Controversial Post: War Commemoration

The other week, I posted on FB about one of my Holy Grail fabric prints (which I ended up finding and buying! I'll be posting about it soon!).  This 1940s fabric's motif is celebrating the victories of the Allied forces and, in 1940s terms, saying why the Axis powers sucked.

I wondered on the FB post why no one makes fabrics like this anymore. Obviously, there could be lots of reasons, but my cousin, a veteran, brought up a good point, "Because it is politically incorrect to celebrate military victories anymore."

I don't know if you've noticed, but the 1940s was all about celebrating military victories, on both sides. Some of the items are straight-up propaganda, but I've seen examples of fabrics, posters, dishes, clothing, even parties, all highlighting a victory or triumph in battle.  (Like all the D-Day stuff we see around!)


Flashback Summer: Controversial Post - War Commemoration
kimono, 1940’s. collection of yoku tanaka.
photo by nakagawa tadaaki/ARTEC studio. Source.

Flashback Summer: Controversial Post - War Commemoration
Now, without getting into politics and drawing party lines, I wanted to hear your views on this.  Especially since I know you readers are from all over the world, what do you think?  I mean, imagine. What if someone in your country made novelty print clothing or jewelry commemorating important combat victories? Would you feel comfortable wearing it?  Why or why not?

On one side, I can see wearing these items as perfectly fine.  It's a good thing to celebrate justice and freedom, and sometimes those things are achieved only through warfare.  It pays respect to the men and women that fought to win those victories and reminds us of the sacrifice and cost paid for ideals we value.

On the other hand, war is a terrible thing.  Especially in the midst of it, it can be hard to determine who is "right" or "just."  War wrecks peoples' lives, and to wear a piece celebrating it disrespects the people who have paid dearly because of war's effect in their lives.  It trivializes it.

Would you/do you wear war-themed items from the 30s and 40s?  Would you wear newer versions celebrating modern victories? What factors do you think are different now than they were during WW2 that may affect your opinion? 


Flashback Summer: Controversial Post - War Commemoration
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Like I said, I'm not opening up a discussion for whether certain wars are justified, or if certain leaders/countries are doing the right thing.  I'm just asking, assuming your country had a very important victory that meant a lot to you, would you celebrate it through clothing or jewelry?  Why or why not?

Just a warning, I love for all of you to feel comfortable sharing your opinion and even welcome disagreement, but I will not tolerate blatant hatefulness or slandering of specific countries, cultures or military personnel of any kind.  Globalizing comments that lump all of a certain group of people into one shallow category are not acceptable and will be removed.

23 comments

  1. For me personally, I really like WWII (and prior) sweetheart jewelry and other items, but would feel uncomfortable with more recent wars. There has to be some time passed between the war itself and my wanting to wear it. Even then, the things that I like tend to focus more on the soldiers or army branches themselves than battles or victories.

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    1. I'm from Australia and you have troops here. Seriously! We have 'secret' and non secret American bases all over the country. The secret ones all became public once google earth happened :P I think we will be some kind of base if a huge world war were to ever break out

      I agree with you on most points too!

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    2. My guess is that some of those bases might of been set up because of WWII, Korea, and Vietnam and then they were never taken down. It takes forever for the Army to move out of a base. I remember the base near my old hometown took like 20 years to shut down. They made an announcement that they would close--- like in the future. I get why, it is so that it doesn't shock the economy in the area, and they can slowly incorporate the base into the public's hands. I am sure there are other things too like, filing paperwork, transferring soldiers so they don't loose their jobs, etc.

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    3. That is true, but Aus does have some agreement with the US so there are loads, a lot of them probably do nothing much but there is one famous one in Australia which is kind of our version of area 51 (without all the alien conspiracy talk) in the way that nobody actually knows what its for, its a joined one so it's not totally American. I know a few are something to do with satellites and communication because we are basically on the other side of the world and can monitor stuff when the US can't and visa versa (learnt that from 'The Dish'....great movie!) Its super interesting, been interested in that stuff since I visited one of the satellites that received the moon landing broadcast as a kid :)

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  4. I think a lot of things changed because of Vietnam. The effects of war were clearly visible to the entire country and we realized how horrible it really is. I agree with Dea-chan that we had a bit of a patriotic reset with 9/11 but I think a string of wars with no clear US victory and no definite enemy (just elusive terror groups) has left a lot of Americans rather apathetic when it comes to patriotism.

    I have my own personal reasons for not being particularly patriotic that have to do with my husband's time in the service and his deployment but I have been told that my experiences are rather atypical for how the military usually operates so I just try to keep my opinions to myself.

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  5. I think everyone makes great points, war has changed since World War II and the tactics. Heck, if you ever watched the history channel you'll know the war fare changed a lot from WWI to WWII to the Vietnam War. Reasons have changed, and it seems that we don't need to actually be attacked to engage in war, which I think makes the hyperpatriotism hard to do. Plus we have never had really engage in it, I mean we don't need to ration metals for the wars in the middle east or make victory gardens etc. There is very little interaction with civilians except when soldiers come back from their service.

    I don't think it is possible to say that there aren't ways the war/victories aren't glorified today, I mean look at all the video games being created to recreate specific war zones. I think it is done very differently and usually without much grace like it has been done in the past. I am talking trucker hats, camo, American flags, etc. Nothing like the examples you shown above.

    I will end with comparing your evolution of fashion to the evolution of war films. For WWI and WWII there were lots of pro-war films. The kind-of war films that personally make me barf (sorry, I support soldiers but I am anti-war, though I know the issue is really complicated) with it's blind patriotism, and simple rights and wrongs. The Korean War kind-of came and went, without much public attention. But the Vietnam war was very different. It spanned many anti-war films after the war, like Full Metal Jacket, The Deer Hunter, Apocalypse Now, Born on the Fourth of July, all films that focus on how war harms individuals instead of team building/bonding. The WAS one film made about that, and it was awful (well there were more but they were very low budge) The Green Berets was produced by John Wayne and was dismissed as being old fashioned, full of cliches, and it was. And looking back at the film, by todays standards it is really racists. I mean they don't even attempt to speak Vietnamese for the enemy. They just speak jibberish.

    Anyways, my point is that I think if we got bombed by a country and went to war, I think that sort of patriotism could arise again. But for now, we are left with unclear rules about war.

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    1. I also want to add, if someone wore a pro-war shirt for the current war going on (like a "support our troops" or something like "let's end ISIS") I don't think I would be offended unless it was really graphic like the severed head of an ISIS member on a stick. I think sometimes people misinterpret "this person doesn't agree with me about this tough topic" with "this is really offensive." I think the decline in popularity is less about political correctness and more about it being less desirable.

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    2. Yeah, I see what you're saying. (Personally I'm not a fan of war either, but I've also seen a lot of circumstances where it was the only option to end a lot of devastation to innocent people… so I judge each war's "rightness" individually.) I'd agree on the pro-war shirt ideas you shared, as long as it wasn't graphic or had some sort of unnecessary insulting element to it. And the line between disagreement and insult doesn't seem to be drawn much these days, you're right! Good point.

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  6. I would have absolutely no problem wearing fashions that celebrated the allied victories in either world wars. I'm incredibly proud of what those of served and sacrificed did for us and frequently wear my WW2 Victory brooches in celebration of their incredible achievements.

    When it comes to more recent conflicts, as a society, as haven't celebrated wins, when applicable, as much it would feel a bit strange to wear something directly tied to them, especially since Canada hasn't participated in all the same battles as the States (for example, we didn't fight in Vietnam), so outside of Remembrance Day on Nov. 11th, I likely wouldn't do so (in regards to wars in recent decades).

    ♥ Jessica

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  7. I am German, married to an American - and I would love to wear this plane with named bombs. It is a controversial piece for sure but this is what Wars are.

    It made me think, how a piece like that would look like today ... Probably it would be an armed UAV/drone ... What names would be written on the bombs?! I suppose, everyone has some names in mind ... War is something that's all around us. Sad but true!

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  8. Still thinking ... As a German, I have to say ... Wearing WWII related items is totally strange to me (even if I like the armed plane brooch - I would prefer to wear it without names). ... My whole live I never thought about wearing colours that are dedicated to a country or a war, until my love to the 40s grew ... But my thoughts took me away from allied colours and allied war related items ...
    As being born as part of the second generation after WWII, I have to say - I was kind of raised to even not be proud of the German flag, because of the sad history of my home country. I never learned to fold the flag or to praise it - or what ever other countries do with their flags! It took me (and others) decades to be able to wear the colours of my country or wave little flags to celebrate sport events! I think, it took a huge change in the 1990s with soccer ... and then with other sports ...

    I would feel ok to wear the colours or special pieces of the allies from back then ... Where would the world be, if they didn't won the war ...
    Celebrating a Victory or a War is still something total awekward to me - if there is a war, it comes with fear, death, hunger and grief.

    I can't wait to read more comments about this subject ...

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    1. Thanks so much for commenting! I won't lie, I was hoping a German would weigh in! I greatly appreciate your thoughts. I've heard similar sentiments from other Germans I have talked to, and it's shown me how patriotism (and what level of it is considered acceptable) is very cultural.

      War is full of fear, death, hunger and grief, like you said. I wonder if that's what made some people so happy to celebrate its end, that hopefully those things would end and the future could finally be brighter. Maybe every won battle looked a step closer to the end of the war. I think that's more why people celebrated; not because they were happy about the battle. A victory just meant the war's end was closer.

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  9. Interesting topic. Here in Australia our big military thing is ANZAC Day, which usually involves as far as clothing choices go a lot of Australian flags and Southern Crosses on singlets, thongs, baseball caps and temporary tattoos. I don't particularly like the day, not because of commemorating the armed forces (which I think is good), but because it often brings out very "bogan" Aussie pride, and I find it odd that our main holiday is celebrating a disastrous military defeat that has been mythologised into something it is not.

    On the topic of WWII novelty items, I have never really come across any. For me, it would depend on the type. If it was something commemorating a specific military event I would be much more careful than something general about the Allied effort or the homefront. I would probably be comfortable wearing something about D Day, but not something commemorating the bombing raids against Germany or Japan.

    Again, do you think some of it comes down to the event and occasion of wearing? I think a lot of WWII themed pieces could be worn generally, but would some only be appropriate if at a memorial event or such?

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    1. That's a good point; I think you're right. Some things should only be brought out as examples of history. (I'd definitely put especially racist things in that category.) I, personally, definitely play things by ear and look at each item individually. War requires some level of dehumanization of the enemy to survive and cope, but it doesn't need to continue forever.

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    2. I agree Kaitlyn. ANZAC day is strange because its taken up a life of it's own, it seems to have broken away from solidarity and reflection and gone into the realm of glorification. I think its the ultimate irony that a lot of ANZAC's joined the war because it was glorified and then lost their lives and the main holiday celebrating the war turns away from recognising that. It saddens me when I see the 'bogans' marching about shouting about Aussie Pride, because thats not what that day should be about. I did a lot of research on the first world war and I wish we were more educated about it, not just the victories but the whole thing.

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    3. These are good thoughts. And, I won't lie, I had to look up the word bogan 'cuz I've never heard it before. I'll be using it here, where no one will know what it means, haha!

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    4. Emileigh, bogan is a fantastic and very useful Aussie word - enjoy it!

      Maybe I am spending more time with older people or something, but I don't see that bogan pride on Anzac day, only on Australia day (which of course comes with its own complicated set of issues). Especially with the 100th anniversary of Gallipoli this year, I think people have been learning more about it, and I got the feeling of a sort of sadness about it being the main reaction. Or, I suppose, just the enjoyment of a day off work.

      I was a bit torn about using symbols of memorial in fashion. I thought about making a head piece with poppies, and refrained in the end, but perhaps that would have been ok. I would probably shy away from something celebrating a victory, either recent or historic.

      But then, I am pretty non-confrontational. I wouldn't wear a t-shirt celebrating victories of Sea Shepherd against whaling vessels, even though I support those battles. I'm just too cautious!

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  10. I think there is a great divide between WWII items and the idea of similar war themed novelties today. Unlike in WWII, we aren't actually winning anything, you can't defeat terror, because it isn't a place or a people, it's an idea. War changed after WWII, there was no more winning and loosing really, the clear division between hero's and villain's remains too blurry. I like WWII victory items, I think we can be proud of what the allies accomplished in WWII because it was a much more black and white situation than wars are today. That said, I think items about the specific atomic bombs themselves are crazy insensitive, I understand the reasoning behind dropping those bombs but honestly it's not one of the USA's shining moments in my opinion. Definitely an interesting topic.

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  11. I find this topic very interesting and very difficult to express. On one hand I love history and items connected to historical events are beautiful items to collect, however the idea of wearing them in another thing altogether. Everybody makes some wonderful points, WWII was in many peoples minds the last war that was won and the last black and white war. Vietnam brought up all kinds of anti military sentiment because of events that happened there, the way the media was allowed full access (which hasn't happened like that again) and the fact that people had just become tired of war. The wars in the middle east are controversial, political and quite frankly very confusing. In WWII everyone knew exactly what we were fighting for and what the end result was but thats not so clear cut today. I think a lot people do wear things that are supportive of the war these days but its nowhere near to the extent of WWII simply because for the majority of people lives go on as usual. Theres no conscription so not everyone is part of the military and has a connection, back then pretty much everyone had someone in the war and it was a lot more personal.

    I would not wear anything commemorating any battle or bombing campaign (perhaps except D-Day because I feel thats more acceptable...I probably still wouldn't wear it though except if I were to attend a service), racist caricatures or anything to do with the nuclear bomb. I would still probably buy things for their historic value (except things with racist caricatures) but I don't think I'd wear them. I wouldn't wear anything to do with modern war though and I wouldn't buy it.

    One of the things that does bother me about WWII trinkets are the racial vilification that comes with it, especially with the war in the pacific. One of my favourite things about ANZAC day as a kid was being read 'photographs in the mud' by my teacher. Its a story where two men, one australian and one japanese fight each other in Kokoda and fatally injure each other and as they lay dying they share their photos of their loved ones. I always liked the idea that people could overcome that kind of divide and be nice to each other. I guess that is one of the reasons why I probably wouldn't wear anything provocative, its good to acknowledge the past and learn from it but we shouldn't be hold onto animosity or celebrate the tragedies of others.

    I think a good rule of thumb would be "if I was from ______ and someone I knew died/was injured in ________ how would I feel if someone was wearing something celebrating that" if that makes you uncomfortable then don't wear it.

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  12. Great post! And one that is not looked at too often in this light.

    I think that there is a general feeling throughout the world that WWII was "the good fight" one that would have come to a head whether or not America or other Allied groups wanted to or not. Very, very few look back at WWII and think "Oh it was the wrong thing to do." Where as today, there is more of a cultural and political grey area with what a war is and is not doing. Especially with each war that has occurred since WWII, there has been little winning and little openness about what we are doing during wars, it felt very explicit during WWII. Additionally, before WWII, the majority felt that our wars were good, plus propaganda had a lot to do with it - from all sides. But after WWII, with the turn out of the Korean War, and the questions behind Vietnam, plus how that war was brought into the home through television, people began to change their outlook on wars, and thus, a desire to commemorate battles and victories through tangible products was less desirable. Not to mention that since WWII fewer people actually pay attention to wars it seems. WWII was a "total war", meaning that populations were affected on all sides and all fronts. WWII changed how we lived. Each war since has not, unless you were directly involved, through either participation, or related to someone. We do not ration or have air raids anymore, so once again the market for items pertaining to war is not there.

    With regards to WWII items, such as these, I love them. I used to collect them fiercely. But have since tapered off, and even parted with a few items. I think these items, from the Allied Forces as well as the Axis, represent a very unique time period, and am open to collecting items from all sides. I would not hesitate to wear Allied items, but items from the Axis would be kept for private display and reflection.

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    1. These are all very good points! I think you're totally right. I personally collect Allied items, but I would probably hold off on Axis items because I would only feel comfortable with private display, too.

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