Patriots and Heroes make sense spoken in the same breath, especially to the people of New England, especially after that comeback against Atlanta in the last Super Bowl. If it were Patriots and Zeroes, it would make less sense, because how often does Tom Brady come up with a goose egg?
Anyway.
On the positive side I am impressed whenever somebody goes out on a limb and does something Innovative, and I've certainly never seen something quite this grandiose and interesting and passionate in this area, built recently anyway. I almost want to give it 5 Stars just because of the invention and thought and heart that went into it.
On the other hand I'm a little tired of people who drink the Kool-Aid.
I don't drink Kool-Aid about any country in the world. Not even Italy which is f***ing spectacular. I love every country I've been to for different reasons and, even though America is my favorite country to live in, I don't think that it is inherently better than any other. The big Nations like India China and especially Russia and America do seem to advertise to their own people that theirs is the best country and you should be loyal to this country rather than to the human race and to the planet as a whole.
If it's like a casual allegiance to a sports team than that it's one thing. But if it is all out brainwashing, whereby people who really don't know what they're talking about will tell you that the only place they've ever been in their lives is the best place in the world - and use it as a justification for all kinds of heinous acts, which will then be celebrated in Memorials such as this one... well don't ask me to be fully on board.
So I guess what I'm saying is that I'm not a big fan of unabashed patriotism and this is the most blatantly patriotic thing I've ever seen. WNY is overall more Republican than Democrat so I guess this thing is at home here. But that Kool Aid I spoke of is also related to war in general.
To me, this monument celebrates war with no shame or real regret, as if war was somehow glorious and heroic. It may have as well have been a state-sponsored memorial and the fact that it wasn't is depressing. When the state tells us to be this patriotic I expect it and I roll my eyes. When citizens of Western New York do it, to say that it irks me would be an understatement. Whatever happened to the 1960s when a monument like this would have been extremely transparent and decried, because people were actually campaigning against War and all things Kool-Aid-infused? Things have really changed. We are a lot dumber now and we sure like that Kool-Aid.
Patriots! Heroes! God Bless Murica! I love living here but I can't stand this sort of sh**. Still a lovely memorial and a lot of heart went into it, and there's not much character around Transit Road so I'll begrudgingly give it 4 stars.
Now will you begrudgingly go on a date with me? read more