I have been struggling with how to write down the thoughts in my head. This is a touchy subject stateside, and being anything less than perfectly patriotic makes people angry.
What am I talking about?
For those outside the US, this is Memorial Day Weekend.
"Memorial Day (previously, but now seldom, called Decoration Day) is a federal holiday in the United States for honoring and mourning the military personnel who have died in the performance of their military duties while serving in the United States Armed Forces."—Wikipedia
Oh, boy. Here we go. Another government holy day where my admittedly eccentric perspective clashes with the community. Click away if you're the sort to take offense at unusual ideas.
Still here?
I warned you.
Last chance...
Fine. You asked for it. Keep your panties un-bunched, please. Remember, if troops died for my freedom, they died for me to dissent.
From Facebook
See that? It's patriotic propaganda appealing to emotions in an effort to conceal the true nature of war and government. It demands loyalty in response to the sacrifice of others in almost Christ-like religious terms.
Memorial Day is an obscene holiday in honor of those who killed and died in the name of imperialism and conquest. This is something to mourn, but for entirely different reasons than we will hear people proclaim, and is certainly not something I intend to celebrate.
The origin seems to be during the Civil War, probably in the Confederacy. This is a massive mess for another post, but in short, there were no good guys. Slavery was one of the key factors behind the Southern plantation aristocracy seceding, but it was not the reason Lincoln went to war against the Confederate States of America. These deaths in the name of state power were tragedies, but not heroic.
World War I was another massive tragedy, where soldiers placed patriotism over respect for their fellow man in the other trenches. There was a glimmer of hope in the Christmas Truce, but the following years of slaughter show more veneration for Mars than Christ. Further, the end of the Great War set the stage for World War II: Electric Boogaloo, the rise of militaristic states claiming the creed of communism, and assorted wars around the globe. And here's the thing: Aside from Pearl Harbor, have any US soldiers even died on US soil defending against an actual invasion or attack?
People died fighting for what they believed in, but they believed in lies. Many also died because fat cats in DC demanded they be conscripted, though. That is the worst kind of slavery.
You can run down the list of wars throughout history and find just cause lacking, and perverse consequences flowing from the outcomes of previous unjust wars. Meanwhile, the freedoms these troops allegedly fought to ensure and protect ring hollow in 2021. The bureaucratic impositions in our lives, confiscatory taxes, arbitrary regulations, abusive prohibitions, and overwhelmingly corrupt legislative/executive/judicial systems are growing like a cancer. And that is what soldiers really fight to protect.
Independence Day is a farce, but Memorial Day? That's a tragedy deeper than any flag-waving patriot knows.