An International thought on this American Holiday!
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Good Evening!
As most of you, regardless of country of origin are aware - July 4th is a special holiday here in the United States where we Americans celebrate our independence. For us - it is a national holiday that we spend gathering at picnics / outdoor concerts / barbeques and the like to share food, beverage and companionship. Due to the typically warm weather (summer months here in the US now) it often includes swimming. And by the general nature of the holiday - fireworks blanket the evening skies. I will be the first to admit that the majority don't think enough about the meaning and sacrifice behind the holiday itself. Beyond the initial reason for the holiday, some also commemorate a pivotal battle in our Civil War that took place July 1-3 some 147 years ago.
The reason I mention this all is that I would like to ask that we all as citizens of this precious planet - take the time to consider what it actually is like where others live across the world. I mean take the time to research it - or ask questions of others here and elsewhere. As has been seen too many times recently - including in some threads here; we are all a bit too naive in our views of other people/nations as our only exposure is often through the main-stream news media. I know a lot of you view America through the eyes of the CNN or other media agency news camera's. What hypocritical fools we must seem when our foremost impression is made by the politicians or celebrities dominating the airwaves.
I was viewing a report on the American WAR in Afghanistan the other day, and a point was made that was a revelation to me. A person interviewed in the report identified that Nation Building in Afghanistan will be extremely difficult as the average afghan has rarely left his remote tribal village let alone the region they reside in. They couldn’t identify a region in the opposite part of their country when you showed them on a map or globe, thus making the notion of nation building irrelevant. This led me to thinking how very different that is compared to the United States, where we have the freedom to travel to other regions within our great country to experience different traditions. This is also why as a people we will fight to the death to preserve our collective and individual rights and freedoms. When you speak to an American serviceman he is likely to tell you he is fighting for his country, his way of life, and the guy next to him. Subconsciously it is as important for him to defend his friends traditions of growing up in Boston as it is his own traditions from the cornfields of Kansas or Nebraska.
So I encourage all of us to learn just a little bit more about one another and where we are from and the traditions we have grown up with. We might just find that the media image has biased and shaped our perceptions to be quite different than the reality!
Regards,
Dean -
I know in the UK that any sort of holiday based on winning a battle is not even entertained by the government for fear of offending the losing country. The prime example being the Battle of Trafalgar, the general British opinion is that it should be celebrated as it is one of our greatest victories. However it has been ignored by those in power because it could offend the Spanish and the French. Other nations don’t seem to have a problem with celebrating beating us in a war like the War of Independence. I think a nation should be able to celebrate their history like the USA does (and we should)
He steps down off his creaking soap box and waits for a rebuttal
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Tobobo,
In the spirit of learning more about one another's history: July 4th celebrates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, not a battle. The battles came later when the Crown denied the claim. Besides being a poke in the eye of royals, the Declaration contains sentiments that all countries could benefit from.
Peter
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In Holland we have two days after another 4 may we remember the war (2nd world war) and on 5 may we celebrate freedom.
Last year are very much cities in Holland who remember the dead people from the war together with the Germans. And everybody in the world knows that they where the victims of this war.
But it was not the ordinary people from Germany who started the war, thats why we remember together.I think that people should think twice before doing something. When we show respect to another person or country or groups of people with a different color, language, religion. The world should be a better place for all of us.
For example this forum, when i ask a question, i get a lot of attention en answers from all over the world. People helping en supporting each other. And nobody blames me for my not so good speaking/writing english.
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@pbacot said:
Tobobo,
In the spirit of learning more about one another's history: July 4th celebrates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, not a battle. The battles came later when the Crown denied the claim. Besides being a poke in the eye of royals, the Declaration contains sentiments that all countries could benefit from.
Peter
Thank you Peter, everyday is truly a school day. Maybe you can help with my next question, do they do Civil War enactments on the 4th as well?
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Tobobo,
The 4th isn't so much a day when reenactments occur in general - though you can find some related to colonial life at historic sites such as the local one linked here http://www.fortroberdeau.org/
The Civil War reenactors are usually pretty fanatical and typically only gather on the specific sites / dates of battles. A popular one is for Picket's Charge @ Gettysburg - which took place on July 3, 1863. The proximity to July 4th is why I made mention of Gettysburg in my original email. I have been there for a reenactment some years back - they have my respect as most all wear historically accurate full uniforms, which were wool. It is usually warm and very humid (High 90's and high humidity this year) then. Gettysburg was pivotal in the war and Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address which was delivered in November of that same year for the dedication of the "Soldiers National Cemetery" is a big part of American history. It is a good read - one which I wish today's politician's would refer to more often.
Some links on Gettysburg you may find interesting are below.
http://www.nps.gov/gett/index.htm
http://www.gettysburgfoundation.org/
http://www.civilwarhome.com/gettysbu.htm
http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Gettysburg_AddressBytor
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