Very few people wearing poppies this year?

[YippieKayakOtherBuckets]

Anyone else noticed this?

I was in some very busy parts of London today and saw maybe half a dozen people wearing poppies in total. I’m watching Question Time now; the panel are all wearing poppies (the Plaid Cymru representative is wearing a red and a white poppy side-by-side) and at a glance I’d say less than a quarter of people are wearing them.

Is this primarily because of Gaza or did the trend start a while ago? Are people who used to wear poppies now choosing not to? I know this probably sounds very journalisty but I’m not, I promise. I’m really struck by what feels like a dramatic cultural shift in the last ten years or so.

I made a conscious decision to stop wearing one after the 100 years. I felt it had been somewhat hijacked by right wing nationalists and poppy shamers. My politics and vote have more impact than what I wear on my chest.
Like many families, we remember a family member lost in WW1 but I began to think more about the seven great grandparents who lived through it and learn about their stories instead.

Time makes a difference too. I was talking to my kids about being taken to a remembrance event at the Guildhall as a kid, my grandad was there and had fought in WW2, you could feel the emotion in the crowd even from that didn't generation who didn't expesss the awfulness of what they lived through.
My Dad remembers his male ex-military teachers crying at remembrance assembly as they read out the names of ex-pupils who had died.
My kids' connection to remembrance is a once yearly visit to a war memorial to find their ancestor's name and hear his story.

Writ large, this is what happens when you allow symbols to be co-opted into politics. I would have though Christians would be familiar with the concept.

I am sure that if Jesus was around today, he would have had something to say about the current situation and the way that people who claim to be religious don't really seem to follow religious teachings.

Random Asda poppy check.

Was in Asda earlier, this has a display near the door selling poppies. People wearing poppies out of a conservative estimate of 150 customers.

1 female member of staff, about 40s, wearing a large knitted poppy
3 male customers, all 60+, wearing paper poppy
1 female customer, 30-40ish, wearing paper poppy.

Lots of older customers, just not wearing poppies. Was actually expecting a bigger poppy turnout amongst older people!

Well there is that bit in the bible where Jesus stormed into the temple and demanded bonuses for the money lenders.

It's just after the bit where he told some lepers to consider their lifestyle choices and sent Lazarus' family a bill for private healthcare.

I was talking to the lady selling poppies in Asda on Friday. She said that since Covid they don't sell as many poppies as a lot of people don't carry cash now. They don't all have the card readers as they are expensive. She said the group she volunteers with have one that they have to take in turns to use!

😂

I won't be wearing a poppy this year or probably any year again. I'll complete the silences and think of the fallen, but refuse to wear a symbol that has been jumped upon by right wing nationalists and I include Suella in that. Gaza is relevant to me regarding this, as our government support Isreael wholeheartedly and have hijacked the Rememberance issue, whilst demonising Palestine and the peace protests. Wearing a poppy right now feels like support of the government in this and that's the last thing I'll ever do, I've seen things happening in Gaza that will live in my mind and heart forever.

It's got f all to do with the government.
The Tory party hasn't been in power the whole time since World War One have they? What absolute nonsense
It's about remembering the ultimate sacrifice AND supporting veterans who may be suffering from long term injuries and mental health

You surely realise people all over the world wear poppies and attend remembrance parades? But go you you anti government rebel 🙄

I used to wear one I don't anymore

I choose to observe how and when I want

I Will not be:

Bullied into silence by a supermarket turning its tills off - even the self serve
Be forced to wear one because of PR
Be terminated on a call I've been on hold for 45 minutes utes before because xyz company in India wa to to virtue signal when nits mot even 11am where they are

Poppy wearing should be a choice not a dictation

I am ex forces by the way and I hate the way armistice is politicised

The reason it's the 'metropolitan left' is that we've lived with the situations this 'tiny minority' cause. Pubs with union flag or George Cross pennants on them in the countryside are probably twee and nice. In South London it meant the far right and if you were with a mate who was Asian or Black, they shouldn't go in. People were attacked.

Hand-waving this away when you don't know how it can be for some people is foolish.

And yes, those same pubs are covered in poppies and support 'our boys'.

I 'm in my sixties and I still remember my grandmother talking sadly about her youngest brother who died aged 17 (of Spanish flu, to be fair, but he might not have caught it had he stayed at home in Scotland instead of being sent to serve in Canada) whilst fighting during WWI. I don't want him, or others who died alongside him, or those who gave their lives in later wars, to be forgotten, so I wear a poppy. My DD thinks it's a purely Tory thing to do, but I strongly disagree.

I wear a poppy in remembrance of my uncle, who went to war because he had little choice and who was killed age 23. The telegram telling of his death arrived with my mother's 14th birthday cards. And for my grandparents who were never able to visit his grave.

No doubt there are some, few instances of that. It’s not widespread. Stop exaggerating. Outside of - some - parts of South London (and probably pockets elsewhere) pubs will often set out English flags and are perfectly welcoming of all. That’s got nothing to do with cars and houses anyway.

The union flag was all over the place for the coronation. I don’t recall gangs of right wing thugs wrapping themselves in it and going on the rampage. It’s football isn’t it? That’s what sets you off. It’s so common.

(BTW I hate football. I just think those who are passionate about the national team and get the flags out deserve some presumption of decency. As with poppy wearing.)

This! It has been hijacked in Scotland and is linked to right wing/orange order bigots and staunch unionists which is a shame as I always linked it to the 2 world wars. I was happy to donate to the army vets from then but not happy to give to soldiers that out gov continues to send on meaningless wars and pleads to us to help them with there trauma financially.

Sorry, don’t believe an adult uses ‘ugh’ or ‘yuk’ in seriousness. You don’t like it, fine. Free country and all that. But your response is odd, seems lacking seriousness and a bit childish.

Why, it’s repugnant. I could describe it as sick making, or vomit worthy,

Is that better? It’s a whole body revulsion. Like shrinking away from it.

Yuk is just easier, but you did say.

Bullied into silence by a supermarket turning its tills off - even the self serve

Sainsburys did this yesterday. No problem at all, and quite happy to give up 2 minutes of my life to mark those that gave up all of theirs.

Of course children and babies don't understand or care and the most poignant sound for me was being able to hear them over the silence. Because that should be what this pantomime is about. Moving forwards in peace. Not looking back in hatred.

I imagine this is another thing I have somehow being doing wrong all my fucking life.

As I’ve said, I’m a pacifist really, and had some discomfort about a CCF branch in a school I worked in. However remembrance is (to me) about remembering how vile war is to try to mitigate it happening again (ineffective I admit). Feeling revulsion about it strikes as a misunderstanding - and I’m still unconvinced seeing the odd teenager in a military uniform makes anyone feel physically sick when they know fine well it’s just their hobby.
We are the same age. My dad served in the RAF in WWII (he was older than my contemporaries’ fathers, so this may well not be your experience). Remembrance is really important to me because of his experience. I find people responding in a casual or (to me) illogical way to it deeply upsetting.

My dad was in the Desert Rats
My mum spent the ages of 19-25 doing nights in a munitions factory
My great uncle was the only surviver of the 3 battles of Pasdchendale
My uncles fought in the battle of Monte Christo

I still find it repugnant. They were all emotionally scared by being at war. Despite winning a medal it broke my df forever. He tried to commit suicide when l was 4.

The less l see of uniforms and poppies the better.

I think it's because the generations that fought in the two world wars have largely died now so people now are less likely to be personally affected. I think it's just the way of things.

Fair enough. We all respond differently. I consider remembering important. Those who forget are doomed to repeat etc. though I accept it’s not working well. Maybe I got it from my dad who never missed a Remembrance Service, representing the RBL and taking an active part until his mid 90s. He was also anti-war.

I wear a metal poppy but interestingly when speak to my FIL last week he mentioned he’d really struggled to find somewhere to buy a poppy this year so that might be a factor?? He said quite a few places he knows used to have them didn’t this year.
I also don’t think our kids school were selling them this year although they seem to have stopped lots of things like that last year citing the cost of living crisis.