Tuesday, November 11, 2003
How fitting that Armistice Day should be Kurt Vonnegut's birthday. If I ever knew that, I had long since forgotten it. As it happened, I was driving back from Niagara Falls when the clock turned to 11-- I thought about the War to End Wars as my wipers swished, and NPR murmured about the war we are in now. One difference is that our geographic isolation is no help to us. Another difference is that we have somehow managed to become politically isolated, just when we could least afford to stand alone.
EGA found her way into Vonnegut over the summer, and since it was lying around, I found myself re-reading a bunch of his stuff. When I knew everything, I was often disparaging about his writing, but I see now that it was very much of its time, and very much from the heart. Poor old bastard, the world wore him out a long time ago-- I hope he doesn't have a television, or a radio to bring him news of each new day's horrors.
Of course, here in the US it's Veteran's Day, but I don't care for the martial tone that name lends it. Canadians call it "Rememberance Day", but that's not quite right either. It is a fine thing to honor our veterans, but we would honor them better by recalling what they have been through, and the moment of optimism that came briefly at the end of one specific war than we do by merely memorializing their service. Veteran's Day, Rememberance Day-- these names run the risk of commodifying something that was very specific. Armistice Day is not generic-- it calls upon you to recall specifically why the banks are closed, and the stores are having sales. At least, that's what I thought about as I passed through Grand Island on my way back to the office.
EGA found her way into Vonnegut over the summer, and since it was lying around, I found myself re-reading a bunch of his stuff. When I knew everything, I was often disparaging about his writing, but I see now that it was very much of its time, and very much from the heart. Poor old bastard, the world wore him out a long time ago-- I hope he doesn't have a television, or a radio to bring him news of each new day's horrors.
Of course, here in the US it's Veteran's Day, but I don't care for the martial tone that name lends it. Canadians call it "Rememberance Day", but that's not quite right either. It is a fine thing to honor our veterans, but we would honor them better by recalling what they have been through, and the moment of optimism that came briefly at the end of one specific war than we do by merely memorializing their service. Veteran's Day, Rememberance Day-- these names run the risk of commodifying something that was very specific. Armistice Day is not generic-- it calls upon you to recall specifically why the banks are closed, and the stores are having sales. At least, that's what I thought about as I passed through Grand Island on my way back to the office.
// posted by Bill @ 4:51 PM 
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