Will you be wearing a poppy?

[thingsthatmakeyougohmmmmmmmm]

To support the work that the Royal British Legion do.

Nobody around here seems to be wearing one.

It's a symbol of respect.

It's become so politicised where I live that I wouldn't wear it in everyday life - I'm actually not allowed to in work.

I hate what society has turned into. Progressive in many ways, which is a good thing, but people have become so self-obsessed and self-regarding, it's nauseating. Empathy, compassion and kindness have just fallen by the wayside.

As I said before, I remember them. I'm absolutely stunned and moved by the actions of many members of my family and my late husband's family. I feel proud to be part of the family whose wartime dramas are told in the book about them.

I don't wear a poppy. It no longer has any positive meaning for me. That doesn't detract one iota from my respect for those people.

I just happen to think that the least we can do is remember those brave men and women who fought and died or were maimed in the service of our country, and I am disgusted at the attitudes of some people towards them.

But choosing not to wear a poppy does not mean you don't honour the people who died or that you don't remember them @Canthave2manycats. Most people hold them in the greatest respect.

People choose not to wear the poppy for other reasons, many of which have already been outlined on this thread.

I don't see it that way at all!!!

I have friends who are on FB who will post on Remembrance Sunday with poppies or whatever. but they don't share GB News, racist memes, sectarian shite or complain about public servants!!

And just what is wrong with tradition or patriotism?

For the record, I can't stand GB News (watched it once for the EH interview re PS and felt like bleaching my eyes and ears after it), I have no time for racism or sectarianism, I am a public servant and I have never felt the need to post anything related to Remembrance Sunday on Facebook!!

I don't accept those reasons.

Wearing a poppy as a symbol is also visible to others, hopefully providing a reminder to them of the sacrifices of our ancestors. It's a symbol of solidarity imo.

You don't have to donate to British Legion. I've often re-used poppies from one year to the next, and I eventually bought an enamelled brooch.

I used to like how we stood together as a nation in remembrance. It's clear that's not happening any more.

I had 2 great uncles injured at Passchendale. Unfortunately I never knew them. I wish I had.

@Canthave2manycats It’s not up to you to accept or not accept other people’s reasons. Who do you think you are?

So the only type of 'right' thinking is your way of thinking @Canthave2manycats?
Very arrogant and intolerant of you I have to say.
The sort of attitude that causes problems.

What the poppy symbolises to you is personal, it doesn't have the same meaning for everyone. For some it symbolises support of present day armed forces as well as those of the WWs (and that works for some people and not for others). Lest We Forget doesn't ring true any more. We've forgotten a lot more than we should.

Standing together as a nation?
What about some of those in NI, for whom the British armed forces have traditionally been seen as agressor rather than protector? Do they need to support the RLB too?

Well @Canthave2manycats you probably don't live where I do.
I think it's probably time for the Remembrance Sunday to be refreshed and for us to break the link with WW1 and WW2. There needs to be a day to remember and reflect but call it Veterans Day or similar. And support actual veterans properly.
We don't hold memorial days for the Napoleonic wars or for the Boer War ( thank goodness) and I don't think we can talk about the 20th century wars for ever. "Lest we forget" is a hollow statement when we look at the events playing out at the moment, hatred, war and anti semitism have not been forgotten.

So what is actually more helpful?

Someone who wears the same tired poppy from year to year.... or someone who donates money each year?

I'm me. And I an entitled to have an opinion.

Who do you think you are?

..providing a reminder to them of the sacrifices of our ancestors...

If you go back far enough I'm pretty sure we all have multiple ancestors that sacrificed things in multiple wars. After a while things fade from our memory and that's ok. I think supporting our currently living veterans is far more useful than eternal remembrance, especially as remembrance doesn't seem to lead to any less fighting.

I am allowed to express my opinion ffs!

Don't patronise me. I am Northern Irish born and bred, and lived through the Troubles.

The British Army came to NI to support Catholics, but perhaps that doesn't matter?

I have zero time for sectarianism no matter where it comes from. I couldn't give a flying fuck about someone's religious beliefs or politics.

I would just like to pay tribute to the brave men and women who enabled us to live in the country we do today, and I like that there is a tangible way to express that.

The Haig Fund was set up for those who fought in the WWs, not for armies fighting today.

Though why their contribution should be diminished, I know not why!

the descent of this thread into vitriol proves that poppy wearing has become more about our egos than truly respecting the fallen for some people. (obviously not for all)

Hear hear. I actually read your post and looked for a like button just now! Completely agree.

I wear a white poppy.

Thank god for some commonsense @TheSnootiestFox and @therealcookiemonster .

Their sacrifice was clearly in vain, sadly.

I don't accept those reasons.

Fortunately it's still a free country and you accepting other people's reasons for what they put on their own bodies is immaterial.

No one is ripping the poppy off you. Why are you so keen to tell others to wear one?

Yes, of course you're allowed express an opinion @Canthave2manycats . But you need to afford others the same courtesy. You say you don't accept what others say and that's the part people are having issues with. I don't think you're even listening?

If you are from NI you obviously know the British Army's sordid record there and you will well understand why some people there may not want to support the army today. You must know that being from where you are. The RBL supports the ex armed service personnel of today and that's an issue for some. Because for them, the poppy is not just about remembering the past, it literally means supporting the present too.

Others have expressed different reasons why wearing the poppy is not for them. And their opinions matter as well as yours. You need to accept that.

I don't wear a poppy. It no longer has any positive meaning for me. That doesn't detract one iota from my respect for those people

Well it’s not just about respect and remembrance but fund raising for current veterans. If you don’t buy a poppy do you contribute to other veterans charities or do you just send thoughts and prayers.?

I often wonder who the sneering left think would fight for Britain if it was attacked today. Imagine if we were in the position of Ukraine. Who would be queuing to join up, like they did in 1914? I certainly wouldn’t. The young are being taught to hate their own history and identity. Well, you reap what you sow. Who is going to fight for a country they’ve been taught to despise? Just glance at the new releases in Waterstones, for example. Book after book attacking Britain.

My 18-year-old grandfather joined the RAF after the fall of Dunkirk, and my great grandfather was wounded at the Somme. But if Britain was attacked tomorrow, I’d feel nothing. My sense of identity and belonging just isn’t there anymore. It took a long time to die, but it finally has. The smug little Guardianistas have got what they wanted. And if there is another major war, they can defend Britain, because I won’t be involved.

Sad but true @JaneyGee

With the state of the world and genocide in Palestine, there’s a lot to be remembered this year about the pointless wars and lives lost for politics and power

I assume you're over conscription age @JaneyGee so I'm not sure anyone wants you to defend the country!

@JaneyGee I wonder if you realise that the phrase "never again" and Remembrance Day itself was coined because of these very boys who queued up, encouraged by jingoism, only to be slaughtered. Would you have tarred and feathered those who didn't go?
"Smug guardianistas " and " leftists" were at the forefront of the peace and remembrance movement in the 1920s and 30s.
Did you miss out on the war poets in school?

This.

I'm grateful every day for the sacrifice of our wartime generations, including all my grandparents. I only wish I could say this to them in person. Wearing a poppy for a few days, in addition to thinking of them, is all I can do to express my feelings.