Ds, Remembrance Day, white poppy- Daily Mail do your worst!

[BertrandRussell]

We are a pacifist family and we have always worn a red and a white poppy together at this time of the year. This year 17 year old ds has chosen to wear a white one on it's own to his school remembrance service. I probably could have insisted he wear the two together as usual-should I have done? He was asked to take a significant role in the service and declined- the Head was very accepting of his reasons. I don't think he's just being a teenage dick-he's wearing a suit and has cleaned his shoes (is there anything more heart melting than a nearly adult boy in a suit?)-but ..but...what should I have done?

dobby totally agree.

I bought a poppie for a couple of years but I’ve refused the last 2 years after Brexit.

I feel it’s now a symbol of Brexit and nationalism so I don’t want to support it.

And the fact that white poppie wearers were harrasssed finishes it for me.

Otvtainte the whole movement

I think you did the right thing in letting him decide for himself. You said yourself he's dressing up and taking it seriously .. he's following what he believes at this point .. good on him.

This is how we learn who we are. Everyone is entitled to an opinion and there own beliefs, otherwise we're in a dictatorship.

I have grandparents and great grandparents that fought in the wars and both of them ended up killing themselves when they came back, because of mental health problems and lack of support from the government. Everyone has their own reasons to think what they think.

Thinking for yourself should always be encouraged.

I'm sure the soldiers of other countries died also but they did not do so to save the futures of everyone in Britain.

My Grandfather who was in Polish Bomber Command would probably disagree. I think the New Zealanders. Australians, Czech soldiers, the Jamaicans, the Canadians and many others might have something to say.

And my other Grandfather, who was a 'D-Day dodger', fighting Rommel in North Africa, and up Italy, was perfectly happy with white poppies. He hated people being told what to do and how to think. He believed that was the exact opposite of what he fought for.

I give money to the Poppy Appeal but since the fascists and right-wingers are trying to tell people they HAVE to wear one, I won't. DD still does and she spent the day at school being told how and where she should wear it to avoid being 'disrespectful'. I have reassured her that her great-grandparents wouldn't have given a crap as long as she remembers them, respects what they did, and thinks about how brave they were.

@exLtEveDallas My sentiments exactly!

Just donate money to the British legion or other relevant charity and wear whatever colour poppy you like?

I'm going to a remembrance service tomorrow. I am not going to wear any poppy at all. This thread has disgusted me to be honest with the scorn that has been poured on this young man for questioning the accepted narrative around war and war heroes. This is not what soldiers died for. A great many of those soldiers were conscripted, don't forget. The first world war was generally considered to be the most enormous waste of young lives. As have many wars since. I feel like the rhetoric around poppies has got to the point where ordinary people are being used as apologists for the causes of the powerful, like women urged to give white feathers to their sweethearts who hadn't signed up for war. I thought we had moved on in terms of freedom of conscience.

Ive seen far fewer people wearing poppies this year than ever before.

If your son is 17, then I don't think you can 'tell' him what to wear. I don't wear a poppy as it has lost its original meaning - a symbol of remembrance so we would learn from the mistakes of the past. We've learned fuck all, we still wage war and innocent people suffer the most who had no choice to get caught up in grubby, commercially driven conflicts. I don't think we deserve to wear poppies - remembering was only one half and as we don't honour the learning bit as well, there is no damn point in the whole thing but to give nasty nationalists a chance to have a go at people who would prefer we tried to focus on peace, for once.

Ive lost two poppies in the last two weeks where they have fallen off my jacket.

Last night i wore a denim jacket in the piss pouring rain instead of a coat so i could wear a poppy and it still fell off somewhere.

I thought about getting one of those brooches but they are too expensive and i dont internet shop so cant get one that way.

It might be an idea to sell small poppy badges alongside the paper poppies Here its just the paper ones.

Vertebrate
‏ @GreenGrounded
Nov 9

Background: my child’s class of 11-12 year olds were warned anyone without a poppy at an remembrance event today (veterans will attend this) would get a detention. State secondary school in England. I don’t want to name it, but do want to raise the compulsion/punishment issue.

I wear my poppy to remember all the men and women who gave their lives to save us from tyranny. Two minutes silence to them today is not a lot for the ones who gave up their lives for our todays.

The white poppy some say a symbol of peace and others of pacifism would not be able to be worn if the people who fought stood back and did nothing and let Hitler invade. So today I say thank you to those who stood up to be counted and gave us this chance to debate without fear or worry. In my opinion it does not glorify war but says thank you and we will not forget your sacrifice.