Once upon a time, before its meaning was homogenized, Memorial Day was Decoration Day, when people decorated the graves of the Union dead from the Civil War. It was a holiday that honored people who had given their lives to end slavery. (The South, recognizing the anti-slavery connection, usually celebrated on days different from the the North.)
Eventually there were too many wars to remember the meaning of each one, let alone give working people a day off for each. But by forgetting where this holiday comes from we forget that all wars are not equal. We forget that slavery, the fight to end it, and the subsequent battle for racial equality, are the central narrative of the past two centuries in this country.
OK, back to slow-cooking those ribs. We'll talk about this again on November 11th.
Nice writing. My two cents is that, since wars are fought off American soil by an all volunteer army nowadays, much of the younger generation has lost connection to the sacrifice that comes with war. They might see brief snippets of video on the news or a report by an on-the-spot reporter, but there's a sanitized, far off feeling and the option to turn it off at anytime. I think your point that "all wars are not equal" is interesting and could use more exploration/explanation.
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