From a country’s front line of defence to a shift in cultural policy

For the most part countries take their military very seriously, that is because it is the main line of defence if issues where to arise with another country. Millions of money is handed out to defence forces every year so they can have the equipment and training required. In Australia the main purpose of our defence for is to protect and defend whilst advancing our best interest as a state (Australian Government, 2021). Our alliances with other defence forces such as help us for example the United States and New Zeleand.

From fighting for our countries in the past governments and communities have come up with ways for honouring those that have fought for a freedom. With that been said it does not always mean that those people where hereos. For instance here in Australia we have Anzac Day and Remembrance Day. That is to remember and pay respects to those that have fought in wars and their families. These public holidays have been around for years and for many families there are traditions and things that are upheld every year. When looking at examples of cases in which the celebration of something may not necessarily reflect a good thing we can look at Australia Day. For our indigenous people this marks the day that thousands of them were killed so can we really as a nation justify having the holiday.

Another example of this is what happened in the United States over the last few years with a number of incidents in which unarmed people of colour were killed. We saw large groups of people protest against the police departments but more importantly tare down monuments and statutes of people that are considered hereos by one part of America and killers by the other (Taylor, 2020). This goes to show that government decisions do not always get it right it is important to honour and respect those that have fought for our freedoms but it must be the freedoms of everyone in the state not just the in groups.

I think it is also important to mention that over the years we have seen defence make its way to cinema production, there are many movies out there that aim to portray the defence force in which often soldiers are viewed in a positive light. This again relates to the culture of honouring and standing by our own. There are so many different ways in which we honour our defence forces, and they have really become part of identity as states whether it will be through awards and medals, or marches or even ceremonies states have ensured that there is a lot in place for those that protect and defend us.

Reference List

Australia Government. (2021). Defence at a Glance. Retrieved from https://www1.defence.gov.au/about/at-a-glance

Taylor, A. (2020). The Statues Brought Down Since the George Floyd Protests Began. Retrieved from https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2020/07/photos-statues-removed-george-floyd-protests-began/613774/