wearing a poppy

Iwanttobefree

spend_or_save wrote: »

you have yet to explain why "my behaviour" wasnt appropriate? From what i can gather you think wearing a poppy is a requirment of turning up at rememberance sunday services, as pointed out by many others, even the British legion disagree with this.

I brought it on myself? how do you work that out? just to paint the picture the conversation roughly went along these lines:

Idiot: wheres your Poppy?
Me : I havent got one on
Idiot: Why not
Me: I normally dont wear one
Idiot why the **** not
Me: im not explaining myself to you, im just here to pay my respects
Idiot - then goes into a rant of swear words, about how i must be a lover of ISIS or an IRA loving catholic.

idiot is then dragged away by one of his knuckle dragging pals who quite rightly points out this is not the place!!

in what way did i bring that on myself?

Doesn't surprise me in the slightest, I had a funny feeling that the person was an ex soldier, very likely one who served in the 70s/80s

Iwanttobefree

JReacher1 wrote: »

I sense you have a bad attitude and for that reason I think you did bring it on yourself. The reason for this is because his friend (who out of all of you seems to have behaved perfectly appropriately) is referred to by you as "Knuckle dragging". I don't see why this person deserves the description as being sub human.

You may be a bad seed.

Really, they had the bad attitude?

This person is dragged away by hio friends, I would say that is a very apt description and I understand completely the type of person they are describing.

Words fail me.

Iwanttobefree

JReacher1 wrote: »

Yes I must be British first as I don't believe calling people Knuckle Draggers is acceptable vocabulary!

I forget how bad people on the internet can be

Hmm have you ever heard how many service men (and women) talk when out and about?

JReacher1

Iwanttobefree wrote: »

Really, they had the bad attitude?

This person is dragged away by hio friends, I would say that is a very apt description and I understand completely the type of person they are describing.

Words fail me.

It his the friends who dragged the person away that he is referring to as knuckle draggers.

Obviously you agree with the OP that these people who stopped the man from abusing the OP are scum.

Seems harsh.

rhialwencomp

JReacher1 wrote: »

I don't know I am afraid as I wasn't there.

As a guess I would say patriots

Getting a bit... American there.

The [STRIKE]racist[/STRIKE] far right ultra patriotic parties are always going on about eroding of British values. Personally the British value I found the most valuable is lack of unthinking patriotism. Whatever happened to that?

Iwanttobefree

JReacher1 wrote: »

I think both of you have acted terribly and my opinion of you has only got lower as you have introduced more information which has made clear that you believe certain people are sub human.

Sorry posts like this from anyone really annoy me, it's everything that's wrong with our PC society.

It's pretty obvious the sort of situation they were describing with the term they used, if you really think they were thinking the person was sub human, then it's you that's the idiot.

And I suppose I am now in the wrong for saying that?

Problem today is people are too easily offended, usually on behalf of someone else who couldn't give a dam.

Iwanttobefree

JReacher1 wrote: »

It his the friends who dragged the person away that he is referring to as knuckle draggers.

Obviously you agree with the OP that these people who stopped the man from abusing the OP are scum.

Seems harsh.

Nope, I stick up for anyone, I hate it when people look down on drug addicts, homeless, poor etc. I don't believe many people are real scum

I still totally get the situation they are describing and what the people were acting by the term used and do not for one second think they really thought these people sub human, I can picture it in my head and I bet I'm 95% close to exactly what these people were acting like..

TBagpuss

OP really sorry to hear how you were treated. I agree that there is nothing disrespectful about attending a service or ceremony not wearing a poppy.

I think the only justification for a anyone pointing it would be if they had a spare and were offering it to you, assuming that you had lost yours. Mouthing comments during the silence, and then criticising you for not wearing a poppy was very rude and disrespectful and I'm sorry you had that experience.

I know that there are many people, including some WW2 veterans who don't wear poppies for various reasons. I find it very strange that anyone would think that wearing a symbol you don't believe in is respectful.

zagfles

paddyrg wrote: »

Wearing a poppy is A GESTURE. Visiting the cenotaph or similar is also A GESTURE. Neither proves motivation, but both are good symbols of respect. Respect comes from within, not without. The idea that you 'should' wear any kind of mark is terrifying, and against pretty much everything our fallen have fought for over the years.

Really? You think that being told you 'should' wear 'any kind of a mark' is 'terrifying'? Seriously?

I wear a 'mark' every day at work. An ID pass. Every employee has to. Anyone not wearing one is told off and could be subject to disciplinary action. People wear 'marks' all the time, eg uniforms, ID's, and they are often compulsory in particular situations or in particular jobs. There is nothing 'terrifying' about it at all.

Personally I think the OP was treated badly. I would never have challenged anyone for not wearing a poppy in a similar situation. However any comparison between the way he was treated and the what 'our fallen have fought for' is quite frankly an insult to them and all the other innocent victims of war and oppression.

JimmyTheWig

spend_or_save wrote: »

ive responded above, i appreciate your entilted to your opinion, but your basically saying someone who doesnt feel comfortable wearing a poppy cant turn up on rememberance sunday to pay their respects without expecting to recieve dissaproving comments, its this im having the problem with, you say you dont wear one because of your view of what it repesents to you, im pretty sure this doesnt mean you dont value and respect those who fought in the great wars, so why should we not be allowed to demonstrate this respect by turning up at the cenotaph?

We should be allowed to. We are allowed to. In fact, you did. You weren't stopped.
Going to the cenotaph at that time with no poppy is notable.
I would expect it to be noticed. I would expect people to ask about it. [In the same way that I bet Faith177's uncle was asked about his Iron Maiden t-shirt at his brother's funeral.]
I would expect my opinions to be different to the vast majority of others who were there.
Therefore I would expect to hear other people's objections to my point of view.

If I didn't want to hear those objections then I wouldn't go.
If I didn't want to be somewhere where the vast majority of others disagreed with my opinions then I wouldn't go.


But, even so, I would not expect to be verbally assaulted and racially abused, as you were. What actually happened went well beyond how I first imagined the scenario. That was bang out of order of him.