Until when will we celebrate the end of WW2?

[StayTuned]

May 1945. End of WW2. These days, we celebrate the end of that war all around the world almost. Parades, nobody has to work, everyone gets all feely.

That was 70 years ago. The end of WW1 was November 1918, therefore 97 years ago. Nobody even bats one eye about that anymore, even though there isn't that much time in between.

So how long will it take for us all to quit the annual celebrations of something most people (who are still alive) have not even participated in?

For the record, I have no hard feelings towards the celebrations in any way. I really don't mind them. But I'm interested in what you think about it and when you would expect those holidays to come to an end.

[Deepfreeze]

Until we can celebrate the end of WW3

[Deleted]

100 years will probably be the last.

I don't recall a 200 year celebration of the end of the Napoleonic War.

[xero5141]

Well, I'm assuming that up until WW2, people celebrated the end of WW1. So... maybe after WW3?

[Soulwind]

Until we can selebrate the end of WW3

Probably, yes.

[Kalis]

They aren't holidays, they are commemorations along the lines of "Lest we forget", basically they are to remind us that going to war over dumb crap is dumb.

Obviously it isn't a lesson we will ever learn, but the intention is good.

[Lord Pebbleton]

We must remember to prevent it from happening again.

That said, I don't think it's necessary to remember it so often. I have no hard feelings either but I wasn't there, I can understand only to an extent.

[Deleted]

There's celebrations about it?

[RapBreon]

May 1945. End of WW2. These days, we celebrate the end of that war all around the world almost. Parades, nobody has to work, everyone gets all feely.

That was 70 years ago. The end of WW1 was November 1918, therefore 97 years ago. Nobody even bats one eye about that anymore, even though there isn't that much time in between.

So how long will it take for us all to quit the annual celebrations of something most people (who are still alive) have not even participated in?

For the record, I have no hard feelings towards the celebrations in any way. I really don't mind them. But I'm interested in what you think about it and when you would expect those holidays to come to an end.

We recently had our centennial ANZAC day in Australia. So we still 'celebrate' it. I don't think we even have any WW2 related celebrations.

It's most likely down to how your country enshrines warfare and participation in the war (notable achievements/contributions).

I strongly doubt it'll be the last either.

[Deleted]

I think most young people nowadays hardly care about it anymore, definitely not to the point where they would celebrate it. Give it, like, a few more decades and nobody will bat an eye about it anymore.

[rayvio]

I'd expect it'll last at least some generations past when there's nobody left who was alive during the war and it becomes gradually less personal to each generation. many people today still have strong personal connections to the war either from hearing first hand stories from those who lived through it or from their own memories

[Kalis]

100 years will probably be the last.

I don't recall a 200 year celebration of the end of the Napoleonic War.

Did we ever celebrate the end of the Napoleonic Wars on an annual basis?

[Wildtree]

May 1945. End of WW2. These days, we celebrate the end of that war all around the world almost. Parades, nobody has to work, everyone gets all feely.

That was 70 years ago. The end of WW1 was November 1918, therefore 97 years ago. Nobody even bats one eye about that anymore, even though there isn't that much time in between.

So how long will it take for us all to quit the annual celebrations of something most people (who are still alive) have not even participated in?

For the record, I have no hard feelings towards the celebrations in any way. I really don't mind them. But I'm interested in what you think about it and when you would expect those holidays to come to an end.

I would guess only in those countries that were more severely involved that date has any kind of importance.
You'll get another celebration with the 75 yrs mark, the 80, 90 and maybe even the 100 mark.
But with every decade passing, it becomes ever less of a celebration but just another date in the history books.

[Deleted]

Forever, or until after WW3, no?

[micwini]

I would bet there's something to celebrate when WOI was 100 years ago. That date will not just go by.
and yeah you can't really say a thing about when celebrating the end of WOII will end.
14 July is still a holiday in France right? How long ago that was?

[Sorrowseer]

Same reason people celebrate the abolishing of slavery or the quirky americans independence thingy, doesn't matter if people alive now by majority were not around then...

[Pull My Finger]

The world we know today is still very, very much a result of the effects and ramifications of WW2 and it's direct aftermath, and I think that most people out there aren't even aware of that any more. Besides: seeing how segregation, fear mongering, extremism and right wing ideologies are on the rise in the western world again, reflecting on this still very young piece of history has perhaps become even more relevant than it has been, let's say, 15 years ago. The sheer ignorance and obtuseness of the younger generations on some of these matters - that will doubtlessly be demonstrated in this very thread as well - perfectly show the need for commemoration and reflexion in this day and age.

Finally, some things should never be forgotten and there's nothing "outdated" about some traditions that humans maintain, because they constitute and renew our culture and self-conception - like shared meal in the family, annual celebrations and festivities, taking your spouse out to a date, practicing your craft or art regularly, etc.

[Deleted]

We should also note that the end of WW2 was a major turning-point in human history, or at least Western history. The horrors of war finally ended the constant wars in Europe, it established the UN and the EU, liberal democracy started to truly take a hold on the world, globalization accelerated significantly, nationalism and racism went from being socially acceptable to being shunned and taboo etc... Of course, these things didn't suddenly happen overnight, but everything came as a result of WW2, at least indirectly. The things we take for granted these days would most likely not exist without WW2 and the victory of the Allies in that war.

- - - Updated - - -

The world we know today is still very, very much a result of the effects and ramifications of WW2 and it's direct aftermath, and I think that most people out there aren't even aware of that any more. Besides: seeing how segregation, fear mongering, extremism and right wing ideologies are on the rise in the western world again, reflecting on this still very young piece of history has perhaps become even more relevant than it has been, let's say, 15 years ago. The sheer ignorance and obtuseness of the younger generations on some of these matters - that will doubtlessly be demonstrated in this very thread as well - perfectly show the need for commemoration and reflexion in this day and age.

Finally, some things should never be forgotten and there's nothing "outdated" about some traditions that humans maintain, because they constitute and renew our culture and self-conception - like shared meal in the family, annual celebrations and festivities, taking your spouse out to a date, practicing your craft or art regularly, etc.

The youngsters on these forums does not represent what most people IRL think... I think. Plus, there's the whole recession in Europe going on with a bunch of unemployed fellers that doesn't have anything better to do than play WoW and blame everything on immigrants. But all-in-all I don't think my generation is any less aware of the horrors of WW2, or nationalism in general.

[sniksder]

They aren't holidays, they are commemorations along the lines of "Lest we forget", basically they are to remind us that going to war over dumb crap is dumb.

Obviously it isn't a lesson we will ever learn, but the intention is good.

Statements like this are why we remember this date every year, you obviously have no clue as to why WWII happened.

Unlike recent wars Hitler was a threat to all of Europe and if let unchecked, the world. No "Dumb Crap" there.

[Soulwind]

The world we know today is still very, very much a result of the effects and ramifications of WW2 and it's direct aftermath, and I think that most people out there aren't even aware of that any more. Besides: seeing how segregation, fear mongering, extremism and right wing ideologies are on the rise in the western world again, reflecting on this still very young piece of history has perhaps become even more relevant than it has been, let's say, 15 years ago. The sheer ignorance and obtuseness of the younger generations on some of these matters - that will doubtlessly be demonstrated in this very thread as well - perfectly show the need for commemoration and reflexion in this day and age.

Finally, some things should never be forgotten and there's nothing "outdated" about some traditions that humans maintain, because they constitute and renew our culture and self-conception - like shared meal in the family, annual celebrations and festivities, taking your spouse out to a date, practicing your craft or art regularly, etc.

Every war has been followed by a fearful peace, until the newer generation's discomfort leads to another war. That's just how humanity works, no ammount of written history will have the same impact as living a war yourself. So the lessons a country learns with pain are quickly forgotten, only to be relearned the same way.

The youngsters on these forums does not represent what most people IRL think... I think. Plus, there's the whole recession in Europe going on with a bunch of unemployed fellers that doesn't have anything better to do than play WoW and blame everything on immigrants. But all-in-all I don't think my generation is any less aware of the horrors of WW2, or nationalism in general.

For many, racism and violence are the easy solutions to our society's problems. You won't scare them with tales of a war they haven't lived.