Belgian Kid Salutes Canadian Troops

[RMC]

Aparently this is in conjunction with the Airborne marches around Arnhem and Oosterbeek that they do every year. The reaction of the troops is pretty nice.

I used this link because You Tube is blocked here at work.

http://beltwayblips.dailyradar.com/video/little_belgian_boy_saluting_canadian_troops/

[Bugged]

What a little keener that kid is. And his tiny uniform outfit is so cute.

[dieseltaylor]

keener? - must be Canadian right : )

It is nice little vid though.

Curiously keener appears neither in Webster or Chambers, and in fact the Irish based definition is not mentioned in Webster at all. I had known "keener" as a one who mourns but also as the comparative.

keen1 adj 1 eager; willing. 2 said of competition or rivalry, etc: fierce. 3 said of the wind: bitter. 4 said of a blade, etc: sharp. 5 said of the mind or senses: quick; acute. 6 said of prices: low; competitive. keenly adverb. keenness noun. keen on someone or something enthusiastic about them or it; fond of them or it.

ETYMOLOGY: Anglo-Saxon cene bold or fierce.

keen2 verb (keened, keening) tr & intr especially in Ireland: to lament or mourn in a loud wailing voice. noun a lament for the dead. keening noun wailing; lamentation.

ETYMOLOGY: 19c: from Irish caoine lament.

[Bugged]

From urban dictionary:

"keener (Canadian slang, noun) Individual eager to demonstrate knowledge or participate enthusiastically in school, church, seminars, etc."

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=keener

In this case, I meant that the boy seemed extremely enthusiastic to be doing what he was doing.

[Stalins Organ]

Keen I understand in that context....but as an adjective not a noun - one can be keen on something (or someone), someone else can be keener than you, while a 3rd person might be the keenest of the lot.....

From an online dic -

–adjective, -er, -est.

1.finely sharpened, as an edge; so shaped as to cut or pierce substances readily: a keen razor.

2.sharp, piercing, or biting: a keen wind; keen satire.

3.characterized by strength and distinctness of perception; extremely sensitive or responsive: keen eyes; keen ears.

4.having or showing great mental penetration or acumen: keen reasoning; a keen mind.

5.animated by or showing strong feeling or desire: keen competition.

6.intense, as feeling or desire: keen ambition; keen jealousy.

7.eager; interested; enthusiastic (often fol. by about, on, etc., or an infinitive): She is really keen on going swimming.

8.Slang. great; wonderful; marvelous.

[Michael Emrys]

So? As Bugged indicated, the way she used it it is a slang term. Somewhat in the way that Australians created the slang noun 'wowser' for a religious nut.

Michael

[Stalins Organ]

so? I got that & was noting the joys of being separated by a common language.

[Sergei]

so? I got that & was noting the joys of being separated by a common language.

You're such a keener.

[luderbamsen]

The reaction of the troops is pretty nice.

Awwww, that's just so darn cute. You'd have to be a complete rat bastard not to acknowledge the salute.

[Thomm]

The real hero of this video is the officer leading the troops!

Making a child do a display like this on the other hand ... I do not know ...

Best regards,

Thomm

[Sergei]

Making a child do a display like this on the other hand ... I do not know ...

Yeah, shouldn't he be fighting the Taleban in Afghanistan?!?

[McAuliffe]

...Making a child do a display like this on the other hand ... I do not know ...

Best regards,

Thomm

Exactly my point! I don't doubt the honest intentions of the parents -or whoever is in charge- in this particular case, but making a child behaving like this, make my toes cringe.

I don't think, that a child of that age fully understands the signifcance of the event and in my opinion, it actually degrades the symbolism of paying respect by saluting.

If I was a veteran, marching in front of him, I would be rather annoyed, instead of feeling honoured.

[Tero]

Yeah, shouldn't he be fighting the Taleban in Afghanistan?!?

To be fair, Thomm looks to be from Austria and there are still some residual, built in as it were, reservations towards honouring the veterans with military displays.

I wish I had the full story about the (West ?) German youth group visiting a Finland (might have been a boy scout/girl guide meeting) who broke down in hysterical tears when they attended a late night camp fire get together where they sang songs and took the flag down standing in a formation of sorts in semi-official fashion from the pole at sun down.

[Bigduke6]

The kid was in a picked spot, dressed in a not inexpensive tailored outfit, and some one to his right was clearly making sure the kid was ready to do his bit when the Canadians came by. The snappiness of his salute and his repeated thumbs up "Yes, I know what to do" make it clear he was well drilled to do his stuff.

In other words, adults put him up to it. It was about as spontaneous as Hollywood tears.

I kinda wish the kid had been playing outside with other kids, all that time his parents spent getting him ready to do his little salute show. But he's not my kid, not mine to raise.

[Tero]

By Bigduke6

The kid was in a picked spot, dressed in a not inexpensive tailored outfit, and some one to his right was clearly making sure the kid was ready to do his bit when the Canadians came by. The snappiness of his salute and his repeated thumbs up "Yes, I know what to do" make it clear he was well drilled to do his stuff.

In other words, adults put him up to it.

I kinda wish the kid had been playing outside with other kids, all that time his parents spent getting him ready to do his little salute show. But he's not my kid, not mine to raise.

Would you make your child take piano lessons ?

This well rehearsed drill differs essentially how from for example well rehearsed piano recital by a child of same age ?

[Lars]

The real hero of this video is the officer leading the troops!

Making a child do a display like this on the other hand ... I do not know ...

Best regards,

Thomm

Guess somebody stole his bicycle and he had nothing else to do...

[REVS]

Michael Emrys said: "Somewhat in the way that Australians created the slang noun 'wowser' for a religious nut."

Mostly correct, Michael, as about 98% of wowsers here in Australia are religiously driven, but a wowser is closer to being a party-pooper, in the sense that they disapprove of all sorts of fun, especially alcohol-based fun and sex-based fun, for moral reasons, of course. However, if someone is a religious nutter, but doesn't devote any energy to stopping others having their own immoral fun, then they're not a wowser. Hope that clears things up.

Love the Belgian kid.

[Bigduke6]

By Bigduke6

Would you make your child take piano lessons ?

This well rehearsed drill differs essentially how from for example well rehearsed piano recital by a child of same age ?

Well, I wouldn't force him, but I certainly would give him a chance or two to bang on a piano, and if he liked it I sure would try and help him.

But surely playing Halloween to salute some soldiers, and learning a muscial instrument, are not comparable. Music is eternal, universal, and essentially timeless. Knowledge of music is useful an entire lifetime, and it is a bridge across all cultures. Music is grasped by a 1-year-old baby and a person who's lived a century, and pretty much all humanity inbetween. A kid that age is fully equipped to understand and appreciate music, it is pretty much hard-wired into homo sapiens.

Also, and probably far more important from the kid's POV, knowing how to play a piano is a pretty effective way to impress the opposite sex, which if I judge that picture right is about 10 - 12 years or less ahead of that little boy.

In contrast, knowing how to standing on the side of a road in a peculiar outfit and saluting some adults because your parents think it would be nice, is I think by and large a much less useful skill for a young boy.

Indeed, if you buy into the arguement that the kid is being taught respect for war heroes, it is not much of a leap to argue he is also being taught killing is good and in this particular case, killing Germans is good. Which may well have been the case back then, but those are lessons a 3-4 year-old boy I would say probably isn't mature enough for.

The shorter answer is, of course, the two are not comparable, a 3-4 year old boy unless precocious is in most cases too young for piano lessons.

I'm just thinking that all in all had it been my kid I would have preferred the parental energy went into playing outdoors or reading a book, either with his parents take your pick, a 3-4 year old boy by definition can't get enough of that. You figure the time that went into researching the costume, making it, fitting it, training the kid to salute, explaining to the kid what he needs to do, and me I just think maybe that kid-parent time might have been better spent.

But like I said, not my kid. Saluting a bunch of soldiers is better than being parked in front of the TV, that's for sure.

[Affentitten]

he is also being taught killing is good and in this particular case, killing Germans is good.

Stop bringing down my childhood! You saying that me grandad was wrong?

[Michael Emrys]

Well, I wouldn't force him, but I certainly would give him a chance or two to bang on a piano, and if he liked it I sure would try and help him.

Hold that thought a minute. We'll come back to it.

Also, and probably far more important from the kid's POV, knowing how to play a piano is a pretty effective way to impress the opposite sex...

But what if he's gay? Had to ask.

I'm just thinking that all in all had it been my kid I would have preferred the parental energy went into playing outdoors or reading a book, either with his parents take your pick, a 3-4 year old boy by definition can't get enough of that. You figure the time that went into researching the costume, making it, fitting it, training the kid to salute, explaining to the kid what he needs to do, and me I just think maybe that kid-parent time might have been better spent.

But going back to your first quote, suppose the kid saw a movie of some sort and enthusiastically fell in love with the military, as kids will do (how many of us here did not?) and asked his parents to help him with this whole trip? Would you tell him, "No, son, go out and play in the hydrangeas with the poison spiders"?

BTW, I agree with the general drift of your post, but I thought these points needed to be raised and considered.

Michael

[Michael Emrys]

Michael Emrys said: "Somewhat in the way that Australians created the slang noun 'wowser' for a religious nut."

Mostly correct, Michael, as about 98% of wowsers here in Australia are religiously driven, but a wowser is closer to being a party-pooper, in the sense that they disapprove of all sorts of fun, especially alcohol-based fun and sex-based fun, for moral reasons, of course. However, if someone is a religious nutter, but doesn't devote any energy to stopping others having their own immoral fun, then they're not a wowser. Hope that clears things up.

Thanks for refining the definition. Since over here, the class of religious nuts tends to be comprehensively subsumed within the class of party-poopers, I don't usually make the distinction, but I can see how that might possibly apply.

Michael

[Tero]

By Bigduke6

Well, I wouldn't force him, but I certainly would give him a chance or two to bang on a piano, and if he liked it I sure would try and help him.

And that automatically means the boy doing the salute was forced to do it against his will ?

But surely playing Halloween to salute some soldiers, and learning a muscial instrument, are not comparable.

How does children forced to do sports then strike you ?

Also, and probably far more important from the kid's POV, knowing how to play a piano is a pretty effective way to impress the opposite sex, which if I judge that picture right is about 10 - 12 years or less ahead of that little boy.

You are forgetting how many of them are totally turned off by playing after having had to take lessons they do not want to take.

In contrast, knowing how to standing on the side of a road in a peculiar outfit and saluting some adults because your parents think it would be nice, is I think by and large a much less useful skill for a young boy.

Somehow taking part in folk dancing and other activities honouring/remembering the past at such young age is much better. I think not.

Indeed, if you buy into the arguement that the kid is being taught respect for war heroes, it is not much of a leap to argue he is also being taught killing is good and in this particular case, killing Germans is good.

Only if the child is told only the "glorious" bits omitting the realities of war. I have not heard too many war stories from veterans who have not included the gore and loss of friends in them.

Which may well have been the case back then, but those are lessons a 3-4 year-old boy I would say probably isn't mature enough for.

That is the age you develop the respect for others. In good and bad.

The shorter answer is, of course, the two are not comparable, a 3-4 year old boy unless precocious is in most cases too young for piano lessons.

But not to be forced to take sports.

I'm just thinking that all in all had it been my kid I would have preferred the parental energy went into playing outdoors or reading a book, either with his parents take your pick, a 3-4 year old boy by definition can't get enough of that. You figure the time that went into researching the costume, making it, fitting it, training the kid to salute, explaining to the kid what he needs to do, and me I just think maybe that kid-parent time might have been better spent.

Any boy of such age can learn the salute in a few minutes. That leaves ample time to do other things.

Besides, in this day and age parents taking time to do things for real with their children is too rare.

But like I said, not my kid. Saluting a bunch of soldiers is better than being parked in front of the TV, that's for sure.

Agreed.

[Stalins Organ]

My kids were forced to take archery, riding and 10 pin bowling lessons, they are currently being forced to take swimming lessons, they are forced to go to school, forced to go to the dentist & doctor, forced to take medicines, forced to sit around my dance lessons sometimes, used to get forced to be in time out lots, forced to go to bed at given times......

Kid's don't get a lot of choices unless their parents are slack!

[Tero]

By Stalin's Organist

Kid's don't get a lot of choices unless their parents are slack!

True. But some parents to force on their children activities the kids simply do not find the least bit interesting and that is not what it should be all about.

IMO the child should have some say in what they like and what not. If the activity is selected because the parent finds it interesting or appropriate but the kid dislikes it beyond measure then there is something wrong in the equation. School is not one of those selectable activities, dancing, organized sports and learning to play an instrument are.

I see no harm in them if the kid genuinely likes it. Even if its parade drill to honour veterans. I think the parents of this particular kid have also told him some things about what he is actually doing. Also, I think in this particular case the spectators would have taken affirmative action if he had saluted SS-veterans on parade with the Nazi salute.