Memorial Day and shame on social media. I don't get it.

Okay, someone explain this to me.

Today is Memorial Day.  Today is the day we remember our military and those who gave their lives to keep the country free.  Like other holidays, most everyone is off work and based on it's position in the year, the day is the unofficial first day of summer.  So it is both solemn and festive, so to speak.

If you take a quick scan of social media, particularly the website that made a Harvard uber-nerd richer than the dreams of avarice, there is post after post that uses a degree of shape to get the point across that people who are using this day to celebrate...like by having cookouts and going to the lake, are somehow disrespecting the meaning of Memorial day by engaging in those activities.  It is a sad commentary on the state of the country that people would use such tactics to get their point across.

I did not serve in the military but my dad did.  A few of my friends did, and some...like my father...served in time of war.  I have an inherent respect for the people who serve our country to begin with, and when I read pictures on social media like the one below it rubs me the wrong way.  I may be foolish in my assumption that people already respect this holiday in the proper way as a matter of course, and yes that means having a good time.

In a country where discourse is the norm and to some a patriotic duty, forcing people to feel bad on a day seems rude to me.  If you have enough respect to stand for the national anthem you have all the respect you need when it comes to celebrating Memorial Day.  To my mind, this country is divided enough to have this sort of stuff forced down our throats.

Just another randome thought...be safe today.