It's necessarily simplistic of course, but I'm inclined to agree with the general idea. I remember reading my Grandfathers boyhood books from around the time of the WWI. They are for boys, but full of nationalistic and imperial pride, with frequent references to defending "The Empire" against "The Enemy" as a chief virtue. They also have cartoon like pictures showing just how much fun war is, whether by land, sea or air. And this was in New Zealand! Little wonder they joined up in their millions for the "grand adventure"...
My partner is German, A nice proverb she learned as a child... "Dummheit und Stolz sind aus dem gleichen Holz." which means "Stupidity and pride grow from the same root".
It's necessarily simplistic of course, but I'm inclined to agree with the general idea. I remember reading my Grandfathers boyhood books from around the time of the WWI. They are for boys, but full of nationalistic and imperial pride, with frequent references to defending "The Empire" against "The Enemy" as a chief virtue. They also have cartoon like pictures showing just how much fun war is, whether by land, sea or air. And this was in New Zealand! Little wonder they joined up in their millions for the "grand adventure"...
ReplyDeleteMy partner is German, A nice proverb she learned as a child... "Dummheit und Stolz sind aus dem gleichen Holz." which means "Stupidity and pride grow from the same root".
Thanks Mark, that's very interesting.
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