tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-717986195212622043.post8325841613311064599..comments2024-03-28T00:23:01.632-04:00Comments on Lem's Levity: Migrants treat WWII war memorial like a public swimming poolTrooper Yorkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01978703998566102194noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-717986195212622043.post-70893073064842888612018-05-29T14:58:48.903-04:002018-05-29T14:58:48.903-04:00I am familiar with the Washington Monument - I hav...I am familiar with the Washington Monument - I have both walked up the internal staircase and down it. The stairs are now closed to the public. There are plenty of plaques lining the staircase and while walking up you can take your time and read them. When you are in 6th grade you race down the stairs to beat your classmates to ground level.<br /><br />As for the difference between the two words - it's a lot of word play. I was just wondering if I had missed something in all of my decades of visiting the Mall.<br /><br />I will say this, with regards to the structure itself - as the world's tallest masonry building it is indeed monumental.The Dudehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05354536924604187137noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-717986195212622043.post-33914332817991010932018-05-29T14:12:09.095-04:002018-05-29T14:12:09.095-04:00Sixty Grit:
Did I say "Washington Memorial&q...Sixty Grit:<br /><br />Did I say "Washington Memorial"? Oops, it turns out I did. I meant, Washington <i>Monument.</i><br /><br />No matter what it's called, it's a <i>memorial</i> isn't it? Or is there a difference?Fr Martin Foxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01375628123126091747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-717986195212622043.post-3914277023258934362018-05-29T14:07:55.145-04:002018-05-29T14:07:55.145-04:00Where is the Washington Memorial?Where is the Washington Memorial?The Dudehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05354536924604187137noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-717986195212622043.post-41177804825336862018-05-29T14:00:09.283-04:002018-05-29T14:00:09.283-04:00You can't have anything sacred unless people a...You can't have anything sacred unless people are afraid to transgress or have meta- respect for things people respect as sacred.<br />Not everything should be sacred.jghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05254850370113601762noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-717986195212622043.post-54239989483069925282018-05-29T13:58:57.532-04:002018-05-29T13:58:57.532-04:00You've located and interesting aesthetic divid...You've located and interesting aesthetic divide.<br />The willful-ignorant transgression (by the parents) against formerly-shared values is severe.<br />At the same time, in an alternate world without those things, it's as you say, innocent+lovely.jghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05254850370113601762noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-717986195212622043.post-76074353233930116582018-05-29T13:10:17.172-04:002018-05-29T13:10:17.172-04:00Sorry, another note:
It turns out the pool in the...Sorry, another note:<br /><br />It turns out the pool in the WWII memorial actually preceded the memorial: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainbow_Pool. Fr Martin Foxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01375628123126091747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-717986195212622043.post-72224330051407766732018-05-29T12:58:39.577-04:002018-05-29T12:58:39.577-04:00Hmm, after I posted the earlier comment, I went an...Hmm, after I posted the earlier comment, I went and looked at some of the memorials I referred to. In the case of the Korean War Memorial, I had forgotten there is a pool there, as well. And guess what? It has a sign that says, "Honor your veterans, no wading." Then I looked at what Wikipedia had on the WWII memorial. Lots of pictures, and in several of them, people (of all sorts, presumably not all third-world visitors) wading in the pool. I could not discern a sign asking people not to do so.Fr Martin Foxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01375628123126091747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-717986195212622043.post-24426213555971775822018-05-29T12:43:32.582-04:002018-05-29T12:43:32.582-04:00People step into the reflecting pool that sits in ...People step into the reflecting pool that sits in front of the Lincoln Memorial. Is that disrespectful?<br /><br />This raises a bigger question of how to react to "memorials." Are there clear rules? Should I deport myself differently at the Lincoln Memorial (he was assassinated) than at the Jefferson (he died a natural death)? And what about the Washington Memorial, which is perfectly fine, but being abstract, does not confront the viewer with the fact of it memorializing a person, the way others do. <br /><br />But perhaps I should be comparing <i>war</i> memorials. OK. In the general vicinity of this WWII memorial are a DC (not federal) memorial to World War I. It is a circular "temple," "intended as a bandstand" according to Wikipedia. People sit there and I bet they eat and drink there. Is that disrespectful? <br /><br />Also nearby is the Korean War memorial, which is a series of statues of soldiers, seeming to be walking through a glade. I don't know what people make of it, but when I've looked at it, it seemed as though not many took notice. <br /><br />Not far from this is the Vietnam War Memorial. From my experience, people seem to react very differently to this from how they interact with the other memorials I've just mentioned. People are very quiet and somber. When I have visited, it wasn't unusual to see someone praying or touching the wall, or deep in thought. <br /><br />Meanwhile, there are lots of public buildings dedicated as memorials to veterans and specifically to war dead. Are people supposed to react differently to these buildings, than other stadiums or concert halls, because they are memorials to war dead?<br /><br />For that matter, what about cemeteries? People walk through cemeteries all the time without taking any special notice of them, and children play in them. Is this disrespectful? At Arlington National Cemetery, there are very specific rules spelled out, both for how to conduct oneself in general, and then, how to comport oneself at the Tomb of the Unknowns. But that only serves to reinforce my question about what, if any, rules there are elsewhere. If there aren't clear rules -- even unwritten ones -- then people haven't broken them.Fr Martin Foxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01375628123126091747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-717986195212622043.post-29170191353830493862018-05-29T09:23:29.882-04:002018-05-29T09:23:29.882-04:00It is to laugh. I doubt the dead service members w...It is to laugh. I doubt the dead service members would mind, and would probably bless them. While I'm at it, I've never cared for the design of the WWII monument. Looks Third Reichish to me.<br /><br />Good pick-up, chick.deborahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00305989647913371151noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-717986195212622043.post-4478036225992594182018-05-29T05:36:46.280-04:002018-05-29T05:36:46.280-04:00Time to introduce a few sharks.Time to introduce a few sharks.edutcherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15033144261502435196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-717986195212622043.post-48816190494713073932018-05-29T01:56:38.965-04:002018-05-29T01:56:38.965-04:00Looks like the designer of the pool incorporated s...Looks like the designer of the pool incorporated submerged steps. Why? <br /><br />I’m guessing that it was intended for humans. chickelithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10773887469972534979noreply@blogger.com