why do you wear a poppy?

[oiolehnvn]

Lots of red poppies around us at the moment. Disclaimer I am not British but come from a country that is currently waging a war, in fact technically two countries that have been in the news for waging wars and have always been uncomfortable with people supporting or celebrating our army. I am therefore puzzled as to why the Brits wear poppies ever year. If you choose to wear one, what's your rationale? Equally, if you do not - what's yours?

Remembrance day, and the symbols connected to it, in the UK has never been any support or celebration of our armed forces. It has always been about the personal sacrifice made by those involved in wars. I would encourage you OP to attend a local ceremony to understand this, and perhaps take a moment to consider those you know involved in war and the sacrifice they are making.

I know I stand there and think of my grandfather, who served as a ships steward on a small navy vessel but made it home. Also of two people I know only by name on a family tree, who are direct relations, but never made it out of WW1 alive. I also consider the four colleagues of mine who are married to service people or who are reservists.
It makes me sad and thankful.

This is my view too. I don’t wear one anymore, as I don’t like the hijacking of the symbol that has gone on, and don’t want to get into a debate with people with different motives, and views about it. If you want to give to a Forces charity you can do that without this unwelcome pressure from the Poppy Police.

To remember the dead and wounded and bereaved. WW1 tore the heart out of this country.

Lots of people have explained the history, perhaps what also needs to be understood is the emotion. I would guess most of the people you see wearing poppies are older. They will have some close connection with WW1 or 2. I had great uncles who served and died in WW1 and my parents’ generation went through WW2. We’ve heard their stories and know what they went through for us to be free.

It’s in no way a celebration of anything to wear a poppy, but rather a collective acknowledgement of what we owe to those who lost their lives in pursuit of our freedom.
FWIW, like many of my generation I didn’t wear poppies when I was younger but as I get older and see the way the world currently is I understand the sacrifice more now than I ever did.

My father was in the army until 1952 and on active service abroad through most of WW2. My parents married in 1939, a couple of weeks before he was posted. My surviving siblings and I were born after the war. My mother could so easily have been a war widow, her sister’s husband was killed in Sicily and has only a cross in a mass cemetery.

Lest we forget…

Wearing poppies is one thing.

Decorating vans, lamp posts, houses, post boxes with tasteless poppy tat is pretty grim and shows how far away from remembrance we actually are now. I don’t wear a poppy because of this drift into fetishisation of war, and the treatment of war as some kind of nostalgia trip.

100% this. ^

Lest we forget.

To remember that all war has a horrible price. Paid by both combatants and civilians. Paid by both sides. If people remember this, perhaps they will make efforts to avoid more wars <hopes>

It is a shame that some people try to make the poppies political.

She's literally trying to learn via this thread.

I wear one to remember all those who have died in war.

DH was in the RAF for 35yrs, 27 of which we were married for. I’ve seen men go away and not come home, or come home as completely different people, so I wear it for them. DS1 is, also, a serving soldier.

I’ll always wear a poppy, the Royal British Legion do great work for veterans, serving members of the armed forces and their families, however I’m totally against enforced poppy wearing. That completely takes away the point of them imo.

It's not only 'the oldest people here' who experienced war and bombs in a UK context. The GFA was only passed in the 90s. That's one of the reasons it's so complex for a lot of people. As pp mentioned, Soldier F is a current example.

Nothing good old Google can’t sort for u, and ur question is very loaded.

I can’t see how the poppy is associated with racism politics left or right and definitely not class as the op has asked .
I’ve always associated the poppy as being as showing respect for all those who have lost their lives during conflicts regardless of race nationality creed or colour etc and as for class a bullet or bomb doesn’t differentiate wether your a lord or ordinary working man/ woman

I wear one to remind me of people who sacrificed their lives, three great uncles were POWs in WW2, my grandfather was in the RAF. My great grandfather and another great uncle died in bomb raids.

My family were on different sides in WW2 so I feel for you.

War is a terrible thing and sometimes you are just on the wrong side of history but it's important not to forget.

One parent from one, one from the another 🤔

Yeah exactly. Some people do love to make out that some people have nefarious reasons for wearing a poppy though!

Plenty of people here have explained that the poppy appeal is about supporting those who have served not about supporting the armed forces themselves, but - totally separate to the poppy appeal - I would say there is nothing wrong with supporting or even celebrating the armed forces.

I'm not happy to be living in a world where we have the terrible evil of humans organising the killing of other humans to achieve their country's goals. But if I live in a democracy that has taken the reasonable decision of having armed forces to ensure our democracy is protected from nasty threats, then I should definitely be supporting those armed forces in preparing to meet such threats. And I can celebrate every member of those forces who is prepared to take the risk to their own life in serving. It's not a comfortable thought to think that as UK citizens we fund an organisation that is intended to fight wars, but that's a symptom of the dangerous world we live in, and I'm not going to treat soldiers as an embarrassment for their willingness to fight on my behalf. (I'm not naive or blind to the fact that not everything about the armed forces is honourable and pure, but there is an ideal that I think is worth upholding).

Yep, this did it for me. It was a veiled insult of some kind. I had a feeling from the get go about the OP but sadly wasted my time responding.

During 2018, the centenary of the ending of WW1, our local council made laminated posters with the details of each of the servicemen who had come from our city and they secured these posters to the lampposts nearest to where each of the servicemen had lived. My brother and I went to see the ones who were related to our grandmothers family. Many people added poppies (some handmade, crocheted or knitted), flowers, crosses etc. It was a time of deep appreciation of the sacrifices made so many, many years before. Surely you don't think think this is wrong?

Nobody hates you and your history.

Dearie me.

We should always be wary of "I'm just trying to understaaaaand" OPs.

I wasn't going to reply, but I am hoping to get an answer from one poster about how one wears a poppy without being performative, and to assure her that it's possible to donate every year while wearing a metal or knitted poppy.

The old 'educate yourself' 'but not like that' strikes again.

I wear a poppy to remember those who fought, lost their lives or were disabled in wars. I lost 2 great uncles in the WW1 and both left young widows with children.

Yes, I should've known better after years on MN. Out of interest (and I promise not in the least bit goady!) why is wearing a metal or knitted poppy less performative?

"lest we forget"

The world wars were a total catastrophe. For me its about remembering how awful that was and to not let it happen again. Remembrance day is about armistice and how important it was that that those conflicts were brought to an end.