h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Today is the seventieth anniversary of The Fall of Singapore. Apparently. There's been stuff on the radio and TV. Almost certainly there'll be another anniversary along soon. Are such anniversaries:

- Important commemorations of important events that bind us together?

- Convenient opportunities to take time out and reflect upon history?

- Media tropes that are useful for filling dead air?

- Or what?

All of the above.

I certainly learnt something this morning about the appalling suffering of young men on the building of the Burma railway. Likewise I've learnt a lot of stuff about the physical reality..and little details such as the men were all given alcohol before being 'sent over the top' on Armistice Day.

When there's an anniversary there are often tv programmes concerning them. Providing they are done well...and most are...looking at complexities and issues...not just xenophobic simplisticness, it's all to the good IMO.

But yeah 24/7 media will obviously take advantage to fill air time.

Obviously I meant the 'Armistice Day aniversary' of ending of WW1

I'd say all three.

I'd propose that the model for anniversaries is Remembrance Sunday. A tiny minority of barbaric contemptible Muslims aside, there's pretty universal support and respect for what Remembrance Sunday stands for. You don't need to be religious, or ex-Forces, or even British to feel a sense of kinship with other people taking a moment to feel grateful for those who gave their lives in a horrible war nearly a century ago, and those who continue to serve. You don't even have to support our current foreign adventures - the white poppy signifies well respect for the memory of those who fell, while denoting disagreement with current deployments.

It depends, therefore, on the significance and universality of the event being commemorated. I couldn't give a monkey's about the silver, er... golden... er... diamond jubilee, for instance, and I'd be interested to hear any argument that suggests I should. That's a media trope example, to me, but I do acknowledge that there are some people for whom it might be interesting or even important. I don't think it unifies us as much as it might once have done, though, particularly in the midst of a global recession. Celebrating the life of Britain's richest benefit-claimant is a bitter pill for those working and struggling with a mortgage. Whereas no matter how dire your circumstances, come November 11th you can thank your stars that at least you're not in a trench.

Another random anti-Muslim point.

"Random"?

I was about to type "Remembrance Sunday is universally respected anniversary". Then I remembered that, oh yeah, it's not, is it? There's one, tiny, tiny section of society that doesn't respect it at all, and in fact goes out of their way to cause the maximum offence. Those scum aside, however, it's notable for how it unites everyone, Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Jew, atheist, black, white, old, young, left-wing, right-wing, rich, poor.

Moving on...to me it seems somewhat like a trope...if an interesting one.

Unlike something like Remembrance Day which (most of us ) regard as a shared moment, the agenda is driven by the format: 'What significant historical events took place 20/30/40/50/60/70... years ago today'. Well...when we're told about them they can be interesting. But I regard it as conceptually similar to newspaper 'This Day In History' columns.

Anniversaries are, then, somewhat like disease charities - it's vaguely educational to hear about them, most people neither know nor particularly care about most of them, some minority of people will have a big personal investment in one of them. And there are a few we (almost ) all agree are worthy of our respect and support (e.g. cancer research, heart disease research, say).

They can be a very uplifting and helpful thing emotionally as well.

Eg Last week 200th Aniversary of the birth of Dickens. There were events all around the globe to celebrate the wonderful writings of this man. He highlighted so many social evils of the Victorian age in Britain, not through banging on in politics but by creating a panaoply of characters and scenarios in wonderful stories. He reached out to all sections of society.

And is still greatly loved today. They even were reading out quotes in early morning on 5live and getting people texting in to say which novel they were from. Though many people access him through the many excellent films made since.

It cheered me immensly. I love Dickens. I was feeling low and suddenly felt much much better. (Last year I sent some money to help have the original Tale of 2 Cities manuscript restored for the Nation by the V&A..It was shortly completed just before the anniversary and they sent me a card to celebrate.).

This was the first quote read out in the morning.

''There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humor.'

(From A Christmas carol).

A major disaster happened on April 15, 1912. The hundred-year anniversary of it is coming up this year. I'm working on my grand opus about the ripples from it. In this case, the ripples are both literal and figurative....

I'm kind of hoping there will be a slow news day in September when the media will realise it's the 25th anniversary of the cinema release of The Princess Bride. But I think I'm on my own there ...

Mol

But the media might not realise that it's the 25-year anniversary of "The Princess Bride." Do you have a Plan B if that happens?

I'm not looking forward to seven years time, when the pressure on Ridley Scott and Harrison Ford will become irresistible to do a sequel or remake of Blade Runner, produced in the year the original was set...

(and indeed there are rumblings already, or so I've read...)

I will buy popcorn and watch it at home. But I can't believe I'll be the only person remembering ...

Mol

Enjoy yourself, Mol. I liked "Princess Bride" a lot, but I didn't realize there were people who would celebrate its 25-year anniversary. I guess I could celebrate the 30th anniversary of "Annie," which I loved, but others might want to celebrate 30th anniversaries for "E.T.," "Tootsie," "Officer and a Gentleman," "Poltergeist," "The Verdict," "Gandhi," "My Favorite year," or some other film.

I'm going with "Annie."

This summer, it'll be 15 years since the release of Princess Mononoke.

Unfortunately,I never saw that one. I liked "Spirited Away," "Howl's Moving Castle," and "Paprika" when were in theaters here.

"I regard it as conceptually similar to newspaper 'This Day In History' columns."

Well, it is, isn't it?

There's quite a lot being made in Belfast of the centenary of the sinking of the Titanic. And a lot of it's interesting, and it might give the tourist biz a bit of a shot in the arm and do a bit of good for the economy. But it's not like it's any more relevant to anyone's life this year than it was last year.

Funny you should bring up the Titanic. Today I received the CD of the Broadway show "Titanic: The Musical." It's enjoyable to listen to. I understand that the cost of mounting the show was high because of the Titanic set they had to build. The Titanic was designed to "sink" at the right time, but there were glitches: sometimes it refused to sink!