Wearing a poppy - What do you think?

[Wyvern]

I've just read two very thought-provoking articles:

This year, I will wear a poppy for the last time

The White Poppy

I was however struck by one comment in the Guardian "Surely it is not the British Legion’s fault if the poppy gets hijacked by pro-war/interventionist politicians."

It occurs to me that I would be also diffident about displaying the English flag because it has been hijacked by racist right-wing nationalists.

I think I shall simply wear the poppy in memory of all the people of those days who fought and died or were mutilated simply because of a mess that was not of their making and not for any other reason.

 

[SS4]

I would rather the debate, which is largely confined to the media ****-stirring - I have never come across this in real life, just stopped. Everyone has heard both sides both sides and there hasn't been anything new to add for ages.

 

[Wyvern]

Manchester British Legion

LIke these kids for instance? Do they really know what its all about? It seems even the British Legion has forgotten.

 

[Chew Chew]

If folk want to wear a red poppy that is great.

If folk want to wear a white poppy that is great.

If folk don't want to wear either that is great.

 

[newbie babs]

I will wear one.......Always.

For my friends that died in the army, for my fathers friends that died in the army and for my sons friends that died in the army.

My sons and daughter wear theirs with pride. Its not about religion its about respect for those that gave their lives in all conflict.

Its a private decision you make and private reasons for making that decision.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

I wear one but in all honesty I couldn't care less about whether someone else wears one or not - it's a personal choice based I'm sure on a number of factors. I do have to be honest though and say that over the past few years I have become slightly disillusioned with the whole Poppy Appeal because on a personal level, and being brought up told so (even in school), for me it was about those fought in the Great War and the Second World War, and it now seems to encompass everything from 1914 until the modern day. That's not to take anything away from anyone who has served in the Middle East or Falklands or wherever and gave their lives, but for me the Poppy is for those who gave their lives between 1914-1918 and 1939-1945, and it feels almost wrong in a way to try and unite every conflict under one symbol, or one banner.

Like I said this wasn't meant to offend anyone and I am sorry if it does, this is just my personal opinion on the matter.

 

[TheKnightWho]

To be honest, I think so long as we all remember that the point is to remember the war dead it's ok. Going on about 'doing their duty' or 'our brave boys' completely misses the point.

They died in a pointless war for nothing; the last thing we need is to evoke nationalism, the very thing that caused that. Although I suppose this is all inevitable after WW2, which was actually worth fighting.

 

[Heinz57]

Like I said this wasn't meant to offend anyone and I am sorry if it does, this is just my personal opinion on the matter.

At the risk of also sounding controversial, I am the same.

I was taught in school that the reason for the poppies was to remember those who had died in the Great War, in the fields where poppies now grow. And so to this day the reason I wear a poppy and take part in the silence (both with pride) is to remember them.

That is not to say that I do not remember those who died in the other wars, because I do.

I do not wish to offend anybody either, but it what I was taught at school, and my belief.

 

[Johnuk123]

My son has lost quite a few friends In Afghanistan and the Middle East and been injured himself twice.

He has had considerable involvement with the Legion and anybody who thinks that present day conflicts shouldn't be included in the poppy appeal are very wrong.

The RBL was started in 1921 as a direct result of WW1 but now those veterans are all dead it exists to help ANY serving and ex service men/women in many different ways.

As some on here think these people are not worthy of appeal funds then I suggest they should not buy a poppy.

 

[Geezertronic]

As some on here think these people are not worthy of appeal funds then I suggest they should not buy a poppy.

That sounds rather harsh. There are other ways to donate than buying a poppy... I prefer the sponsorship of friends

 

[gordonthemoron]

I noticed last week that there seemed to be a higher proportion of poppy wearers in the North (Manchester/Liverpool) than where I live down south, which is odd as there's loads of Northerners live round here

 

[Aldaniti]

My son has lost quite a few friends In Afghanistan and the Middle East and been injured himself twice.

He has had considerable involvement with the Legion and anybody who thinks that present day conflicts shouldn't be included in the poppy appeal are very wrong.

The RBL was started in 1921 as a direct result of WW1 but now those veterans are all dead it exists to help ANY serving and ex service men/women in many different ways.

As some on here think these people are not worthy of appeal funds then I suggest they should not buy a poppy.

Quite right. I consider the Poppy Appeal to be in recognition of all who have died or been injured as a result of being sent to war. People might not agree with some more recent wars - I include myself in that - but that doesn't mean that those who went to fight them do not deserve recognition and appreciation from their countrymen for their sacrifice. They do a job that very few of us would either want or have the guts to do.

 

[Arglwydd Golau]

Quite right. I consider the Poppy Appeal to be in recognition of all who have died or been injured as a result of being sent to war. People might not agree with some more recent wars - I include myself in that - but that doesn't mean that those who went to fight them do not deserve recognition and appreciation from their countrymen for their sacrifice. They do a job that very few of us would either want or have the guts to do.

Yes, I agree with you, I am certainly not a supporter of the war in Iraq or Afghanistan but that does not mean that I don't have the utmost respect for those who are told to fight in them.
My concern about the Poppy Appeal these days is its increasing 'commercialisation' for want of a better term...but then I suppose that it brings in more money and that of course is the aim. My beliefs were founded in the sixties when I was a choirboy, as the service on Remembrance Sunday was most moving, with the ranks of ex-servicemen who had served in the world wars. Since then I have always worn a poppy and made a point of making my donation in the street, ie making a conscious effort to do so. I find that I don't like everyone on TV wearing a poppy because they are expected to and it is probably provided by someone else, it seems very false. Those few minutes in the street enable one to actually realise the sacrifices that are made and think about the meaning of the poppy.

 

[swj99]

To me, it's simple. If you want to support the charity that sells them, and acknowledge the sacrifices made by others, buy and wear one.
It's voluntary, and it's a personal choice. I have nothing but contempt for those who seek to judge another person for wearing, or not wearing one.

 

[Butts]

The money raised seems to be spent on a multitude of good causes.

On a related matter may I praise the work of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

I have visited cemeteries from Orkney to Egypt and they are a fitting tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice. Immaculately maintained and a sombre reminder of the folly of war.

 

[Trog]

If wearing a Poppy is to mean anything it has to be a matter of personal choice.

As for when to wear them my personal feeling is that ex and current members of the armed forces and their families can so far as I am concerned wear them all year if they want to. For the rest of us I feel that from the 1st of November until Remembrance Sunday is about right. What I really don't like is MP's trying to look more respectful than thou by wearing Poppies from early October.

 

[island]

To be honest, I think so long as we all remember that the point is to remember the war dead it's ok. Going on about 'doing their duty' or 'our brave boys' completely misses the point.

If wearing a Poppy is to mean anything it has to be a matter of personal choice.

I agree with both of these concepts. Personally I am stridently neutral and anti-war and therefore choose not to wear a poppy.

The insistence that people appearing on national television wear one is a bit tiresome in my view.

 

[Chew Chew]

My son has lost quite a few friends In Afghanistan and the Middle East and been injured himself twice.

He has had considerable involvement with the Legion and anybody who thinks that present day conflicts shouldn't be included in the poppy appeal are very wrong.

The RBL was started in 1921 as a direct result of WW1 but now those veterans are all dead it exists to help ANY serving and ex service men/women in many different ways.

As some on here think these people are not worthy of appeal funds then I suggest they should not buy a poppy.

There is a massive difference between those who were conscripted and never had a choice and those who have chosen to have a life in the military IMO.

 

[fowler9]

I don't know, if you want to wear one then wear one. If you don't then don't. I don't go around kicking off at people for not wearing Marie Curie daffodils because they are not showing my mum respect. I wear both at the respective times of the year. I felt bad for the lady newscaster who got a load of sexist and racist abuse for not wearing one on telly. Her reason being she doesn't want to be seen to favour one charity above another. She wears one off screen. It seemed totally reasonable to me. Do they want every newsreader to walk on screen covered in ribbons, wrist bands and flowers?

I wear a poppy out of respect, not to gain respect.

 

[Temple Meads]

I don't know, if you want to wear one then wear one. If you don't then don't. I don't go around kicking off at people for not wearing Marie Curie daffodils because they are not showing my mum respect. I wear both at the respective times of the year. I felt bad for the lady newscaster who got a load of sexist and racist abuse for not wearing one on telly. Her reason being she doesn't want to be seen to favour one charity above another. She wears one off screen. It seemed totally reasonable to me. Do they want every newsreader to walk on screen covered in ribbons, wrist bands and flowers?

I wear a poppy out of respect, not to gain respect.

Agree totally.

I fully respect the sacrifices made by soldiers who have died in action, but I choose not to wear a poppy for much the same reasons as Island.

 

[Muzer]

I agree about respecting sacrifices of the dead, and agree that it is a good cause. However, I have a few... let's say concerns about the charity organisation itself, separate from the actual cause. Therefore I'd rather not give money to them and would rather not display a poppy.

 

[TheKnightWho]

My son has lost quite a few friends In Afghanistan and the Middle East and been injured himself twice.

He has had considerable involvement with the Legion and anybody who thinks that present day conflicts shouldn't be included in the poppy appeal are very wrong.

The RBL was started in 1921 as a direct result of WW1 but now those veterans are all dead it exists to help ANY serving and ex service men/women in many different ways.

As some on here think these people are not worthy of appeal funds then I suggest they should not buy a poppy.

I never said I don't think the appeal fund should be used for those that have fought in present day conflicts, but that it should be entirely about those who have fallen and the losses we are all suffering. I was using the fact that it arose out of WW1 to emphasise the point, as pretty much everyone agrees that what made that so awful was the fact that it was all for nothing. Remembrance Day should not be about things like the Daily Mail "OUR BRAVE BOYS" headlines and the like. As much as a certain war might be justifiable, then is not the time to do it.

 

[Trog]

Personally I am stridently neutral and anti-war

Exactly the sentiments that caused us so much loss and destruction in WW2.

Defence is something where we should walk the middle ground not being aggressive, but it should be clear that we are not to be messed with. Be overly neutral and anti war, and the dictators of this world see only decadence and weakness.

Not having a creditable defensive force is asking for a war, that you will either loose or end up spending the lives of your best young people making up for your material deficiencies. Think back to the start of WW2 where after a long period of appeasement and low spending on defence. We ended up setting converted cargo liners against pocket battleships, flying fabric covered bi-planes against modern defences, and the few pilots we had with modern planes were worked to exhaustion. While our infantry tried to hold off tanks using weapons that could not penetrate their armour, supported by out of date tanks, and a bomber force that was only good for improving the scores of the opposing air forces pilots.

Also the whole point of Poppy day is that it is about the service of those ordinary people who fought and died for their country. It is all part of an ethos dating from the end of WW1, the collective thought of the generation who had just been through a war so bad they thought that no one would ever be willing to start another like it. Notice how the headstones of those who were killed are all the same design and the names are in alphabetical order on the memorials. No extra glory for the officers and hero's just a record of who served and paid the price. It is not about the glory of war, or even its rights and wrongs, but saying thank you to those suffered in the belief that they were doing it for the good of their countrymen.

 

[Arglwydd Golau]

Not having a creditable defensive force is asking for a war, that you will either loose or end up spending the lives of your best young people making up for your material deficiencies. Think back to the start of WW2 where after a long period of appeasement and low spending on defence. We ended up setting converted cargo liners against pocket battleships, flying fabric covered bi-planes against modern defences, and the few pilots we had with modern planes were worked to exhaustion. While our infantry tried to hold off tanks using weapons that could not penetrate their armour, supported by out of date tanks, and a bomber force that was only good for improving the scores of the opposing air forces pilots.

I think that the scenario that you outline is a little different from the situation in the world today ( and I'm not saying that you are necessarily wrong in your 1939/40 situation)...but by the same token are you advocating that the UK should spend vast sums now on military hardware to be used against ????). The UK is not a world superpower and hasn't been for years, I think that we do need to stop acting and talking like one.

 

[ainsworth74]

I'll never understand why people seem so keen to talk the UK down. We remain one of the largest economies in the world (number seven I believe), whilst we are no longer a superpower we aren't a minnow either.

 

[Trog]

..but by the same token are you advocating that the UK should spend vast sums now on military hardware to be used against ????).

Look at the lead times for the new aircraft carriers.

Consider that in 1930 there was also no one to fight, but that was when we should have been ordering the designs for the tanks, ships and planes we would have in service in 1939.

As it was we were very lucky at least air wise in that the delay caused our fighter aircraft to be state of the art if few in numbers when war broke out, so we could hang on until production ramped up. But a large part of the Navy was ex WW1, with few modern carriers, and a lot of the army heavy equipment was obsolete. This lost us the battle of France, and very nearly lost us the Battle of the Atlantic which would have lost us the war.

Its insurance you can hate insurance companies, but the risk of not buying their product is personal ruin. You can hate war but the risk of not having a creditable set of armed forces is national collapse.