It's Guy Fawkes Day

[ShiroiHikari]

Nate, I think the only person guilty of your accusation is the OP. XD

The more I think about Guy Fawkes Night, the more I think it's really bizarre to celebrate someone's failure and subsequent execution even if they were attempting to blow up Parliament. I mean, we don't have Adolf Hitler Night where we burn an effigy of him and sing songs about how we're glad he's dead.









[size="1"]Godwin's Law![/size]

[Cognitive Gear]

So I'm confused.

People in this thread seem to be saying "Let's celebrate Guy Fawkes Day!" and singing the verse. Okay, cool. But THEN they turn around and say to put on some masks and complaining about Parliament. HUBBADUHWHA?

Guy Fawkes Day (Night really but whatever) is a celebration of his FAILURE. The holiday exists to cheer the fact that he didn't do it. Further, the song is about how Guy Fawkes should die horribly and that everyone should hate him.

I think some people here are thinking this holiday is in honor of him, but it's NOT. It's in DIShonor of him. If you agree with Guy Fawkes or like him you would NOT celebrate this holiday, in fact, it would anger and upset you.

So I'm confused. Celebrating Guy Fawkes on Guy Fawkes Day would be like celebrating Arbor Day by burning a tree.

This is, by my approximation, due to the V for Vendetta movie, as a side effect of the movie portraying V as a freedom fighter ("good") as opposed to the anarchist/terrorist of the comic. ("morally ambiguous") So now, people (mostly Americans) remember the Gunpowder Plot as an act of fighting for freedom, not an act of terrorism.

Holidays are social conventions that change over time and space, so I don't see the problem with "celebrating" the day in a different way or for a different reason.

EDIT: I want to make a note that this type of celebration tends to ignore the historical context of the Gunpowder Plot, which I am not advocating.

[Fish and Chips]

This is, by my approximation, due to the V for Vendetta movie, as a side effect of the movie portraying V as a freedom fighter ("good") as opposed to the anarchist/terrorist of the comic. ("morally ambiguous") So now, people (mostly Americans) remember the Gunpowder Plot as an act of fighting for freedom, not an act of terrorism.

Prompting my snarky aside about how many people actual knew about the holiday proper.

Though the idea of celebrating the Fifth of November as a revolutionary holiday does carry a kind of unintentional hilarity with it.

[Yamamaya]

It's possible to celebrate a holiday by doing the opposite of it and calling it a holiday.

Turn Arbor Day into Burn a Tree day.

[Fish and Chips]

Independence Day is now Those Bloody Colonials Day.

[Warrior4Christ]

I only know about this holiday because of.... Daria.
And we have plenty of parliament to asplode.

[Nate]

This is, by my approximation, due to the V for Vendetta movie, as a side effect of the movie portraying V as a freedom fighter ("good") as opposed to the anarchist/terrorist of the comic. ("morally ambiguous")

I always wondered why they did that. Though I guess a morally ambiguous protagonist wouldn't be as widely accepted as the one in the movie.

It's possible to celebrate a holiday by doing the opposite of it and calling it a holiday.

Thanksgiving Day is now Thankstaking Day. Celebrate by stealing all the food from homeless shelters so they can't have any.

[Ingemar]

So I'm confused.

People in this thread seem to be saying "Let's celebrate Guy Fawkes Day!" and singing the verse. Okay, cool. But THEN they turn around and say to put on some masks and complaining about Parliament. HUBBADUHWHA?

Guy Fawkes Day (Night really but whatever) is a celebration of his FAILURE. The holiday exists to cheer the fact that he didn't do it. Further, the song is about how Guy Fawkes should die horribly and that everyone should hate him.

I think some people here are thinking this holiday is in honor of him, but it's NOT. It's in DIShonor of him. If you agree with Guy Fawkes or like him you would NOT celebrate this holiday, in fact, it would anger and upset you.

So I'm confused. Celebrating Guy Fawkes on Guy Fawkes Day would be like celebrating Arbor Day by burning a tree.

Co-opting? In my ethnic tradition?

It's more likely than you think!

[Etoh*the*Greato]

Remember remember
the seventh of november
long after the fireworks
and beer have been spent...

[PrincessZelda]

Remember remember
the seventh of november
long after the fireworks
and beer have been spent...

That didn't rhyme.

[Etoh*the*Greato]

Yeah, well, it's not Guy Fawkes day.