Poppy wearing

[HappyAgainOneDay]

I was in town today and waited for a friend who didn't turn up because she'd forgotten for half an hour. Opposite me in a shopping Mall was a poppy table and two servicemen behind it. I began to look at people passing and was amazed at the huge number of people who were not wearing a poppy. Far more were not sporting a poppy than those who were.

I then realised that those without poppies were mostly on the younger side of the population - say, 40 and younger. Do they not realise what we are remembering? Yes, the poppies represent those who died but the general reason for the charity now is that the funds collected go to service people who've lost limbs or are otherwise disabled. The families of those who never came back are also helped. AIBU for thinking that more should wear a poppy with pride?

Oh sorry DeadCert, it wasn't clear which wars you were talking about: And all those who fought chose to go.

Yes I realise, yes I am younger than 40 but no I'm not wearing a poppy.
Plenty of my similar age friends are though and I've seen loads of younger people, there was a queue at the stand in my supermarket

I have three. As a family, we have literally spent £10 this year and yet, I am often without because it's on another coat/ being kept for Sunday parade/ been stolen by DH/ fallen off.

I object strongly to poppy fascism and the associated deification of soldiers. Not that long ago, being a soldier was a job. I'm not sure when this jingoistic "all soldiers are heroes" shite started (after 9/11 perhaps, when the right were trying to deflect disagreement with various illegal invasions by claiming that anti-war opinions somehow denigrated "the troops".) Excessive veneration of the military is the sign of a very sick society. Because of the centenary, there seems to be a bit of revisionist history going on with WW1 as well. Has everyone forgotten that this was the most pointless war in history? Millions died for no good reason, and in the end no-one even won.

I never buy or wear one.

Excellent post Wonko.

And, after WW1, we all decided to punish innocent German citizens and send them spiralling into poverty with a treaty, which made them open to hitlers very terrible views, because they needed saving.

So that was our fault, not theirs.

I object much more the mandatory poppy wearing that seems to be enforced on news readers, politicians, tv presenters rev from the middle of Oct. I wear a poppy but only from the start of Nov

I agree with wonko.

"Auntie Stella - have a look at this , plenty of poppy foaming on social media , as there was when he played for my team. He shouldn't even need to make a statement"

I don't use social media, and have never encountered poppy fascism in real life.

If it is widespread enough to destroy the true meaning if Remembrance (by which I mean that given by the organisers RBL of solemnity of the terrible cost of lives inwar, then I think that would be a pity.

"I'm not sure when this jingoistic "all soldiers are heroes" shite started"

Perhaps with the rise in social media? After all, the tone of public discussion has changed a great deal (and it seems always for the worse) on a number of issues.

I'm with you, Wonko. I stopped wearing a poppy about 5 years ago when all the 'wearing your poppy with pride' stuff got a bit much for me. For me it was about reflecting on the horror and pity of hundreds and thousands of young men sent to kill each other on pain of death or imprisonment by the state that sent them. I feel we should remember to try to stop it happening again and I don't feel
pride has much of a role to play in that.
This is an attitude I inherited from my lovely granddad, a decorated
ex serviceman who was present at quite a lot of the key moments of the second world war.

Wonka exactly the way I feel.

Being in the armed forces is still a job. They don't see themselves as heroes. That's the Sun and the the people who buy into that notion, and social media.

Wearing a poppy is not supporting war. I don't want war, I wish there was another way to sort things out, but often there isn't. The politicians send us in to the wars, the military fight it.

They aren't just sent to kill each other though. A very close friend of mine had to shoot an 8 year old child who was wearing a bomb.

That's the same age as my child.

He will never get over that, ever in his life. I feel terrible for him.

War is horrible, started by the rich and power mad and affects the innocent.

Excellent posts in the last hour - I agree with aspects of them all.

Interesting point re social media. I never use it but it seems plausible.

Hurr, that's terrible, your poor friend and that poor child. The only first hand account of war I have were my grandad's. I was a teen when he died and he was careful to keep what he told us age appropriate and never involved children.
Even so his stories were often horrifying.

Problem is , social media comments then become topics of RL conversation. They are spewed out on social media without a thought for the meaning of the words.
James Maclean is one example - how long have footballers had to wear an embroidered poppy for anyway ?

Hurricane. I take it your friend was removed from duty, investigated, went to crown court and was exonerated then?

I doubt he went to crown court seeing as he served America. But I didn't really think to ask him what happened afterwards while dealing with a giant sobbing man who had come to visit us but couldn't look at DS. We had to find him somewhere else to stay.

You should have made it clear that your friend was serving America, Hurr1cane, rather than letting posters believe British soldiers are shooting children.

I wear my poppy to remember the dead and wounded and reflect on all those affected by conflict - including many innocent children and civilians.

Nothing boils my piss more than the sight of a weeping Farage last week and CallMeDave and SamCam going for the photo-opp plastered all over the front pages today. It is shameful to gain political points on a day like today.

And as for the Poppy Moat
And Britain First.
and the poppy being used in company advertising
The symbol has been hijacked for all the wrong reasons

TheFairyCaravan, does it matter what nationality the poor chap was? Or the poor wee child? Both of them were human and its a stain on all of us.

I doubt he's have had any choice British or not. He's not a monster. Neither was the poor child.

They're both victims.

Yes, to me it does MrsWedge. I completely agree it is a stain on all of us, it is shocking, it is disgusting, vile and should never have happened.

But if you have ever been on a thread on MN before where the military or the wearing of a poppy is discussed, the misconceptions that many people have about the military and the things they say about them are because of rumours like Hurr1cane's post.

That might be okay to you, but it's not to me because that's the likes of my husband and son people are talking about. I don't want them thinking they are going to be shooting children when they aren't. The Americans have completely different rules to us, and that is important and should have been made clear.

Americans don't just go round shooting children either. What a horrible thing to say