Let me tell you what respectful remembrance looks like. It’s a lone individual, standing there, head bowed, in contemplation of those who came before us. The act itself is a deeply, highly, personal thing. It is voluntary. It is heart-felt.
Because unless it’s those thing it’s nothing. It’s meaningless. It is robbed of everything it should be about.
If you’re doing it from habit, that’s bad enough. If you’re doing it because you feel social pressure to do it that’s terrible. If you are doing it because you think it makes you better than someone who won’t you have no respect at all.
This routine has become preposterous.
When did this become “a thing”?
The Second World War ended seventy-two years ago, and for most of that time respect was paid in the traditional fashion; by lone individuals or groups who knew what it was they were commemorating. Who appreciated the sacrifices of others. That was profound.
This … the modern variant … it is soulless. It means nothing. Almost everyone who does it does it out of habit now, and only because others around them do. Or worse; they do it in a grotesque act of celebration, of militarism, of country, of victory. Not to do it is to invite opprobrium and not because those giving you the stick actually give a shit; it’s because it makes them feel good about themselves. Which makes it an act of selfishness.
In Perth today Celtic fans impeccably observed the silence.
There’s a lot of self-congratulation going on about it, which is to be expected considering it was something that was sprung on the fans at the last minute. It took an act of will for it to be observed; why are we pretending then that the silence is about anything else?
For many of our supporters this wasn’t about remembrance of sacrifices made long ago; it was simply about avoiding negative headlines in the here and now, because there are people out there who just can’t wait to put the boot into our fans. This was forced on us, as this is forced on players and fans from backgrounds who view the poppy, right or wrong, as a symbol of British imperialism which they want no part of. And in the act of forcing observance the whole alleged reason behind it has been perverted.
No wonder there are some who would rather stand outside the ground.
They can’t stomach this and I don’t blame them.
This is an act of pure politics. It’s got no deeper meaning at all.
Because of our fans’ silence, there’s also a lot of tut-tutting in other quarters because people weren’t given the chance to climb onto a pedestal and crow about how bad we are and how much better they are than us. Unreal.
Sevco fans are patting themselves on the back for the display at Ibrox; it is a measure of how “special” their club is. Tell me something; when did this become a celebration of the greatness of a five-year-old NewCo? It never has been and never will be, but amongst their support that is exactly what they have reduced it to, and they can make all the spurious claims about the “team of the troops” all they like; this all about self-affirmation.
The headline writers have been robbed of their big story today; it must break their hearts. But they don’t need to leave their pages blank. If they want to write something with meaning they can write about how empty of meaning this whole thing has become.
They can write about the ugliness of this, the way people are forced to conform to it, robbing the act of significance and worth.
If they have bottle at all they can urge the SFA to put this “tradition” in the bin instead of going toe-to-toe with FIFA over it.
It is divisive and inflammatory.
It does not belong inside a football stadium.
We can do without it, and those who came before us, who served with distinction, who made those sacrifices, would be appalled by what “remembrance” has become.