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Will you be wearing a poppy this year?

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Yeah, I wear one. I have a little bracelet this year

Original post by will'o'wisp
Why? Isn't the point to wear a poppy to show remembrance or do i have it wrong?


I mean it's only okay to reuse the poppy if you make a new donation each year as the money goes to the Royal British Legion! Yes, the poppy is a symbol of remembrance, but the donation itself is very important and respectful :smile: #Moooose
No. I fully respect wanting to remember the lives sacrificed by British soldiers and will do so privately, but I feel like the poppy appeal is counterproductive. It encourages a national show of uncritical remembrance, expressing sorrow for the lives lost but with any critical thought as to how and why these wars were ever able to happen entirely absent. Those who forget their history are doomed to repeat it, and I feel as if the poppy doesn't encourage us to remember everything that needs remembering.
Original post by OvergrownMoose
I mean it's only okay to reuse the poppy if you make a new donation each year as the money goes to the Royal British Legion! Yes, the poppy is a symbol of remembrance, but the donation itself is very important and respectful :smile: #Moooose


Then just donate fam. Why the need to show off showing you made a donation?
Original post by will'o'wisp
Then just donate fam. Why the need to show off showing you made a donation?


I'm not showing off that I made a donation? I'm just highlighting that you lack etiquette and respect :lol:
I don't need to partake in a fashion trend to commemorate fallen soldiers. I'll donate, but I don't want to wear a poppy.
Original post by Snufkin
Nope. If the money raised was spent on education and cultural schemes to teach people about the mistakes of the past then I would wear one, but alas, that is not what the money is used for. It amazes me that so many people who fall over themselves to wear a red poppy have never read Wilfred Owen or Vera Brittain. :dong:



instead it is squandered on limbless squaddies. scandalous.
Original post by Airmed
I never wear a poppy. Back home, it's got a lot of connotations.

(If you know who the footballer James McClean is, I come from the same city as him, and I have the same reasons).


Specious and ill-considered reasons. In fact, on Remembrance Day the Irish president, far from agreeing with you, will express solidarity on behalf of the nation by attending a ceremony in St Patrick's cathedral in Dublin even though the official Irish day of commemoration is in July.

Quite why NI republicans have to be so obnoxious about it is beyond me. Mind you NI loyalists are equally obnoxious, just for different reasons. There is no concept of reasonableness in NI, it seems.
Original post by Saoirse:3
No. I fully respect wanting to remember the lives sacrificed by British soldiers and will do so privately, but I feel like the poppy appeal is counterproductive. It encourages a national show of uncritical remembrance, expressing sorrow for the lives lost but with any critical thought as to how and why these wars were ever able to happen entirely absent. Those who forget their history are doomed to repeat it, and I feel as if the poppy doesn't encourage us to remember everything that needs remembering.


The poppy appeal is not a pledge of allegiance to Britain's foreign policy, but a gesture to those who lost their lives fighting for heir country, regardless of the conditions. I was vehemently opposed to the Iraqi War, but that doesn't mean I won't pay my respect to those who lost their lives. The poppy appeal is about remembering the dead, not declaring your support for reckless western interventionism.

People who try to politicise the poppy appeal are the ones who're counterproductive.
Yes.
Personally, I don't wear them. I don't think that it means you aren't respectful... but I think you should have the choice to display that respect.
Original post by Snufkin
Nope. If the money raised was spent on education and cultural schemes to teach people about the mistakes of the past then I would wear one, but alas, that is not what the money is used for. It amazes me that so many people who fall over themselves to wear a red poppy have never read Wilfred Owen or Vera Brittain. :dong:


Wilfred Owen's poems make me feel awful...
Yes, but only on the day itself. I'm not overly enamoured with the cause, but I think as a mark of respect to those who died (and I'll be wearing it for all those who died, not just the British), I think it's nice and poignant. I don't, however, look down on those who choose not to wear one for whatever reason.
I prefer to wear a white poppy, because I agree with the sentiment behind it. I think if people are more comfortable with the red poppy or choose not to wear one at all then it comes down to personal choice.
yeah
No purely because they just fall off as soon as I put one on, if I see a collection and I had change on me I'd probably donate a little bit but I'm not going to go around repetitively picking it off the floor every 5 minutes.
Original post by Airmed
I never wear a poppy. Back home, it's got a lot of connotations.

(If you know who the footballer James McClean is, I come from the same city as him, and I have the same reasons).


While I understand your reasoning to an extent (certainly far more than the people on here who don't wear one as they're too lazy or think they're being cool/edgy not wearing one), it's worth mentioning that over 200,000 Irish soldiers fought in the Great War alone including Republicans.



At the end of the day, wearing a poppy is about remembering those who died in various conflicts rather than saying you actually support the war (I mean this as a general point rather than just aimed at you).
Reply 37
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Airmed
21
Original post by Good bloke
Specious and ill-considered reasons. In fact, on Remembrance Day the Irish president, far from agreeing with you, will express solidarity on behalf of the nation by attending a ceremony in St Patrick's cathedral in Dublin even though the official Irish day of commemoration is in July.

Quite why NI republicans have to be so obnoxious about it is beyond me. Mind you NI loyalists are equally obnoxious, just for different reasons. There is no concept of reasonableness in NI, it seems.


I'm not being obnoxious. It's a personal decision. Let Michael pay his respects. I will pay my own by observing the silence tomorrow.

I respect those who wear it. I respect those who don't.
Reply 38
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Airmed
21
Original post by Tempest II
While I understand your reasoning to an extent (certainly far more than the people on here who don't wear one as they're too lazy or think they're being cool/edgy not wearing one), it's worth mentioning that over 200,000 Irish soldiers fought in the Great War alone including Republicans.



At the end of the day, wearing a poppy is about remembering those who died in various conflicts rather than saying you actually support the war (I mean this as a general point rather than just aimed at you).


See my answer above also. I understand the respect and I know my history (Irish history is a particular favourite). I just despise the politicisation of it. So I will pay my respects in other ways and not be obnoxious about it. :yep:
Reply 39
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Glib
13
Yes, I will absolutely wear the poppy. It is a way to respect those who gave their lives for our future. I am not wearing a poppy for political reasons, only for remembrance.

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