Quote:
Originally Posted by SeijiSensei
When I was in Northern Ireland in the mid-1970's I noticed the prevalence of "Remember the Battle of the Boyne" graffiti on building walls around the country. I would later tell students in my British politics course about this, remarking on how strange it was to see an event which happened hundreds of years in the past be a rallying cry for contemporary political conflict. I see a lot of the same kinds of emotions expressed here. What bearing does an event from 1609 have on politics in today's world? Perhaps it's just because I live in such a young country that I have no appreciation for attitudes like these, though I grew up a few miles from Plymouth Rock and heard often about our Pilgrim forebears. It's time to leave these arguments behind and figure out how to resolve the various territorial conflicts in the China Sea peacefully in the here and now. Concerns about sovereignty over these islands four hundred years ago seems only an impediment to resolving an international dispute in 2012. Isn't it time to move on? |
This is a really interesting point. Clearly people are trying to seize on a topic that unites and motivates others toward a common goal, although its use as a rallying cry seems a bit weird...
How comparable is it to the Jews' remembrance of the Holocaust (and other persecution stories)? I understand that a bit better; it's meant to serve as a reminder that atrocities can be committed against you (or anyone, really) for simply being who you are. It's a reminder to speak out against persecution and extremism, because those things can lead people to do terrible things. There's a bit of a victim complex in there, too, I'll admit... the Holocaust is still fairly relevant, and many (including myself) are related to and have interacted with people who suffered through it. It will be very interesting to see how Jews' perception of the Holocaust changes as it grows farther away in history.