The Poppy Police : do they dishonour war dead

[Voll Blau]

1 hour ago, Captain... said:

I disagree with the opening paragraph, on most minutes silences it's true, but for armistice day it is impossible for me not to think about the war, the horrors, the loss, the parts my grandparents played and then I look around and think of the part that the parents and grand parents and great grandparents of everyone around all doing their bit for one common cause and the sacrifices they made.

 

I get that some of the gestures are a bit crass and over the top, and some people don't like to wear a poppy for whatever reason, that is the beauty of freedom of choice. But I don't think that many people are thinking about "the unpaid gas bill on the kitchen table, to the half-finished WhatsApp message you were in the middle of composing." during an impeccably observed minutes silence on armistice day.

 

I also, in some ways, applaud James Mclean, for his stance and for expanding the debate on poppies.

Yeah, I think you're right really. I'd imagine the vast majority of us have ancestors/relatives in mind during that minute.

[Bobby Hundreds]

That man covered in poppies during the lap of honour at the Everton game was incredible.   Pure yer da stuff. 

[Finnegan]

9 minutes ago, EnderbyFox said:

 

The best thing about that is the absolute state of the eeejit walking round the pitch on Sunday actually wearing an outfit entirely covered in poppies. 

 

I mean what the actual ****? 

 

What did you do for Halloween? I went to the football as Flanders Fields. Oh right... 

[davieG]

We live in a time where everything is being taken too the extreme.

[Corky]

It is quite amazing, at times, that people have the ability to privately believe in something but not necessarily physically show them. I don't wear a poppy but am quite happy to donate to the volunteers holding the buckets and can observe minute silences too.

 

But at least Twitter can have a meltdown and people get angry at nothing.

[Trav Le Bleu]

The fact that we're talking about this two weeks before the event is telling too. Getting like Christmas, earlier and earlier. I'm sure there must be a large portion of people who just follow the crowd, with little real appreciation about what it's about. Surely that's not remembering anything, nor is it a specific remembrance when it's done several times in the two to three weeks before. Devalues it.

 

Though I will qualify my statement by saying that I don't wear a poppy as I feel it shows a support of war, which I would never do. However, I would never wear a white poppy, which as some have said, is disrespectful. I might not agree with war, but if a minutes silence is being observed , I'll be as quiet as anyone else. It's all about respect for other people's opinions, assuming they're not out and out offensive or anti-social.

[Wymsey]

I believe that social media is partially to blame for the increase in going 'over the top, as if it's encourage people to go above and beyond everyone else for a respected charity etc and belittling those who do less than others but still contribute to the charity in question.

 

Thought the man with poppies all over him at the football was slightly being disrespectful more than anything else tbh.

Edited 31 October 2017 by Wymeswold fox

[Nalis]

If someone wants to buy one and wear it, thats fine.

 

If someone wants to buy one and not wear one, thats fine.

 

If someone doesnt want to buy one, thats fine.

 

Don't get what the issue / debate is all about every year in the media.

[Nick]

@MattP : Just my sixpence - not specifically meant for you just a general response....

 

I have no problem with the white poppies. For me its not really about attaching PEACE notions and being all PC.

 

I saw them as a symbol of consideration to all those who have suffered and lost through war - so not just the British armed forces but globally those who were and continue to be forced to fight in all conflicts.

 

I also liked the idea as it raises awareness about the economic and political grey areas of conflict profitability - Theres a lot of evidence to argue that during the periods between November and January when the public and media are arguably looking the other way, occupied by nationalistic pride,' remembrance and Christmas festivities that this is when significant use & sale of weaponry takes place.

 

I thought the white poppy wasn't a 'holier than thou' thing but more of a symbol for everybody to remember all people and make the movement more current as well, despite perhaps their views on British Foreign Policy decisions.

[The Doctor]

5 hours ago, GaelicFox said:

Yea I don’t like the white thing on Nov 11th its rude and disrespectful 

 

I think a white poppy has a place at Christmas maybe to signify peace 

 

something that was often marked during war , Christmas Day being a day of peace 

How is a white poppy rude or disrespectful? The point of them is supposed to be honour those from WWI and WWII without going on the celebrating modern conflicts. Shouldn't need to be the case, and I'm not going to add to what Finnegans already said because he's nailed it, but I fail to see how wearing a different coloured poppy that symbolises what the poppy and armistice day was supposed to represent before it got hijacked to what it is today is in any way rude or disrespectful, just somewhat pointless.

[GaelicFox]

20 minutes ago, The Doctor said:

How is a white poppy rude or disrespectful? The point of them is supposed to be honour those from WWI and WWII without going on the celebrating modern conflicts. Shouldn't need to be the case, and I'm not going to add to what Finnegans already said because he's nailed it, but I fail to see how wearing a different coloured poppy that symbolises what the poppy and armistice day was supposed to represent before it got hijacked to what it is today is in any way rude or disrespectful, just somewhat pointless.

To wear the white one on the 11th is what I find slightly rude , 11th is a rememberance day already so please if you want to wear a poppy on the 11th let it be a red one it’s already a half century old tradition And to counter that tradition and wear a white one on the 11th I believe is disrespectful for the brave men and women of both world wars , a white one can be worn any other day of the year but on the 11th respect the great losses this county suffered so that we can all live in a free world 

 

why oppose that remembrance ? To oppose it with a white poppy is for me disrespectful 

 

I would suggest we keep the white ones for Christmas a time of peace and reflection 

Edited 31 October 2017 by GaelicFox

[Finnegan]

5 minutes ago, GaelicFox said:

To wear the white one on the 11th is what I find slightly rude , 11th is a rememberance day already so please if you want to wear a poppy on the 11th let it be a red one it’s already a half century old tradition And to counter that tradition and wear a white one on the 11th I believe is disrespectful for the brave men and women of both world wars , a white one can be worn any other day of the year but on the 11th respect the great losses this county suffered so that we can all live in a free world 

 

why oppose that remembrance ? To oppose it with a white poppy is for me disrespectful 

 

I would suggest we keep the white ones for Christmas a time of peace and reflection 

 

Red poppies have been worn since the twenties, white ones since the thirties. 

 

It's not exactly a new thing. 

[RonnieTodger]

I always wear one on Remembrance Day/Sunday or even the allocated "remembrance fixture", but I absolutely despise anyone telling others what they should and shouldn't wear. From anybody calling McClean a **** to the flip-side of an article saying "Why you shouldn't wear a poppy". I don't mean the Liew piece, although it was from the Independent (shock). 

 

Let people make their own mind up, it's none of your ****ing business. 

[The Doctor]

5 minutes ago, GaelicFox said:

To wear the white one on the 11th is what I find slightly rude , 11th is a rememberance day already so please if you want to wear a poppy on the 11th let it be a red one it’s already a half century old tradition And to counter that tradition and wear a white one on the 11th I believe is disrespectful for the brave men and women of both world wars , a white one can be worn any other day of the year but on the 11th respect the great losses this county suffered so that we can all live in a free world 

 

why oppose that remembrance ? To oppose it with a white poppy is for me disrespectful 

 

I would suggest we keep the white ones for Christmas a time of peace and reflection 

Except the white one is as much about respecting those who gave their lives defending the world from fascism as the red one. It's not about opposing remembrance, it's about remembering without being dragged into support of modern foreign policy 

[stripeyfox]

Just now, Finnegan said:

 

Red poppies have been worn since the twenties, white ones since the thirties. 

 

It's not exactly a new thing. 

I've never seen or heard of a white poppy.

 

[Finnegan]

9 minutes ago, stripeyfox said:

I've never seen or heard of a white poppy.

 

 

I've actually never seen a wild badger. 

 

I do acknowledge they exist, though. 

[Lovejoy]

15 minutes ago, Finnegan said:

 

I've actually never seen a wild badger. 

 

I do acknowledge they exist, though. 

I have never seen China. I acknowledge it exists though.

[GaelicFox]

39 minutes ago, Lovejoy said:

I have never seen China. I acknowledge it exists though.

I have never seen Santa but but he is in every shop at Christmas 

[Strokes]

I've got a poppy tattooed on my chest, so i never forget. Also by 2034 it starts paying for itself #winner.

[The Quick Brown Fox]

I rarely buy a poppy, I always drop cash in the help for heroes boxes though. During the minutes silence I don't think about world war 1 or two, I always think about the poor sods that are at war now and have been recently. Afghan and Iraq in particular. I think the rememberance piece is for every soldier that's lost their life, I like to take the time to think about those still living but not to the standard they were before they were sent to war. 

[lifted*fox]

I take a huge interest in war history, especially the holocaust but I never ever buy a poppy and don't intend to.

 

I pay my respects to the people I choose by visiting and learning from historic sites such as Auschwitz (twice), Verdun, various war museums across Europe, etc. etc. 

 

If someone else doesn't want to wear a poppy then that's absolutely fine in my opinion - nobody should be forced to wear it and nobody should be lambasted for choosing not to. 

 

It's a ****ing paper/plastic badge ffs - people who get on their horse about not respecting our veterans, etc. **** offffffffffff.  

[Guest]

I'm a bit confused about why tv presenters wear the poppy for a month now and why we had remembrance day stuff happening at the kp two weeks before rememberence day. It's beginning disneyfied like some sort of celebration when in.my view it should be a sombre few moments of reflection on the day.

[fuchsntf]

6 hours ago, davieG said:

We live in a time where everything is being taken too the extreme.

In this one short sentence,is the complete explanation...

[The Doctor]

4 hours ago, Lovejoy said:

I have never seen China. I acknowledge it exists though.

Nah, china is a hoax: http://www.djod.co.uk/china/

[Dr The Singh]

I never buy it wear one, yet I've lost more family members in the world wars for Britian then most.