CBC Ottawa news story about the trauma of viewing HMVs

[rob love]

About 2 years ago the we got a task at the museum to put some vintage vehicles into the multipurpose room for a citizenship ceremony. The PPCLI put in a LAV complete with it's chain gun and I moved in a UN marked Iltis and the ceremonial/vice regal Jeep. I wondered if placing military vehicles at a citizenship ceremony might bring up some bad memories for some of the participants. Apparently it did not because I think just about every one of them jumped into the ceremonial Jeep for their photos to be taken.

[Little Jo]

Hi All

From what I have read it appears that the rot is setting in and spreading like a cancer to stop all free living people to knuckle under and change our views and way of life to appease a group of people who have recently come to our countries for a better way of life. But no they want us all to change and not offend them when they do not agree with how we have worked and fought to live in the countries we now live in. To say the are traumatised by seeing a military vehicle in a parade or celebration, well maybe they should go to Specsavers, from what I have seen every night on TV news broadcasts, I see the "Baddies" driving around in Toyota, Nissan and Mitsubishi SUV and pickup trucks, does that mean we must take all our Pickups off the road for fear of offending or traumatising new comers to our countries.

I recall very well when my family immigrated to Australia from the Netherlands after WW2 and 5 years under German occupation that those immigrants were not traumatised. We embraced our new country and settled into the communities and took up our new countries ways and lifestyle. We became Australians and we attended the annual ANZAC Day March, we were proud and that we were now living in a free country. When I was called up for National Service I willingly went and served my new country.

Sorry that's my two pence worth. Careful of the thin edge of the wedge.

Cheers

Tony

[jdmcm]

Speaking of for myself, I have had very positive experiences from all manner of people while displaying my vehicles, last year at Remembrance Day ceremonies in South Surrey I was approached by a father with son and daughter in tow, newly landed from Syria via Lebanon...he wanted to know if his kids could climb up on the M113 for some pictures, I was more than happy to oblige...reactions from his kids were what you would expect from kids anywhere...excitement and smiles. This makes me wonder if context has a lot to do with ones reaction. Sunny fall day, lots of people, friendly crowd gathering for a peaceful day...one reaction...armored personnel carriers laden with soldiers screaming down war torn streets amid gunfire, destruction and chaos...another reaction...I won't say that if I had spent ten or twenty years living among the terror of war that I would feel the same way as I do now about MV's....or really a lot of the things I take for granted. I have no problem entering into a reasonable discourse about the topic...I honestly believe that the fear or anxiety generated by the occasional sight of a historic military vehicle on the street or on display, is very far down on the list of worries of people who have fought as hard and risked as much as these folks, just to call Canada home. My two cents

[James P]

Canadians ( the social engineered types) are the most up tight and anal lot going, just living for an excuse to whine............. and I am more then happy to oblige their need to emote on the subject.

[Bruce Parker (RIP)]

Originally Posted by James P

Canadians ( the social engineered types) are the most up tight and anal lot going, just living for an excuse to whine............. and I am more then happy to oblige their need to emote on the subject.

Not long ago when you came upon a whiny contrarian who was offended at every imagined injustice those around him/her rightfully either ignored them or told them in no uncertain terms to stuff it. Today, those same whiners somehow have been given the amazing ability to shut down anything that disagrees with their fragile temperaments (by way pouting, name calling, hissy fitting and a host of other childish, but apparently effective methods). Of course after it worked the first few times there was no stopping them.

Fine, I guess. It is this generation's right to determine the kind of society they want to live in. But it's a shame they'll never know the harmless pleasure in just shooting the shit or hearing an off colour joke.

[jdmcm]

In my opinion this is nothing new, history is full of examples of small groups of supposed "do gooders" trying to protect society from itself...sometimes these campaigns are misguided, sometimes they effect positive change...I just wouldn't want to see a small group of well wishers leave the rest of us to bemoan and mistrust the people they are supposedly trying to protect. Face it our country is changing, some would say at an alarming rate...and yes in some ways newcomers adapt to us, and in other ways we adapt to them. But the sun still rises and sets

[Tony Smith]

Their trauma could also be rekindled each time they see a 4wd truck on the street, so we ought to get to banning those too pretty soon.