The Poppy - For Or Against?

[deathrey]

I may be being a bit dense here, so apologies in advance if that's the case, but what's the problem with him wearing a white poppy? Unless I have misunderstood, the white poppy is for peace, yes? So he's a peace loving twat now?

[David]

I may be being a bit dense here, so apologies in advance if that's the case, but what's the problem with him wearing a white poppy? Unless I have misunderstood, the white poppy is for peace, yes? So he's a peace loving twat now?

The problem is with him not wearing the red poppy.

[SpursRiot2012]

Strangly, even though I get the tube quite a lot, I haven't yet seen anybody collecting for Poppies.

[Magnum]

Although I make a point of wearing the traditional poppy every year, I really don't see a problem with someone choosing to wear a white one instead. Particularly in the case of the morally dubious wars we've been involved in recently, there are plenty of tragic deaths that go unrecognised by our media. From my point of view, the poppy is about showing respect and raising awareness. When people are wearing them because of careerism or because they want to be seen as Joe England (as I imagine the sort of dribbling wankers who wrote those grammatical catastrophes on Twitter are), it's far less respectful or defensible in my book than someone wanting to draw attention to the fact that the tragedy of war extends beyond our own armed forces.

[dangerously420]

I wear my red poppy as a sign of respect to both my grandfathers who served in the 2nd world war. I don't connect the poppy to modern day conflicts.

[Vamp]

That's the way I always looked at the poppy, well sort of. I seem to remember being taught as a kid that it remembered all those who had died in conflict, not just British people, and wore it accordingly. More to remember those placed in difficult situations. The only problem now is that with the passing of time it seems the poppy has become more and more about modern day conflicts, understandably so, but they're conflicts that I'm cynical about, and then there's this wave of wanky nationalists who plaster their facebook walls with how they're wearing a poppy and they don't care whio doesn't like it. If you're shouting about wearing one than I can't help but think you've rather missed the point. But it does seem as if they're trying to assimilate the poppy into meaning something else. And actually, having read that bit about the white poppy I wouldn't be oppposed to wearing one, since it seems more akin to my personal beliefs about the whole thing. Although considering I always go to a Remeberance Sunday thing I'm not sure how well me wearing a white poppy would go down.

 

Edit: Not that I'm saying the poppy has become indistinguishable from right wing nutters, except seemingly amongst people I used to go to school with.

[Ian 86]

Strangly, even though I get the tube quite a lot, I haven't yet seen anybody collecting for Poppies.

 

Where do you travel? The launch last week (Thursday) was massive compared to what I've seen in previous years. I work at Marylebone and we had servicemen in uniform around the station and local streets all day. There was also an army band (pipers) in the station during both morning and evening rush hour (possibly all day, I was at work so I dont know).

 

Also I went out in the city during the evening and they came into the bar selling them.

 

Having said that, the launch outside of Zone 1 seems to have been much more quiet and sedate (understandably). Locally to where I live I have seen them appear in the shops as usual but nothing publicity-wise.

[SpursRiot2012]

Strangly, even though I get the tube quite a lot, I haven't yet seen anybody collecting for Poppies.

 

Where do you travel? The launch last week (Thursday) was massive compared to what I've seen in previous years. I work at Marylebone and we had servicemen in uniform around the station and local streets all day. There was also an army band (pipers) in the station during both morning and evening rush hour (possibly all day, I was at work so I dont know).

 

Also I went out in the city during the evening and they came into the bar selling them.

 

Having said that, the launch outside of Zone 1 seems to have been much more quiet and sedate (understandably). Locally to where I live I have seen them appear in the shops as usual but nothing publicity-wise.

 

Usually from North to West London, don't tend to get off in Central much at the moment.

[David]

Would you believe that a woman decked out in the poppy t-shirt, flanked by three young guys in military uniform came barging into the Radisson hotel when the WWE guys were leaving for the arena demanding a photo opp with John Cena?

 

He had left by then I think, so she made a beeline for the only wrestler in view, who happened to be Brodus Clay who was sorting his bags with his headphones on. To say he was confused by the whole situation is an understatement.