Veterans Day Kitsch

[SoDesuKa]

Veterans Day has become a kitsch holiday, as veterans are well aware. Contrived events like the free meal at Applebee's reflect only America's indifference to soldiers returning from America's zany wars. If Americans really cared about veterans, they would be at least curious about the number of veterans who commit suicide - eighteen a day. This figure does not include druggies, drunks, and sick people who engage in morbidly high-risk behaviors.

Here's a challenge to DU members - let 11/11/11 be a demarcation point. Raise your awareness of veterans' real experience. Don't accept noise about how "grateful" our country is - it's not, and veterans know it. Instead of getting the warm fuzzies about how America "gives back" to veterans, understand the despair veterans feel. Stop kitsch! Make it go away.



Kitsch culture is killing America's veterans.