National silences
Jul. 20th, 2005 01:57 pmWhy is this bad? Sometimes it's silly; Princess Di may have been wondeful, but a month of mourning is ridiculous, her accident doesn't really affect most people, and as for people screaming with glee in borders because HP is coming out, I'm embarassed to *hear* it.
But there are occasions when you think "I want to do something but I don't know what" of which surely the london bombs were an example, when such a display of solidarity is a sensible answer.
Of course, mandating it defeats the purpose rather, it's more effective if people who want to do, and people who don't don't, especially given the contrariness of many people. Not decreed by a company, for instance. But overall, despite my natural reservation at being one of a crowd, it seems to be a good time to be.
But there are occasions when you think "I want to do something but I don't know what" of which surely the london bombs were an example, when such a display of solidarity is a sensible answer.
Of course, mandating it defeats the purpose rather, it's more effective if people who want to do, and people who don't don't, especially given the contrariness of many people. Not decreed by a company, for instance. But overall, despite my natural reservation at being one of a crowd, it seems to be a good time to be.