Red or White poppy

[Lankyline]

As we move closer to Remembrance Day, a recent report in Lancashire stated that there has been an increase in white poppy sales, The difference for those who don't know is that white ones are worn to remember all those who died in war & conflicts civilians as well as members of armed forces regardless of the country, whilst red is for our own military who gave their lives.
So if you wear a poppy what colour do you wear and why? For me it's red and always will be to remember in particular my great uncle who died at Ypres 1917 aged 20.

 

[backontrack]

I personally do not mind people wearing the red poppy, I am fine with it and I wear it myself. However, I do feel that it is being used wrongly sometimes. There is sometimes a sense of the glorification of conflict from some people, and I think that that's sad. And I am not well enamoured of the 'poppy brigade' - whether or not they don said papery flower thing comes down to personal discretion, and should be left as such.

I will almost definitely end up with a red poppy this November. However, if I see a white poppy, then that for me takes precedence. War hurts civilians, and their loss should not be disregarded. What's wrong with choosing to remember them as well as the army? It doesn't diminish the message for either in my opinion.

War has many victims, but no winners. One side just comes out better than the other. And the lost should all be remembered, regardless of nation, colour or creed - and while we owe a great deal to the UK armed forces, their loss is not the only one we should be commemorating this coming November.

 

[J-2739]

I completely agree with backontrack and for that reason, I choose to wear a red poppy also.

 

[SS4]

Purple as it's not just humans who suffer in war.

When it comes to others wear whatever you like

 

[ainsworth74]

When it comes to others wear whatever you like

Or not as the case may be.

I find the rising tide of 'it's utterly unacceptable to not wear a poppy' sentiments to be far more of an issue that what colour someone may wear.

(Red in my case)

 

[backontrack]

Purple as it's not just humans who suffer in war.

When it comes to others wear whatever you like

I was just about to mention the purple poppy myself! It's important to remember that not just humans suffer in war, however they are very rare to find.

 

[fowler9]

I will wear a red one to remember the fallen in the Great War. Nothing to do with the MOD staff I deal with on a daily basis though who seem to think Iraq and Afghanistan and a volunteer army are the same thing. Sorry, these people didn't fight for me in the middle east. They fought for the government. They didn't keep me safe, they helped create Islamic State.

 

[cjmillsnun]

As we move closer to Remembrance Day, a recent report in Lancashire stated that there has been an increase in white poppy sales, The difference for those who don't know is that white ones are worn to remember all those who died in war & conflicts civilians as well as members of armed forces regardless of the country, whilst red is for our own military who gave their lives.
So if you wear a poppy what colour do you wear and why? For me it's red and always will be to remember in particular my great uncle who died at Ypres 1917 aged 20.

I wear both.

 

[me123]

It's not the act of wearing a poppy that is significant, it is the thought behind it. And many people seem to have forgotten its true meaning.

Those who have died in wars have done so for the freedoms we enjoy today. I think it is reasonable to expect that we choose honour them in whichever way we deem most appropriate. Colour of poppy is irrelevant, position of poppy is irrelevant. It is the act of remembrance that is truly important. It's all very true that many do not wish to wear poppies for a variety of reasons - they have the freedom to do so.

Do what you want in the next few weeks. Mark the remembrance events as you choose to do so.

 

[SS4]

It's not the act of wearing a poppy that is significant, it is the thought behind it. And many people seem to have forgotten its true meaning.

Those who have died in wars have done so for the freedoms we enjoy today. I think it is reasonable to expect that we choose honour them in whichever way we deem most appropriate. Colour of poppy is irrelevant, position of poppy is irrelevant. It is the act of remembrance that is truly important. It's all very true that many do not wish to wear poppies for a variety of reasons - they have the freedom to do so.

Do what you want in the next few weeks. Mark the remembrance events as you choose to do so.

Well said.

 

[PHILIPE]

White poppy to promote peace
Red poppy to remember the fallen in conflict which is the purpose of Remembrance Day, so obviously red poppy.
The white poppy was introduced by peaceniks who think that if one side stops hostilities everybody else will.

 

[GB]

I don't wear any of them. I'll donate to the poppy appeal, observe the two minutes silence and think of those that lost their lives but won't be guilt ridden or pressured into wearing one just because society says I must.

Sorry if that offends anyone but that's how I feel.

 

[507021]

I wear a red poppy.

 

[RPM]

Red, but I understand the sentiments of the white poppy, and I greatly dislike 'poppy fascism'. I just view wearing the red one as a mark of respect for those who bravely died, regardless of the justification of the particular conflict, & regardless of what side they were on. Just my take on it.

 

[Busaholic]

I don't wear any of them. I'll donate to the poppy appeal, observe the two minutes silence and think of those that lost their lives but won't be guilt ridden or pressured into wearing one just because society says I must.

Sorry if that offends anyone but that's how I feel.

I almost always buy a red poppy, but rarely wear it, partly for practical reasons i.e. remembering to transfer it between coats/jackets and the difficulty of pinning it in the first place. No chance of me forgetting the date, though, as I got married on Nov 11th way back in the '60s.

 

[TheKnightWho]

White poppy to promote peace
Red poppy to remember the fallen in conflict which is the purpose of Remembrance Day, so obviously red poppy.
The white poppy was introduced by peaceniks who think that if one side stops hostilities everybody else will.

This is simply wrong.

 

[Bevan Price]

I usually buy a red poppy, but it always seems to fall off my coat & disappear fairly soon.

 

[Cowley]

I usually buy a red poppy, but it always seems to fall off my coat & disappear fairly soon.

Same here. But I observe the two minutes silence and try and imagine what it must have been like for them back then.

 

[RichmondCommu]

I wear a white and a red poppy.

My eldest son who is a German national was born and raised in Germany and his mum's side of the family lost many family members during WW2. For this reason and this reason alone I choose to wear a red and a white poppy.

 

[AlterEgo]

I don't buy or wear any poppies.

 

[Johnuk123]

This is simply wrong.

Are you suggesting the PPU which has distributed them for 70 years is not a pacifist organisation ?

 

[TheKnightWho]

Are you suggesting the PPU which has distributed them for 70 years is not a pacifist organisation ?

Why is it that you continually misinterpret what people say in order to misrepresent them? It's very manipulative.

The fact that they are a pacifist organisation does not preclude white poppies from being about remembering all those who died in war, and not just those who were in the armed forces. It was also not introduced by people "who think that if one side stops hostilities everybody else will". It's used in reaction to those who use the red poppy to glorify war, which is a total perversion of what it was created for.

I use a red poppy, but I entirely disassociate myself from those who have problems with those who wear white poppies, because they're invariably those who misuse the red poppy for jingoistic and violent purposes.

 

[Baxenden Bank]

Interesting article on the radio yesterday.

Far many more people died in the 'Spanish Flu' epidemic (around the same time as WW1) than did civilians and combatants in the war.

 

[Trog]

My thoughts on the matter are that if people are pressured into wearing a poppy rather than doing so of their own volition the meaning is lost.

I also despise what I call the politicians poppy where MP's who would not bother to pi** on an old soldier if he was on fire. Turn up on the TV wearing poppies from mid October. Ex service people can to my mind wear a poppy all year if they want to, but the rest of us should restrict our selves to say the first eleven days of November which is what I feel is the proper period where a poppy is about respect for those who served, rather than how good and respectful the wearer is.

 

[backontrack]

White poppy to promote peace
Red poppy to remember the fallen in conflict which is the purpose of Remembrance Day, so obviously red poppy.
The white poppy was introduced by peaceniks who think that if one side stops hostilities everybody else will.

This is completely wrong. Ad hominem doesn't suit you, you know.

• Remembrance Day is to remember the fallen in conflict - be they British soldiers or German soldiers.
  
• The purpose of the red poppy is to remember the British troops, and only really them. It's only about the British force, not 'the fallen'.
  
• The purpose of the white poppy is to remember everyone who suffered in conflict. This includes civilians. It includes soldiers from all sides. We're all people, after all...
  
• The white poppy is also about not letting war happen again. It's not about deluded peaceniks, nor is it about only one side. I notice how you say that the white poppy is only aimed at one side, yet act like the red poppy is about remembering everyone. It's not. It's about the people of our country. And yes, their loss shouldn't be forgotten one bit - but I wear both (when I can find both) because I believe that we have a duty, as a people, to look after each other, and to speak up for those who can't do so themselves. We're responsible for each other; humans are responsible for war. So we should remember all who have been affected by it, and remember that we, likewise, can end war. That's what I think (as do many others) the white poppy's all about; it's just a bit of paper, and can't actually do anything unless we can put out voices behind it. I don't think there's much of a religious message (I for one would not be interested in that much) because it's about a simple aim; peace. One that can be supported and campaigned for regardless of culture or religion.

So, no, I disagree with you there.

My thoughts on the matter are that if people are pressured into wearing a poppy rather than doing so of their own volition the meaning is lost.

I also despise what I call the politicians poppy where MP's who would not bother to pi** on an old soldier if he was on fire. Turn up on the TV wearing poppies from mid October. Ex service people can to my mind wear a poppy all year if they want to, but the rest of us should restrict our selves to say the first eleven days of November which is what I feel is the proper period where a poppy is about respect for those who served, rather than how good and respectful the wearer is.

Agreed. It's not about the wearer, it's about the meaning that those paper petals and a leaf (or, in Scotland, extra petals) have behind them. We should remember those who 'gave their today so that we could have tomorrow'.*

*I'm not sure where that's from; it might be Sassoon, or someone more recent. Or it could just be from Annie. I'm not entirely sure.
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Are you suggesting the PPU which has distributed them for 70 years is not a pacifist organisation ?

Oh, leave it out, will you? You jolly well know what he meant.

Why is it that you continually misinterpret what people say in order to misrepresent them? It's very manipulative.

The fact that they are a pacifist organisation does not preclude white poppies from being about remembering all those who died in war, and not just those who were in the armed forces. It was also not introduced by people "who think that if one side stops hostilities everybody else will". It's used in reaction to those who use the red poppy to glorify war, which is a total perversion of what it was created for.

I use a red poppy, but I entirely disassociate myself from those who have problems with those who wear white poppies, because they're invariably those who misuse the red poppy for jingoistic and violent purposes.

Once again, agreed. You should be free to where whatever colour of poppy you like.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

I wear a red one, usually from late October until Remembrance Sunday or 11 November, whichever falls later. I tend to go down the line of wearing it for those who fought in the Great War and to a lesser extent World War Two; it's never really sat well with me that it now seemingly extends to later conflicts.

As with many others on this thread, I too don't like the attitude some take whereby anyone who doesn't wear one is a lesser being. As a nation we seem to have the James McClean debacle every year, and yet as someone who comes from the polar opposite end of the Northern Irish spectrum to him, I completely understand and accept why he does what he does.

 

[Railops]

[*]The purpose of the white poppy is to remember everyone who suffered in conflict. This includes civilians. It includes soldiers from all sides. We're all people, after all...

Is it also to remember Daesh or are they neither civilians or soldiers ?
At my daughters school this exact question was asked last year and the answer was not surprisingly yes.

 

[AM9]

I have not worn a poppy of any kind for decades as to me it smacks of tokenism. There was a time when I felt slight discomfort with those who make judgements about non poppy-wearers but I've realised that it's their problem not mine.
I also don't recognise orchestrated mass remembrance either for the same reasons. I recall my schooldays where children were drilled in standing still well before they had any understanding why they were doing it. I regard thinking about the horrors of war (or the horrors of anything) as a personal matter which I have done when I think it appropriate. That includes at Christmas, on holidays, in hospitals and many far more mundane occasions.
It's interesting that as our politicians play global politics and send our armed forces to more and more theatres to do their dirty work for them, there also seems to be remembrance event inflation. When I was a child, there was remembrance Sunday which was usually the Sunday nearest to the 11th of November. Now the 11th itself is regarded as an additional opportunity to organise the populace's sympathy.

 

[AlterEgo]

I regard thinking about the horrors of war (or the horrors of anything) as a personal matter which I have done when I think it appropriate. That includes at Christmas, on holidays, in hospitals and many far more mundane occasions.

How very well said.

Human conflict is not as black and white as the poppy sometimes (silently) implies.

 

[TheKnightWho]

Is it also to remember Daesh or are they neither civilians or soldiers ?
At my daughters school this exact question was asked last year and the answer was not surprisingly yes.

I'm sure many would have asked the same questions about the Germans in the same disdainful way as you back in the 1920s. After all, there was the rape of Belgium.

Do you explicitly exclude British soldiers who've committed war crimes from your remembrance day silence?