Why Do People Celebrate Military Victories?

[mmchayle]

I understand that the defeat of a vile dictator like Hitler and others like him would delight those he'd oppressed, relatives of those he'd murdered and so on. But shouldn't the end of a war also be the right moment to reflect on the cost of war? Isn't it the right to mourn those who have fallen? Wouldn't it be the right time to think of better ways to solve conflict?

What do you guys think? Should the party start the moment a war has been won? Would those who lost friends or family be celebrating?

I agree that war should not be the answer to everything and celebrating the destruction of countless innocent lives is not a great thing at all. But in reality, war is needed to maintain peace when certain egotistical, twisted, power hungry, idiotic men and their followers threaten the lives of many innocent civilians. I agree that they should do there very best to get rid of them.

 

[bennewcombe]

I think that the main reason people celebrate wars is because the war has ended, no matter if they win or lose. They can get back to a normal lifestyle without having to worry about anything. However, I don't believe it should be a celebration matter because of how many people die, so your just going to celebrate if people die? It's weird...

 

[Venant]

It is a way to keep the masses amused and to show their sacrifice is not in vain. But on a deeper level it has a very tribal and primitive past. So in the past ancient tribes would do things like have war dances and then victory dances afterwards. They would also mock their enemies and this sort of thing.

Celebrating military victories is a modern form of this. The reality is humans as individuals have not advanced that much psychologically in the last 3000 years.

I think you've got the right idea here. It brings people closer to their government and refreshes their loyalties, while also reenforcing the in-group out-group dichotomy that is so important to governments by making those who do not celebrate or who try to reframe the context of a victory celebration as traitors or disloyal agents. As for arguments that it is to honor those who fought in the wars, I think that part is definitely true, but that it is an aside to the larger role it plays in our tribal instincts. We are far, far more likely to celebrate glory and victory over tragedy, when tragedy is what truly should be remembered to place those who go to war in the proper context, as it is rarely a glorious endeavour, and those who give themselves for war die in the most inglorious ways.

 

[AbeLincoln]

I believe, freedom from the atrocities of power-and-quarrel-hungry enemies is a reason to celebrate with dancing and praises-- that freedom and victory is now in their hands as a nation.