"Disrespect of Verdun war graves" Topic

I've just read in a newspaper how young adults were encouraged to run over war graves today

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Sometimes I just can't understand what our world is coming to.

Agreed.

It was a commemorative event – maybe ill-judged, but a commemoration nevertheless.
By French and German children, together in friendship.
I'd like to think the young men under those crosses would have been happy to see it.
And of course, there's a message of condemnation. From a fascist.

Yes the enlightened modern interpretation of respect, what about singing a song of reconciliation and peace, much more pleasing to the ears of us and our dead.
And we should wait for condemnation from the not so fascist? Straw excuses.

Least we forget.

What a stupid excuse. The French & German kids could have gotten together and done something- ANYTHING else. It's just a stunt in extrordinarily poor taste.

I'd like to think the young men under those crosses would have been happy to see it.

I'm pretty sure those living a century ago would be appalled at what now passes for manners and decency.

Awwwwwww….
The Children.

I agree it is in very bad taste.

Even worse occurred on this side of the pond, sadly, as well.

Meant well. Ill conceived. They could have gone running and playing anywhere. Why in a grave yard? Geez. The director clearly had a bad case of cranial rectosis.

What could be more more offensive than the sound of laughing, happy children.

Agreed Mike, a lot of fuss over nothing.

A cemetery, especially a cemetery for war dead, is not a playground. They should have just issued cans of spray paint to the happy kiddos and let them tag the markers with giddy, uplifting sayings.

Well…

I am quite sure most of the soldiers lying there would be glad to know that German and French teenagers run there together in common celebration and commemoration, rather then killing each other like they did.

Just take the time to get some footage on the event before you condemn it.

What those old soldiers wanted to say was, "You kids get off my lawn!"

That ground was made sacred by the sacrifices of those buried there.

This Memorial Day seems to have brought out the dregs moreso than past:

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I'm glad so many here feel they can speak for the buried dead.

Waco Joe,

These stories and photos make me sick too.

Jeff

Just a couple of random thoughts:

Firstly, there is no comparison between this event and the willful vandalism of cemeteries/graves, etc.

My knee-jerk reaction was one of shock and anger, but then when I thought about it a little more my opinion changed somewhat.

It's a one-off 'cheerful' event, staged to commemorate the battle, and to recognize that the youth of both nations today are at peace.
Those youth have been made aware of the dreadful events 100 years ago. Much attention has been brought to it by this.
How would those soldiers feel if they could know, 100 years on, happy youths from both countries would be milling together around their graves? Satisfied or resentful? For most, the former, I would suspect.

Are we really going to argue that folks were so much "better" 100 years ago? For if they were so much better, those crosses wouldn't be there.

A foolish feel good example of what passes for meaningful behavior. How about placing flowers on the graves or visiting veterans in hospitals?

Mike Bunkermeister Creek
Bunker Talk blog

"Mr Schlondorff insisted he was trying to depict the chaos of the battle with his stunt."

Nothing about French and Germans living together. Nothing about teaching the children the horrors of war. No, just a pathetic attempt to be avant-garde by an 'artist'.

I have friends buried at Arlington and if some idiot like Schlondorff trucked in a bunch of American and Iraqi kids to run over their graves to show the chaos of the first Gulf War, I'd be just as furious and disgusted as I am about this piece of garbage.

Agree fully. Schlondorff's rationalizations are lame and unconvincing. The bottom line here is one of disrespect, disregard and indecency.

What's next – a Frisbee tournament?

B

The term, "Lighten up, Francis," comes to mind.

The term, "Lighten up, Francis," comes to mind.

I told you! The name's Psycho!

The celebration as Verdun seems a bit goofy to me but I'm not going to work myself up into a snit over it. However, the vandalism in California and Kentucky pisses me off.

Those are the ones that truly astonished me -we expect Euro goonishness..

The dead don't care anymore or worry either. Cemeteries are for the living. I remember playing in the cemetery as a child when mom visited relatives. Nothing more beautiful then to see the children of old enemies playing together.

They just escaped a rap " con- cert" by one of those formerly grand grand son of spahis.
This running was a bit too much, walking singing the same appropriate song might have been more dignified but of course much harder. Like having to learn.

"and our dead"

the dead do not hear music or songs. They are dead.

It was in bad taste for some of the living yes. But this has nothing to do with the dead. It has to do with the conflicting political, artistic and commemorative views of the living.

As for what the dead might had thought if they were alive. No idea. Some of them were probably violence junkies reveling in the slaughter around them. They probably would had hated the kids being happy. I am sure the ultra-nationalists would had hated them as well for being mixed. Many others would probably had enjoyed the fun and joined in it.Many of the conscripts would probably had been envious of the carefree attitude of the kids. Some would had applauded.

It is interesting how in our reference to "war dead" we homogenize in death people who probably varied a lot in life.

No one speaks for the dead. They have no voice. Any who claim to do so are just using the skulls to hide their own thoughts.

So yes. It was in poor taste for my aesthetics of commemoration. But that are my aesthetics of commemoration. No idea what many of the dead would think.And better no to claim I do.

It would be fair to say that this was disrespectful to many of the living relatives of the dead, many of whom probably had top face challenges by the deaths. That I agree. Though I am sure others would be ok.

The dead are French and German.

So long as the French and Germans have no problem with it, i fail to see what possible business it is of ours how either nation chooses to commemorate that particular tragedy.