University of VA cancels 21 gun salute

CarolfromTX

Senior Member
Location
Central Texas
Bear with me. I'm getting to my point. DH and I just got back from a little getaway to Baton Rouge, Louisiana. We toured the USS Kidd, a WWII era destroyer that had been stationed, among other places, on the coast of Okinawa for the purpose of shooting down kamikaze attackers. We have toured quite a few memorials like this, and the Kidd was nicely preserved. As I was looking at the ship, I thought of the young men who had manned the guns, and fired the depth charges, and cooked the meals, and did all the things they needed to do. And I thought of how brave they must have been, and also how scared. I am not making this up. These thoughts went through my head. And then we arrive home and see on the news that the University of Virginia has canceled its Veterans Day 21 gun salute because some students might panic or be scared. Traumatized, even. There are not enough eye-roll emojis in the world to express my distain. And don't hand me any nonsense about gun violence either. You simply say when and what time it's happening, and it cannot be mistaken for anything else. This kind of attitude by administration that they need to provide coloring books and safe spaces does nothing to help students deal with the real world in a productive way. The real world can be cold and hard, and the students at UVa (and other places) need to grow a backbone.
 

Hey, CarolfromTX, I hear ya & I agree. We watch a lot of British TV here using our ROKU. Whenever, some news story comes on, there is usually a printed warning, "THIS STORY CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY" What a bunch of wimpies are growing up now. You want hear more. News story in our local paper this morning says that people have the right to be gender neutral in their birth certificates. There is a push for "gender neutral" in our passports too but there is also some concern as to whether foreign countries would accept this. This political correctness has gone way too far & a lot of people have been hammered into silence regarding a lot of this stupidity. Ha, maybe at my age "It don't matter now" as Hank Williams used to sing & still does on my stereo.
 

This, actually, is a tough one, for me. I've never liked gun salutes. They are loud, and can startle folks, no matter if the time they're going off is posted. Before you label me a wimp, or anti-gun nut, let me say, here, that I own more than a few guns and rifles, and I've been carrying since it was legal to do so.
 
Sad that younger people are being coddled. They need to grow a backbone. Who knows what it will be like 2-3 generations from now.
@Packerjohn it is possible that the "flash photography" warning was for people with seizure disorders. Flashes of light can trigger seizures. This could be a warning for them to look away from the screen.
 
Agree, agree, agree.-the complexities of this society can no longer be grasped
by folks with common sense.
Packerjohn says, 'stupidity,' I don't see how it could be termed anything else.

There is a thread of folks going to different countries, 'getting away from stupid' has not been mentioned-should be.
 
Well, Marie5656, it could be. I don't know because I don't have any seizures. Lucky me, for sure. Things sure have changed. Women used to use perfume when they went out & men would often put on after shave. Try that at some gathering today & see what happens. What was right is now wrong & what was wrong is now right. Go figure!
 
Agree, agree, agree.-the complexities of this society can no longer be grasped
by folks with common sense.
Packerjohn says, 'stupidity,' I don't see how it could be termed anything else.

There is a thread of folks going to different countries, 'getting away from stupid' has not been mentioned-should be.
Someone once wrote (and I totally agree): "There is a limit to people's intelligence but no limit to their stupidity".
 
Packerjohn:
Lucky me, for sure. Things sure have changed. Women used to use perfume when they went out & men would often put on after shave.

Don't understand, obviously I don't get out much anymore,' but is 'stinky'
the new definition for 'old folks.'
 
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IMO, allot of it has to do with the younger/adult generations doing just about everything they can, to get away from doing anything the way we do/did. They want things done their way & only their way.

I have heard the offensive argument concerning perfumes/aftershaves. It is said that they hurt the environment, and offend the younger set.
 
UVA is in Charlottesville, VA, a beautiful historic city. Not going to get into politics but if you are interested in understanding the possible why’s, beyond calling the action wimpy, Google up the 2018 Charlottesville riots, & you might get an idea why people might not want to hear gunfire, even for a patriotic ceremony.
 
SNIP!
I have heard the offensive argument concerning perfumes/aftershaves. It is said that they hurt the environment, and offend the younger set.

LOL! At $300/bottle, the perfume my lady wears doesn't offend anyone. In fact, younger folks very often approach us and ask what she's wearing. Francis Kurkdjian is a master perfumer! Jo Malone is pretty darn good, as well.

Yeah, I agree with the younger generation when they criticize older folks who put on a quarter bottle of cheap junk perfumes and colognes, and then walk by me, almost causing me to pass out! Even as a kid, pushing a hack, I couldn't stand picking up folks who stunk up my cab with their over-applied scents.
 
I'm on the side of tradition and believe that it would be better to teach young people the history behind the 21 Gun Salute instead of canceling the ceremony.

21-gun_salute.jpg
 
For another area of sensitivity in VA there were also the 2002 Beltway Snipers that caused cancellation of a lot of outdoor activities in my grandson’s HS senior year & the 2007 VA TECH shooting. At the time that happened the news caused UNM & other colleges to go on lockdown.
there was just another school shooting today. Regardless of the history maybe it’s time to retire celebrating with firearms.
 
UVA is in Charlottesville, VA, a beautiful historic city. Not going to get into politics but if you are interested in understanding the possible why’s, beyond calling the action wimpy, Google up the 2018 Charlottesville riots, & you might get an idea why people might not want to hear gunfire, even for a patriotic ceremony.
And there was another mass shooting as recently as May 13, this year, at Virginia Beach and a school shooting at Virginia Tech in 2007.

This is how the university explained the decision -

It's a University of Virginia Veterans Day tradition to include an inspiring 21-gun salute at the end of the ceremony. But not this year. This year, according to administrators, it was too problematic. UVA President Jim Ryan tried to explain that, due to class disruptions and "concerns related to firing weapons on the Grounds in light of gun violence," the Provost's office and the colonel of UVA's ROTC program decided to "eliminate" this year's salute.

How dare they change a tradition and upset the alumni? :rolleyes:

I don't suppose two minutes of silence would suffice to remember the day the guns actually fell silent in 1918 and all of the lives lost since then .:cry:
 
You want to hear about totally gutless, politically correct wimpy people, well here is a bunch. This bunch says that we should change the name Christmas to "Mid-Winter Festival" and we should change Easter to "Spring Festival". Why, you ask? Well, it seems that not everyone around here is a Christian so we better not offend all those non-Christians. If that don't take the cake, then I don't know what does? I could go on but that would just raise my blood pressure pretty high so I better stop.
 
I have no problem at all with a 21 gun salute, especially compared to the war zone it is here on New Year's Eve. I mean, really, how stupid is it to suddenly be affronted by gun fire when those little twits don't have to worry about the draft? Instead of crying about gun fire to honor those who served, how about doing more about preventing war to begin with????
 
At one time in this country, the first thought of the average person upon hearing a sharp loud noise was "fire crackers, vehicle backfire or hunters." Now it is "look for a place to hide and ask questions later." Unfortunately, times have changed. The time loud sharp noises was first thought to be normal is gone and will probably never come back.
 
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This, actually, is a tough one, for me. I've never liked gun salutes. They are loud, and can startle folks, no matter if the time they're going off is posted. Before you label me a wimp, or anti-gun nut, let me say, here, that I own more than a few guns and rifles, and I've been carrying since it was legal to do so.
They were nice in the good old days (the gun salutes) but now in this day and age of mass murders. It's scary when you hear explosions and I'm guessing anyone wanting to cover up a shooting would do it when there is a gun salute or fireworks.
 
I'm on the side of tradition and believe that it would be better to teach young people the history behind the 21 Gun Salute instead of canceling the ceremony.

21-gun_salute.jpg
AB, this was interesting, somethings I never knew. Once piece, in part:

"The custom stems from naval tradition, when a warship would signify its lack of hostile intent by firing its cannons out to sea until all ammunition was spent. "

There's other interesting bits too.

As to the problem at hand, I guess I can see both sides. Yes, people should be taught the history of the salute (and many other things); preferably.

Yet, I can understand how terrified parents would caution their kids if they hear what sounds like gunfire, to duck, hide, run, get away! School shootings are uppermost on the minds of parents and children today.

So now we have this fear.

It's a hard realization; we have lived long enough to see the world really change. It's different now, and while some trends recycle for awhile, the world and it's habits will never, ever be the same as how we knew it "back then".
 


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