I look at posts on FB today and realize

[TNNurse]

that too many people cannot tell the difference between Memorial Day and Veteran's Day. How do we expect them to understand something more complicated?

[Archae]

1. It wouldn't surprise me...

To see Trumpers who don't know the difference between Easter and Christmas.

"Uhhh...Fox sez da dem'crats wanna ban Christmas..." -Maybe one of the Trumpers 3 days before Easter

[Peacetrain]

2. That does not bother me as much as the posts celebrating Memorial day on the beach

with a six pack of beer..

[liberal N proud]

3. Exactly

[TNNurse]

6. The thing that gets me the worst is Memorial Day Sales.

Buy a mattress to commemorate grandpa dying in the war. Or make money off war dead.

I rant about it every year.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

11. Those Memorial Day Sales.

Among the reasons I oppose making Election Day a national holiday, is just that sort of thing. Retail workers would have an ever harder time getting to the polls because they'd be all stuck at the store for twelve hours for the sales.

[Grins]

16. Agree 1000%!!!!

That was my first fear when I heard "National Holiday".

So make election day the first Sunday in November. Or better, Saturday AND Sunday!

[Lonestarblue]

17. Perhaps a better option is early voting.

Texas has early voting, which I almost always use. During the ten days prior to an election, you can vote anywhere, not just in your precinct. I usually vote in my local grocery store or library. One benefit of this early voting is that Texas has closed more than 200 voting locations in the precincts over the past couple of years, mostly in minority communities, to suppress votes. Not every grocery sets up for early voting, but many do and it makes voting near where you live or work easier. I wish all states would adopt this policy because many hourly workers especially can’t take time off to vote on election day.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

19. Yep. My state, New Mexico, also has excellent early voting.

Plus anyone at all can get an absentee ballot.

The people who advocate for Election Day being a national holiday are generally people who have Election Day only voting, make it nearly impossible to get an absentee ballot, and are themselves office workers who have no trouble getting away from the office to vote.

And at the risk of repeating myself, I'll say I agree that good early voting is best.

[H2O Man]

12. +1

[imanamerican63]

4. You're right!

Just walking thru the store yesterday, many people wish me a “Happy Memorial Day”. I wanted to reply “there is nothing “HAPPY” about men and women dying for our freedom”, but didn’t what create a scene. Knowing where I was (in a Trump state), I learned to bite my tongue and boy it a bit sore!

[TNNurse]

7. See a lot of that.

Kind of like "I hope y'all have a great time at the funeral".

[llmart]

21. My daily walk at my park...

I was just finishing up and heading towards my car when a trio of Covidiots coming towards me, two men, one woman, started getting way too close for comfort (there was plenty of room to move over but of course they didn't). When the woman got close enough she said very loudly and cheerfully, "Happy Memorial Day". I really wanted to say, "It's not supposed to be "happy. It's supposed to be solemn." But I decided I would just walk to my car and not acknowledge her in any way.

Why do they have to be so in-your-face with their nonsense? Do they have a need to feel superior in their false sense of patriotism?

[Pacifist Patriot]

5. I was talking to my dad (Vietnam vet) just yesterday about that.

It's a thorn under his skin that most Americans have no clue what the difference is...and both are "celebrated" rather than "honored." They've turned into three-day party weekends with a hook companies can use for advertising sales.

[Firestorm49]

8. Thanks. That sums up my opinions in a nut shell.

I’ll use excerpts from the article when I need some fortification when “debating politics” with my right end friends.

[bronxiteforever]

9. Totally agree.

[yaesu]

10. like everything else in this country its been commercialized and added to the party time list

no wonder the country broke down so easy trying to control an outbreak.

[IronLionZion]

13. Actual veterans get it wrong

I had a client who was a Navy vet and he wished all the veterans and reservists a Happy Memorial Day but no one wanted to correct him.

Memorial Day: people who died in service
Veterans Day: people who served in the military in the past
Armed Forces Day: people currently serving

[H2O Man]

14. Recommended.

There were fireworks in my area last night. But, as you noted elsewhere, it's the "sales" and the herds participating, that really annoys me.

[KS Toronado]

15. Pretty difficult to educate a basket of Deplorables, they love their ignorance

[Marthe48]

18. Same around here

any holiday is an excuse to shoot off fireworks.

[llmart]

22. +1

In my area they even do it on Thanksgiving.

[Chellee]

20. This exasperates me.

Honestly, they blend Independence Day, Memorial Day and Veterans' Day all together. They behave precisely the same for all three, BBQs, fireworks, and celebrations involving stuff that's flag themed. And arching over all of it are the constant exhortations to buy, buy, buy! It's just more offensive on Memorial Day.

[UTUSN]

23. Those are SHITLER's audience.

[Historic NY]

24. Irks me when they say happy....

They should have left it as Decoration Day.

[patphil]

25. Memorial Day always had two meanings for me.

As a child growing up in the 50's, my family always stood on main street in my hometown and watched the Memorial Day parade go by.
It was both a way of honoring those service men and women who fought, and all too often died for our country, and a celebration of the end of World War 2.
A mixture of sadness and joy.
We cheered for the veterans who marched by, and all the groups that had supported them on the home front and were marching with them.
The parade always ended at the town cemetery with the laying of wreaths on the graves of the dead.
But then the rest of the day was a celebration of life... as it should be.

I realize that Memorial Day isn't just about World War 2, but most of the adults watching those parades lived through the war, with all its pain and suffering, and the collective relief of the end of that terrible war was still very evident.
We honored the dead and the survivors, and celebrated the return of a time of peace, happiness, and hope for the future.

For me it's a day of renewal of the American Spirit.

[Mister Ed]

26. And worse, they don't understand the difference between Memorial Day and Independence Day.

I've had neighbors setting off fireworks at dusk. They don't deem to understand that Memorial Day is an occasion for solemnity, and not for the raucous celebrations of Independence Day.

[Marthe48]

27. My Mom passed away on Memorial Day 2007

If she had got to pick the day, it wouldn't have been better. I know the date changes, but it is perfectly all right to think of my mom on Memorial Day. So fitting to think of all of the loved ones who are gone :/