Severus Snape

Pangs

Today is Thanksgiving in America.

Being neither American nor resident in America perhaps it is not my place to comment on their cultural practices but given ongoing world events it seems kind of relevant, so please read the whole thing - especially the paragraph in red.

And as the title might indicate to you I am basing this post around some Buffy The Vampire Slayer quotes from the Thanksgiving episode "Pangs"...so, to start with, as Anya put it: "To commemorate a past event, you kill and eat an animal. It's a ritual sacrifice. With pie." Certainly it is normal enough for us to have such a 'ritual sacrifice' - any past event is commemorated with feasting (with or without pie) such as birthdays, weddings, anniversaries and funerals...but is this a past event which should be commemorated with a 'celebratory' meal or with a service of sombre remembrance like (to use the American term) Veteran's Day? Well, I know which I personally think is more appropriate and my feelings on the subject mesh with Willow's: "Thanksgiving isn't about the blending of two cultures. It's about one culture wiping out another. And then they make animated specials about the part where [becoming flustered with anger] with the maize and the big, big belt buckles. They don't show you the next scene where all the bison die and Squanto (?) takes a musket ball to the stomach."

And I can totally see that Willow is right...the whole thing is sanitised in popular culture (like the above Snoopy and Woodstock cartoon) and whitewashed because people can't face the unpalatable truths of history. That said, feeling bad about history can be just as damaging as whitewashing though. What if the events weren't commemorated at all because of guilt?! In the words of Spike: "You won; all right? You came in and you killed them and you took their land. That's what conquering nations do. It's what Caesar did, and he's not going around saying "I came, I conquered, I feel really bad about it." The history of the world is not people making friends. You had better weapons and you massacred them. End of story." There is a lot of truth in that statement. History is brutal, we remember it because we need to - to avoid repeating our mistakes. Feeling bad about it achieves nothing, except creates a desire for the events to be forgotten.

And this is SO relevant to the current world situation. American states are closing their borders to Syrian refugees because a small proportion of them might be terrorists in disguse...this from a nation largely founded on those escaping persecution in Europe. So much anti Islamic propaganda and hatred...this from a nation which supposedly prides itself on diversity. And a Presidential candidate who, amongst many other appalling things, has said he would seriously consider forcing Muslims to carry 'special ID' in a move that screams of Jewish ghettos in Nazi Poland. 
And this is not just the case in America - I don't want this to come off as anti American at all - this is just as true here in the UK where our newspapers feed the (appallingly ignorant) masses a diet of ill-disguised propaganda. Our nation's attitude to migrants, refugees and our Islamic community is an absolute disgrace. People the whole world over are still as ignorant / racist / xenophobic as they ever were. It makes me beyond sad that humanity is anything but humane and that the lessons of history have been so blatantly ignored.

We all NEED to commemorate past events to avoid repeating them...but we do it anyway and what's worse is the PROXIMITY. We've just had Remembrance / Veteran's Day when Nazi atrocities are clear in our minds along with other terrible actions made under the guise of war. Today is Thanksgiving...yet we turn against people in need. 
And finally...

Planning Ahead

Okay, so this is pretty much insane (as am I) but I am moving house...in a year and a half. For a multitude of reasons (including work being done on the house I'm moving to, my OU work and my daughter's college) it can't happen sooner but it is all set up and definite.

Gradually I am working my way through the attic, cupboards and assorted hidey-holes trying to decide what, of the crap accumulated since I arrived here in January 1998, is going to go with me and what will go in the bin. Yes, I know it's a *bit* early but at my level of procrastination I am going to need the time!

I have already made decisions about bathroom tiles and decorating...I'm being horribly unimaginative and having it done very much like my current house because I finally got it how I like it!

This above, for example, is a painting I own (not one of mine) and it hangs on my living room wall (which is painted Dulux Grecian Spa 4)...at the new house the living and dining rooms are conjoined, both will be this colour and the painting will go on the dining room side. This in turn will pick up a poppy / red theme through both rooms including vintage tableware to match stuff I'm hoping to steal off my dad ;)

Vintage tableware is my big passion at the moment - not least cos my first year in the new house I am planning to have my 1st ever big family Christmas (presuming everyone is still alive!) - where I am now is too far away from people and part of the intent of moving is to keep an eye on my ageing father. So far I have an inordinate number of avocado-green 1960s soup bowls and a slowly growing collection of 1970s Hornsea in (as photos) Saffron, Bronte and Heirloom.

Today I am very sad because a big box of mixed Hornsea Bronte and Heirloom brown and Heirloom green arrived at my house smashed to smithereens. Such priorities I have, I know. But elsewhere in my life I have worries about losing one of my jobs, uni work and the crushing weight of being forever alone so I'll continue my mid-life crisis obsessing about cute boys far too young for me and cry over cups that are older than I am getting broken.

One of my themes through the whole house is vintage - I thought of a whole bunch of things (I'm already a good six months into the planning phase) but I didn't want it to be 'dated' so not up to the current trends or limited to one particular time period. The house itself is a modern build but no particular features other than a bit 90s...and no, quite simply! Also, it's a bungalow and despite the fact that I'll be moving in aged 39 I feel the need to make it slightly little-old-ladyish ;) I know, I'm weird.