Noobscraft
General => Other => Topic started by: masterrbc on 25 Apr 2012, 03:24:37
-
It is ANZAC day in Australia, it is a day where the Australians and New Zealanders show our respects for the brave soldiers, Young and Old who gave their lives for the freedom of the pacific.
For the ANZAC's who died in WWI http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyQyhVXUwM0# (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyQyhVXUwM0#)
For the Proud Soldiers who are serving in other countries and who have sacrificed their lives for ours! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rL8u00l0CnE# (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rL8u00l0CnE#)
(https://embed.noobscraft.com/6148523063446f764c326b784d6a45774c6e426f62335276596e566a613256304c6d4e766253396862474a3162584d7659324d304d4449766257467a64475679636d4a6a4c32786c633352335a575a76636d646c64476c745957646c4c6d70775a775f5f)
(https://embed.noobscraft.com/6148523063446f764c326b784d6a45774c6e426f62335276596e566a613256304c6d4e766253396862474a3162584d7659324d304d4449766257467a64475679636d4a6a4c3342766348423558334a6c5a4638304d69356e6157595f)
(https://embed.noobscraft.com/6148523063446f764c326b784d6a45774c6e426f62335276596e566a613256304c6d4e766253396862474a3162584d7659324d304d4449766257467a64475679636d4a6a4c30786c633352335a575a76636d646c64484276634842354c6d70775a775f5f)
LEST WE FORGET!
-
now hold on, i thought australia was never part of any war besides for being an area to hold P.O.W.'s
-
now hold on, i thought australia was never part of any war besides for being an area to hold P.O.W.'s
no, Australia's first war was the boer war, we have fought in all the major wars (WWI WWII Vietnam, Korean, and the Middle Eastern conflicts that have been and are still going on [We are not in Baghdad, Iraq and other places like the]).
The Australian and New Zealand forces which are the ANZAC's are who fought and died for Australia.
-
As you can see here (wiki-map) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pacific_War_Japanese_Advances.jpg) the frontline against the Japanese was very close to Australia (the Malay barrier). So yes, the Aussies did fight, there are just not many movies about that and many people only think about the european theater when it comes to WW2.
As this is a very international and young (average age) server and some people have been confused about this ANZAC day in the ingame chat, I think it could be a good idea to explain the little "cultural difference" between Australia/USA and most parts of Europe, that causes this "confusion". Even cultures that seem to be close (like Europe, the USA or Australia) can have very big hidden differences shaped by history, education and even geographic location. To see these differences is called "intercultural competence", something that those of you will have to learn (meaning that there are really courses and seminars) that plan to get a job as a military officer, in the diplomatic or humanitarian sector or who wants to work abroad for a big company.
For the Europeans:
Now a day remembering the soldiers might seem standard for Aussies and Aericans, while it may seem strange (a bit militaristic) for Europeans. The reason is NOT the the Aussies would be more militaristic, the reason for this little cultural difference lies in the history. WW2 in the pacific was fought near Australia but not directly in Australia, and for America the biggest attack on the honeland was pearlHarbour (which was only a small scale attack compared to what cities like London, Hamburg or St. petersburg had to go through). Therefore there haven`t been many Austalian and American civilian casualties. On the other hand both countries send their men out to fight in foreign territories during WW2 (with a good reason) and suffered many losses among these men. Now if you had a lot of military losses and only comparably few civilian losses your memorial day would primarily remember all the tenthousands of soldiers who gave their life. And you would not have been that much influenced by the consequences these wars had for your people (consequences that shaped your culture, your grandparents/parents and therefore your whole education). For Australians and Americans "Soldiers and patriotism" are not that spoiled by the memories of 2 WorldWars and the large scale destruction it caused in Europe (something that is now slightly changing in the USA after Afghanistan and Iraq). If the Australians want to commemorate their Fallen is it correct that they commemorate their soldiers; it is NOT to be seen as a sign of militarism but as the correct choice because their Fallen have been soldiers and no civilians.
For the Aussies:
There have been millions of civilian casualties in the european theater. Every memorial day in Europe is therefore not only a day to remember the soldiers but also (primarily) all the civilian losses (of the war and of the Holocaust). That`s why a day that remembers specifically the soldiers seems a little strange for European. Especially the Germans have learned their lessons and today everything regarding the military or large scale patriotism (except soccer) is met with great scepticism there.
So don`t be disappointed if a memorial day like ANZAC Day (a military memorial day) is only met with skepticism or disinterest by most Europeans. After 2 WorldWars many countries that have been the frontline and have been utterly destroyed by tanks and bombs like the Dutch, the Belgians or the Germans have a strong reluctance when it comes to military issues (especially when it comes to WW2).
As an example: the german "Heldengedenktag" (Day of Commemoration of Heroes) that was specifically a military memorial day after WW1 was changed after WW2 to the "Volkstrauertag" (People`s mourning day) to include everyone (soldiers AND civilians) that died during wars or died due to the violence of oppresive goverments. A military memorial day is therefore something very strange if seen with the eyes of a German - whose cultural standards are of course set by the lessons to be learned out of german history and put of all the films and influence the allies used to succesfully dampen the german fighting spirit after WW2 (one of the reasons why the german participation in Afghanistan almost led to civil unrests in Germany and why wars like Vietnam or Iraq were impossible for the german goverment to directly support).
-
War is such a shame, those songs made me sprout a little tear. My respect is always given to those who fight for a cause like this.
-
your respects are very kind, i also cry a little when i listen to "Can you hear Australia's heroes marching?"