secret Coolidge
    CarolJoy, Above Top Secret
    @CarolJoy

    If the sheltering at home public was not being force fed the latest info from “real independent doctors and scientists” courtesy of our Mainstream media, the COVID panic of 2020 would die off in a week or two.

    But people with nothing to do and lots of time in which to do it will watch way too much TV. Then their lil brains re filled up with whatever fear inspiring headline is being used. (One currently in vogue in Calif is that the COVID outbreak death toll will go on steroids over the next few months. If you escaped COVID’s wrath before, you won’t escape COVID’s wrath over the summer.)

    I join you in your frustration and despair, CatchMatt. Never would I have believed that entire majorities of modern day societies would give up their lives, surrender their elderly to facilities that do not allow for visits, demand an unproven vaccine to be rushed into production and more, all for the sake of cowering in fear while wearing the requisite mask and avoiding coming within 6 feet of their pets and household members.

    Perhaps if they were not so afraid they could look on the internet and discover some major COVID information. For instance, they would find out that except for several very hard hit places in the nation, the COVID mortality rate is less serious than that of the 1968 influenza outbreak. But now the public has been  hypnotized that if the info is not from real doctors and scientists on TV, then it is not real info.

    • #11
  12. CatchMatt Inactive
    CatchMatt
    @catchmatt

    CarolJoy, Above Top Secret (View Comment):

    If the sheltering at home public was not being force fed the latest info from “real independent doctors and scientists” courtesy of our Mainstream media, the COVID panic of 2020 would die off in a week or two.

    But people with nothing to do and lots of time in which to do it will watch way too much TV. Then their lil brains re filled up with whatever fear inspiring headline is being used. (One currently in vogue in Calif is that the COVID outbreak death toll will go on steroids over the next few months. If you escaped COVID’s wrath before, you won’t escape COVID’s wrath over the summer.)

    I join you in your frustration and despair, CatchMatt. Never would I have believed that entire majorities of modern day societies would give up their lives, surrender their elderly to facilities that do not allow for visits, demand an unproven vaccine to be rushed into production and more, all for the sake of cowering in fear while wearing the requisite mask and avoiding coming within 6 feet of their pets and household members.

    Perhaps if they were not so afraid they could look on the internet and discover some major COVID information. For instance, they would find out that except for several very hard hit places in the nation, the COVID mortality rate is less serious than that of the 1968 influenza outbreak. But now the public has been hypnotized that if the info is not from real doctors and scientists on TV, then it is not real info.

    CarolJoy it would appear that even the “real” scientists are aware of this phenomenon: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/04/200403131259.htm

    • #12
  13. TBA Coolidge
    TBA
    @RobtGilsdorf

    Al French of Damascus (View Comment):

    CatchMatt (View Comment):
    knees up

    Had to look that up.

    Me too. I love having to do that. 

    • #13
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