wearing a poppy

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JReacher1 wrote: »

Disagree all you like, as has been shown today if you act like this it offends people and they will say something to you about it.

Wearing a poppy is a small price to pay to honor the men who have fought and died for this country.

I disagreed with the fact not wearing a poppy shows a lack of respect, people getting offended by folk not wearing one is just as bad as people being offended by those that do imo

knightstyle

Every year on November 11th we see people wearing the traditional red poppy as a way of remembering all those who lost their lives in conflict and to thank those who strive to keep our nation safe.
However recently I have seen white poppies being worn and hear that purple and even black poppies are being offered for people to wear.
So what do they represent?

The red poppy.
In the UK the red poppies were first introduced in 1921 with the launch of the Royal british Legion poppy appeal and have continued ever since. The red poppy was first suggested as a symbol by Moina Michael who on hearing the poem In Flanders Fields by John McRae said “We cherish too the poppy red that blows on fields where valour led” in 1919 she wore a red silk poppy and started a campaign to make the poppy a symbol of support for army veterans.
This campaign soon spread to europe and the rest of the western world. Until 1966 they were made by forces veterans but are now made in the Poppy Factory in Richmond, around 36 million are produced every year.
In Scotland poppies are still made by veterans in the Lady Haig Poppy Factory in Edinburgh which produces 5 million poppies and 10,000 wreaths each year.
In 2014 the British Legion Poppy Appeal raised around £40 million and the money is used to fund welfare work for armed services personnel, veterans and their families.

The white poppy.
Shortly after the end of WW1 a No More War movement evolved from the wartime No Conscription Fellowship and following the introduction of the red poppy appeal and with rising unease at the seeming glorification of armed conflict tried to have “No More War” imprinted on the centre of the red poppies in place of “Haig Fund” When this failed the idea of having a white poppy was suggested and adopted by the newly formed Peace Pledge Union which continues to produce them today. Their motto is "War is a crime against humanity. I renounce war, and am therefore determined not to support any kind of war. I am also determined to work for the removal of all causes of war." The original idea was to replace the red poppy but nowadays people wear the two side by side.
In the 1930s, some women lost their jobs for wearing a white poppy and !in the 1980s Margaret Thatcher expressed her distaste for the poppy. In 1933 the idea was taken up by the Co-operatives Womens Guild who make wreaths of white poppies to lay on the war memorials.

The Purple poppy.
The purple poppy was introduced in 2006 to sit alongside the red poppy to remember all the animals who have suffered or lost their lives due to armed conflict.
From pigeons and horses in WW1 to sniffer dogs in Afghanistan millions of animals have been killed or abandoned as a result of war.
Animals are also used to test the effects of nerve gasses explosives and drugs used for the treatment of things like Gulf War Syndrome.
The money raised goes to Animal Aid, a charity formed in 1977 and is devoted to ending suffering in animals.
UPDATE the purple poppy is being replaced by a purple paw.

The black poppy.
Recently, particularly in the Glasgow area, a few people have been wearing a black poppy.
A movement by Stop the War Coalition sought to oppose the militarist framework remembrance day services and the red poppy had come to represent, they introduced the black poppy to bring to our attention the plight of around 16,000 conscientious objectors from WW1.

JReacher1

bluenoseam wrote: »

Little history lesson for you, between 1939 & 1945 millions fought & died fighting against an ideology which forced people to wear symbols. They fought so people would NEVER be forced to do so & would have the freedom to do as they see fit within bounds of law.

Wearing a poppy is a personal choice, many do so because to them it feels right, many others on the other hand do not do so because it's a contentious issue for them. Paying one's respects at the Cenotaph does not have an entrance requirement of wearing a poppy, it never has & never will thanks to the men & women it honours.

(Text removed by MSE Forum Team)

Nobody is being forced to wear a symbol that they don't want to.

Wearing a poppy is a recognized mark of respect to honor the sacrifice of our armed forces. Everyone has the freedom not to display this mark of respect and in addition other people have a freedom to tell that person why they find it disrespectful.

Andypandyboy

I agree it should be personal choice, but that choice is also tempered with convention/good manners, etiquette and consideration. So, someone could wear a long white dress to a wedding, it would be their choice and that freedom was fought for, but it is not considered etiquette, ditto, how one dresses for a funeral.

Everything could be said to be personal choice, but most of us do give a thought to circumstances and how appropriate it is when we make that choice, or we are prepared to be taken to task about it.

I think wearing a poppy at the Cenotaph is in the category of the above. Although I fully respect the choice not to wear one.

bluenoseam

It is a recognised mark of respect, funnily enough I haven't quite missed that point.

The point still stands though, the act of wearing a poppy is in no way, shape or form required to pay respects to the war dead - period. As much as anyone has the right to believe a poppy should be worn, no one has the right to demand it should be or to abuse someone for not doing so. Disrespect is not naturally present in not wearing a poppy, perhaps for you it is, but to me it isn't - perhaps between you & I the difference is I'm less easily offended. I'd much sooner someone made the decision to not wear a poppy than to wear one as an attempt to appease someone's sensitivity. Abusing someone for not doing so on the other hand is disrespecting another's right to chose - convention or not that's simply not right.

robin58

I do not wear a poppy.

Wearing one is not important to me. It seems it is more important to other people.

I prefer to show my respect in giving to the charity with humility. I feel I don't have to wearing a poppy to still give to the charity.

My Family was involved in the First World War. My Grandfather was a stretcher bearer. He saw things then that he would never take about, even when pushed.

My Uncles were in the Navy and Merchant Navy during the Second World War. One of them was on the Soviet Baltic Supply run.

So is it disrespectful not to wear a poppy?

They said no. They said it was up to me, as long as I remembered the sacrifice of others.

And they were directly involved.

Not like some of these stupid people who have ago at people for not wearing one and were not there in the thick of it.

C_Mababejive

I dont wear a poppy because i dont want to,simples. Neither do i go to any kind of memorial meet/cenotaph,whatever you like to call it. I respect the views of those who do and i can fully understand the comfort that it brings. If i am not working i will watch the service live on the BBC and reflect upon it. I also make the occasional donation directly on line to ssafa.. a brilliant organisation who have existed for a long time and do great work to support veterans and their families.

https://www.ssafa.org.uk/

Pollycat

According to RBL:

http://support.britishlegion.org.uk/app/answers/detail/a_id/279/~/poppy-and-remembrance-etiquette

The right way to wear a poppy
There is no right or wrong way to wear a poppy. It is a matter of personal choice whether an individual chooses to wear a poppy and also how they choose to wear it. The best way wear a poppy, is to wear it with pride.

Freedom to wear a poppy
We take the view that the poppy represents sacrifices made in the defence of freedom; and so the decision to wear it must be a matter of personal choice. If the poppy became compulsory it would lose its meaning and significance.
We are thankful for every poppy worn, every shop that allows poppy collections, and every employer that permits the poppy to be displayed - but we never insist upon these things or claim a natural right. To do otherwise would not only be contrary to the spirit of Remembrance but all that the poppy stands for.

That said, I personally would never have gone to the Cenotaph not wearing a poppy.
But I wouldn't have berated anybody for not wearing a poppy.
And I certainly wouldn't have come on MSE to vent about being given some stick about not wearing a poppy.

knightstyle wrote: »

The Purple poppy.
The purple poppy was introduced in 2006 to sit alongside the red poppy to remember all the animals who have suffered or lost their lives due to armed conflict.
From pigeons and horses in WW1 to sniffer dogs in Afghanistan millions of animals have been killed or abandoned as a result of war.
Animals are also used to test the effects of nerve gasses explosives and drugs used for the treatment of things like Gulf War Syndrome.
The money raised goes to Animal Aid, a charity formed in 1977 and is devoted to ending suffering in animals.

Thanks for this, it's very interesting.
I've heard of the white and black poppies but not the purple poppy.
I've not seen any purples ones for sale, I would have bought one if I had.

Pollycat

From the Animal Aid website:

We are, therefore, replacing the purple poppy with a purple paw badge that will commemorate all animal victims of human exploitation. It can be worn all year round – at special events or day to day. Rest assured that we will continue to promote our victims-not-heroes message every year in the run-up to Remembrance Sunday (but without the purple poppy), and we will continue to produce our Animals: the hidden victims of war booklet and other resources.

System

Being offended does not make you right. It just makes you less rational.