Your interpretation of the poem elevates it above the continuing grind of warfare and sacrificing oneself because others have died. Let their death not be in vain but expose the truth and folly of following governments that deceive their own citizenry.
Yes! Similar path to me, got into the whole anti war thing around 1980 when I was 14 and listening to Crass, Flux of Pink Indians, Poison Girls etc. Was in youth CND and when I was 18 got a tattoo of a broken gun with "wars will cease when men refuse to fight ".
Basically anarcho punk made me and I'm sitting in the bar wearing a Millions of Dead Cops tshirt.
I realize that most of my followers won't be into all the punk links, but until I start making a living doing this, I'm going to do whatever I want.
Once I start making a living I'll make more of an effort to give our audience what they want, but I think that our readers like being challenged and by then they'll be used to me doing whatever I want.
Anyway, I'll glad that some people like the music I include in my posts!
I'm a Marxist, and I've always interpreted the poem the way you did. Maybe it's because I'm and Old Bolshevik of the Kronstadt sailor variety, who Leninists, Trotskyists, and Stalinists all say were anarchists at best and Whites at worst.
Well, I'm an American. If an American doesn't have good reason to distrust institutional government, who does? Of COURSE I empathize with the sailors who made the Revolution possible, and then were betrayed by its leaders a few years later.
Regardless, I'm still a historical materialist, and the simple fact of the matter is that the only war is class war and has been for centuries. It's a racket, a con, a crime, it's not evolutionarily viable, it needs to GO. The only way to do that is to abolish the system that depends on war to continue to exist.
I think what you're pointing at is the very reason many people reject the poppy, supposedly a symbol of noble sacrifice. I can't find anything to suggest McCrae's intention was other than what it is widely understood to be.
I feel like the last lines wouldn't care for which side the poppies grow, the poppies don't care about what the origins of the soldier's that disturbed the ground they grow on are. The 'foe' in my interpretation (like yours) would be the political class responsible for enabling the legalised mass murder that war is.
"I felt then, as I feel now, that the politicians who took us to war should have been given the guns and told to settle their differences themselves, instead of organizing nothing better than legalized mass murder."
Harry Patch (WW1 veteran)
I will be and have been thinking of those who lose and are losing their lives because of war, regardless of whether they were soldiers. However I expect many more lives to be lost due the viability* of making profits and controlling resources such as oil through warfare, than as direct casualties of war. Maybe my estimations are wrong, I'd like to be wrong. Maybe one day I'll be able to read enough books to find an answer. Maybe there isn't one.
*Maybe I should have written 'viability' as 'effectiveness' as the viability of something that promotes a catastrophic extinguishing of life, when viability means 'capability of living' is a poor choice of words.
When it’s only one hour of one day per year that we “remember”, no wonder we lather rinse repeat over and over.
I am getting the distinct impression people wear the poppy as a virtue signal. Most don’t have a personal reason, or even a reason, when I ask them why they wear one. Just that it’s “that time of year”.
Stores are open, people doing people things, life is normal. No wonder the masses don’t care anymore. They’re taught not to by Elder Gender Neutral NonBinary Sibling.
Your interpretation of the poem elevates it above the continuing grind of warfare and sacrificing oneself because others have died. Let their death not be in vain but expose the truth and folly of following governments that deceive their own citizenry.
Amen to that!
What a great insight about "the foe" and the essence of war and "statecraft"! Worth a cross-post...
Thanks! I've been sitting on this idea for quite awhile.
So I’m a hard core conservative anarchist? Alrighty then.
lol right?
Yes! Similar path to me, got into the whole anti war thing around 1980 when I was 14 and listening to Crass, Flux of Pink Indians, Poison Girls etc. Was in youth CND and when I was 18 got a tattoo of a broken gun with "wars will cease when men refuse to fight ".
Basically anarcho punk made me and I'm sitting in the bar wearing a Millions of Dead Cops tshirt.
And loving the Aus Rotten link.
Nice! Glad to hear it!
I realize that most of my followers won't be into all the punk links, but until I start making a living doing this, I'm going to do whatever I want.
Once I start making a living I'll make more of an effort to give our audience what they want, but I think that our readers like being challenged and by then they'll be used to me doing whatever I want.
Anyway, I'll glad that some people like the music I include in my posts!
I'm a Marxist, and I've always interpreted the poem the way you did. Maybe it's because I'm and Old Bolshevik of the Kronstadt sailor variety, who Leninists, Trotskyists, and Stalinists all say were anarchists at best and Whites at worst.
Well, I'm an American. If an American doesn't have good reason to distrust institutional government, who does? Of COURSE I empathize with the sailors who made the Revolution possible, and then were betrayed by its leaders a few years later.
Regardless, I'm still a historical materialist, and the simple fact of the matter is that the only war is class war and has been for centuries. It's a racket, a con, a crime, it's not evolutionarily viable, it needs to GO. The only way to do that is to abolish the system that depends on war to continue to exist.
Interesting notion, that gangster turf wars are triggered in part to inhibit class warfare .🤔
I think what you're pointing at is the very reason many people reject the poppy, supposedly a symbol of noble sacrifice. I can't find anything to suggest McCrae's intention was other than what it is widely understood to be.
Wow. Amazing piece.
I feel like the last lines wouldn't care for which side the poppies grow, the poppies don't care about what the origins of the soldier's that disturbed the ground they grow on are. The 'foe' in my interpretation (like yours) would be the political class responsible for enabling the legalised mass murder that war is.
"I felt then, as I feel now, that the politicians who took us to war should have been given the guns and told to settle their differences themselves, instead of organizing nothing better than legalized mass murder."
Harry Patch (WW1 veteran)
I will be and have been thinking of those who lose and are losing their lives because of war, regardless of whether they were soldiers. However I expect many more lives to be lost due the viability* of making profits and controlling resources such as oil through warfare, than as direct casualties of war. Maybe my estimations are wrong, I'd like to be wrong. Maybe one day I'll be able to read enough books to find an answer. Maybe there isn't one.
*Maybe I should have written 'viability' as 'effectiveness' as the viability of something that promotes a catastrophic extinguishing of life, when viability means 'capability of living' is a poor choice of words.
ah the legions of the dead who died thqt this might not happen How we honour them and how our hearts break for them and for us. God help us all.
When it’s only one hour of one day per year that we “remember”, no wonder we lather rinse repeat over and over.
I am getting the distinct impression people wear the poppy as a virtue signal. Most don’t have a personal reason, or even a reason, when I ask them why they wear one. Just that it’s “that time of year”.
Stores are open, people doing people things, life is normal. No wonder the masses don’t care anymore. They’re taught not to by Elder Gender Neutral NonBinary Sibling.
Remembrance Day... just like Earth Day!
We clearly do enjoy remembering the Past but that's pretty much it. Just a memory game. If only we all developed amnesia!