The Student Room Group

Laurie Penny defends war memorial vandalism

http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/steerpike/2015/05/laurie-penny-defends-war-memorial-vandalism-at-anti-tory-march/

How nice. It's all fine and dandy to desecrate a war memorial to the women of WWII (arguably a memorial to feminism given what they achieved) when the people doing the desecrating are people you agree with.

The whole 'it's free expression when I agree with it' of the hard left is so tiresome.

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She's just a total **** of a human being.
While I think it's chavvy to disgrace a war memorial, I sympathise with people who think that war memorials are wrong. We shouldn't be celebrating 'war' as something positive, should we? Wars also usually have someone on the other end who may get offended, so they restrict political freedom too.

People should think of other methods to respect the dead. Since most soldiers are christian, maybe limiting 'memorials' to 'well-funded' cemeteries is a good idea.
Original post by theroyalwhigs
While I think it's chavvy to disgrace a war memorial, I sympathise with people who think that war memorials are wrong. We shouldn't be celebrating 'war' as something positive, should we? Wars also usually have someone on the other end who may get offended, so they restrict political freedom too.

People should think of other methods to respect the dead. Since most soldiers are christian, maybe limiting 'memorials' to 'well-funded' cemeteries is a good idea.


During the VE day period as well.. what a disgrace
if you doubted the wisdom of voting out Labour then doubt no more.

WARNING the picture contains an obscene word. as you would expect.



Spoiler

(edited 8 years ago)
She's a dumb tart. Starkey destroys her here:

[video="youtube;oj9dA6E3fJw"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oj9dA6E3fJw[/video]

Love Starkey, he's a boss.
that clown who brought disgrace to Cambridge a while ago is now congratulating these morons.

WARNING: contains photo with obscene word

https://twitter.com/charliegilmour/status/597117642399469568/photo/1
Original post by the bear
that clown who brought disgrace to Cambridge a while ago is now congratulating these morons.

WARNING: contains photo with obscene word

https://twitter.com/charliegilmour/status/597117642399469568/photo/1


Isn't the rumour Gilmour boned her once though? I mean, news travels slowly from out in the wilds of Girton, but seems plausible.
Original post by Le Nombre
Isn't the rumour Gilmour boned her once though? I mean, news travels slowly from out in the wilds of Girton, but seems plausible.


these nothing people and their loose morals do not interest me.
Original post by theroyalwhigs
While I think it's chavvy to disgrace a war memorial, I sympathise with people who think that war memorials are wrong.


It's not 'chavvy', it's criminal.

We shouldn't be celebrating 'war' as something positive, should we?


That's a straw man. The memorial celebrates the women who worked their asses off to keep the country going during WWII.

War memorials celebrate the achievements and sacrifices of people.

Wars also usually have someone on the other end who may get offended, so they restrict political freedom too.


Who cares? And who would honestly be offended by a memorial to women who kept the country going during WWII?

How on earth do war memorials 'restrict political freedom'?

People should think of other methods to respect the dead. Since most soldiers are christian, maybe limiting 'memorials' to 'well-funded' cemeteries is a good idea.


There is nothing wrong with memorials as a means of acknowledging people's sacrifices in the course of their duties during times of war.
I don't care when war memorials get vandalised or otherwise 'disrespected'. I just don't understand why people get so angry about it. I don't think the graffiti was helpful in any way to the cause but at least their intentions were good. There is nothing praiseworthy about defending a piece of stone over the most vulnerable people in this country.
Original post by KingStannis
She's a dumb tart. Starkey destroys her here:

[video="youtube;oj9dA6E3fJw"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oj9dA6E3fJw[/video]

Love Starkey, he's a boss.


Oh my god she's so pathetic and awful in every way.
Original post by ArtGoblin
I don't care when war memorials get vandalised or otherwise 'disrespected'. I just don't understand why people get so angry about it. I don't think the graffiti was helpful in any way to the cause but at least their intentions were good. There is nothing praiseworthy about defending a piece of stone over the most vulnerable people in this country.


The 'memorial' bit. It is in memory of people who are dead. You shouldn't disrespect the dead, exceptions such as Hitler and Pol Pot aside.

If someone desecrated a headstone with '**** Lefty Scum' it would be unacceptable, the same thought process should apply.

The cause is a worthy one, and many Tories are scum, but you do not advance a cause by offending the memories of those who have nothing to do with it. Spraying '**** Tory Scum' on the Shard would be logical, this is not.
Original post by ArtGoblin
I don't care when war memorials get vandalised or otherwise 'disrespected'. I just don't understand why people get so angry about it.


Because it's symbolically taking a **** on the massive sacrifices people made during times of war.

I don't think the graffiti was helpful in any way to the cause but at least their intentions were good.


:facepalm:

That's like saying 'at least his intentions were good' if a deranged man brutally murders someone voices in his head are telling him is the devil.

There is nothing praiseworthy about defending a piece of stone over the most vulnerable people in this country.


This is a false dichotomy. You can oppose vandalism of war memorials and oppose Tory policies. This is something neither you nor Penny seem to grasp.
Original post by theroyalwhigs
While I think it's chavvy to disgrace a war memorial, I sympathise with people who think that war memorials are wrong. We shouldn't be celebrating 'war' as something positive, should we?


You've missed the point of what a war memorial is for. Their purpose isn't to celebrate war but rather to act as a symbol of rememberance for those who were involved/died in whichever war it's for. Unless you're only including the major memorials like the Cenotaph, there's war memorials in nearly every village and town that list those who died. That's not showing war in a positive light.
Original post by Angry Spartan
You've missed the point of what a war memorial is for. Their purpose isn't to celebrate war but rather to act as a symbol of rememberance for those who were involved/died in whichever war it's for. Unless you're only including the major memorials like the Cenotaph, there's war memorials in nearly every village and town that list those who died. That's not showing war in a positive light.


I feel like current war memorials are slightly partisan. In Japan they have war memorials which simply 'respects all dead, regardless of which side they were fighting on' - I believe we should to the same.

I would rather we limited the memorials to the commemoration of the dead.

Instead of building monuments "against nazism" or "against communism" or "for the jews", we should simply respect the dead. So I would probably be more likely to fund an architect to design some well designed cemetery - we forced you to fight and this is our forgiveness.
Reply 16
well said Lady Comstock
Original post by theroyalwhigs
While I think it's chavvy to disgrace a war memorial, I sympathise with people who think that war memorials are wrong. We shouldn't be celebrating 'war' as something positive, should we? Wars also usually have someone on the other end who may get offended, so they restrict political freedom too.

People should think of other methods to respect the dead. Since most soldiers are christian, maybe limiting 'memorials' to 'well-funded' cemeteries is a good idea.



War memorials are not wrong. It's not about celebrating war it's about respecting the dead and i don't really care if people get "offended" by them, that's their problem and they shouldn't be so disrespectful to the dead.

And what the hell do war memorials have to do with current politics at the moment anyway? It's not like they're making a proper point to the government, they're just showing their savages with no common sense or respect for those around them.

Also i saw your other comment about Japan? Yeah they were worse than the Germans in WW2 so it's not like they're going to be celebrating their side much......
Reply 18
Original post by the bear
that clown who brought disgrace to Cambridge a while ago is now congratulating these morons.

WARNING: contains photo with obscene word

https://twitter.com/charliegilmour/status/597117642399469568/photo/1


No idea who that guy is but his comment about women suggests he isn't aware of the fact that without the votes of women there'd have been no Tory governments between 1945 and 1979.
Original post by Devinely
War memorials are not wrong. It's not about celebrating war it's about respecting the dead and i don't really care if people get "offended" by them, that's their problem and they shouldn't be so disrespectful to the dead.

And what the hell do war memorials have to do with current politics at the moment anyway? It's not like they're making a proper point to the government, they're just showing their savages with no common sense or respect for those around them.

Also i saw your other comment about Japan? Yeah they were worse than the Germans in WW2 so it's not like they're going to be celebrating their side much......


1) I'm not supporting what that person did. I haven't read the article properly and I'm not saying what the protester did was right.

2) I just feel uneasy about something that's close to celebrating war.

This is why I'm promoting 'special' cemeteries for commemorating the war-dead. They specifically target the soldiers and civilians and, in a way, are an apology for being forced to fight and die.

I'm not promoting 'Japan's culture of celebrating all war dead' because I support Japan in WW2, I'm promoting it because it's less partisan and more sympathetic.

Memorials should focus on the war-dead, and talk about how dying for a stupid war is wrong. They should try to be as neutral as possible.

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