I didn't realize it until this week, but the 30-year-anniversary of John Lennon's death came one day after the 69-year anniversary of Pearl Harbor.
Imagine that.
Is it just me, or did Lennon's death get more attention from the media than Pearl Harbor? Seems to me that it did, and that is embarrassing.
In the interest of full disclosure, I was not a Beatles fan nor was I an admirer of Lennon when he was alive. His death was, of course, tragic as is the murder of any innocent human being, and I hope that his killer dies in prison.
But Pearl Harbor it wasn't.
Of course, I wasn't around when Pearl Harbor happened, so I can't answer the question of "Where I Was When I Heard The News". I can sure tell you where I was when I heard the news of the JFK assassination, the RFK assassination, and the assassination of Martin Luther King. The only reason I can tell you where I was when I heard about Lennon's death (Yes, the question has been asked) is because I was lying on my couch watching Monday Night Football and Howwwward Cosell broke in to prattle on about Lennon as he nearly had a breakdown.
So while many Americans gave little or no attention to the ceremonies at Pearl Harbor as survivors laid wreathes at the USS Arizona, there was our media showing candlelight ceremonies at "Strawberry Fields" in Central Park, playing that dopey song, "Imagine", and interviewing people who knew Lennon, who speculated that the world would be a very different place had it not been for his early death and on and on and on.
Stop it.
John Lennon was a musician who preached about peace with no practical ideas for how to bring it about while he was consorting with revolution-spouting radicals as he enjoyed the hospitality of the United States.
I won't even bring up his wife, Yoko Ono. She might break out in song.
But rest in peace, Mr Lennon. And may the rest of us give it a rest.
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14 comments:
People are more likely to remember Lennon for a few reasons. First of all, it's more recent. Second of all, remembering him involves thoughts of the timeless music he created (I know a lot of teenagers who are into The Beatles). That's a more pleasant thought than remembering something that dragged us into the worst war in the history of the world.
However, I wouldn't expect somebody who thinks that "Imagine" is "dopey" would understand something like that.
The song had brilliant lyrics and a nice melody. However, when you break down the lyrics, you have a song that advocates eliminating religion, private possessions and countries.
That was dopey.
This is silly. The reason that the anniversary of Pearl Harbor is becoming less of a big deal is because that generation is dying off. I'm not saying that we ought to forget the sacrifices that were made to defeat fascism, but as time passes these sorts of anniversaries naturally become less newsworthy.
Why not make a fuss over the anniversary of the attack on Fort Sumter or the sinking of the Lusitania???? Do you see my point? It's not that we forget what happened, it's just a matter of not making a huge fuss over it every year any more.
Oh I see your point perfectly well, anonymous.
you have a song that advocates eliminating religion, private possessions and countries.
Or maybe he just wants to "imagine" what the world would be like without those things. It's something that couldn't ever happen in reality, hence the title of the song.
But Anonymous does have a point that was similar to what I was saying. I'm sure that people said the same thing about other important moments in American history. As that generation starts to die off, those moments become just that - history. Now, you can argue that's a shame, but then you'd have to say the same thing about every momentous thing that ever happened in our history.
Yes, but there are still survivors of the Holocaust as well as perpetrators of the Holocaust as well as pearl harbor survivors. To put Lennon's death at a level commiserate with Pearl Harbor is a joke.
You also need to take into consideration the numbers, as strange as that may sound. It was the 30th anniversary of Lennon's death and the 69th anniversary of Pearl Harbor. Usually the big to-do's are centered around the more round numbers ending in 5 or 0.
Therefore I wouldn't be surprised at all if next year there is a much bigger deal made about the 70th anniversary of Pearl Harbor, as it will probably be one of the last, if not the last, big anniversaries of that date where a significant number of the Greatest Generation are still alive to be honored.
Similarly, I doubt as much attention will be paid to the Lennon anniversary.
To put Lennon's death at a level commiserate with Pearl Harbor is a joke.
See my original response. Remembering John Lennon involves remembering his music. Remembering Pearl Harbor involves remembering war. It makes sense that people would gravitate to one over the other.
Somewhat off-topic, have you seen HBO's The Pacific? You can rent it now. It's made by the same people who made Band of Brothers. I watched it recently and thought it was excellent. My grandfather (on my father's side) fought in the Marines in the Pacific, but I never got to know him. He was one of those men who came back physically in one piece, but not mentally. After watching that miniseries, I can fully understand why. Those men went through something no human being should ever have to go through, and while the heroes of the European theater deserve all the respect and recognition that they get, it's too bad that the men who fought in The Pacific sometimes take a back seat to them.
I agree with Gary's last comment.
The anniversary of John Lennon's death passed recently? I had totally missed that. I was aware of the Pearl Harbor anniversary, for several reasons. One, I'm a history buff. Two, I recently got around to reading "War and Remembrance," after it turned up in library book sales. Three, I will never forget George H.W. Bush telling a convention of the VFW in 1988 that SEPTEMBER 7 was "Pearl Harbor Day." And if I want to chortle over that one, I darn well better know the correct date.
Gary, I got the feeling that in Europe no one knows about Pearl Harbor, I got negative answers from everyone I asked. Everyone though knows John Lennon.
I like the Beatles, always did, their songs are still great, that's why he is still around.
Why do we have to keep remembering wars as long as there are always new ones coming along?
Ingrid,
It's not pleasant to remember unpleasant things, but if we forget Pearl Harbor and later 9-11, we will have lost our soul.
Lance,
I didn't see it. I often ask myself whether I would have preferred to be in the Pacific theater or European theatre. It's easy to say European except I am very adverse to the cold.
I didn't see it. I often ask myself whether I would have preferred to be in the Pacific theater or European theatre. It's easy to say European except I am very adverse to the cold.
I definitely recommend it. It's a fitting tribute to the men who fought there.
As for which side I'd choose? Yikes. That's like asking which limb I'd like to have removed. At least in Europe, you would fight against soldiers who would eventually start to surrender.
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