UK Remembrance Sunday

[SummerRain]

So today is Remembrance Sunday.

A lot of people I know choose not to wear a poppy for various reasons, and I read this interesting article on "Why I choose not to wear a poppy", or to wear a white poppy instead. I also know Animal Aid sell Purple poppies to remember animals who have died in war.

So how does everybody here feel about the issues surrounding Remembrance Sunday? Are white poppies disrespectful? Are purple poppies appropriate? Should we wear poppies? Will you be wearing a poppy today?

 

[Envy]

I would wear them all.

 

[shyvas]

People don't wear them overhere. If I could, I would wear the purple ones. Those poor mites had no say whatsover and were used during both WWs for mine sniffing.

 

[Lord Snot]

I don't wear a poppy because I don't like how it's become so political and how in certain circles, people who don't wear one are hounded for it. I don't think you need any outward show to remember people who died in the wars.

I usually think about my nan and her friends and their stories from the war on this day, and also hope that we never see anything like it again.

 

[Spidergrrl]

I wear the red entwined with the white but next year I am going to add the purple. I do wear the red to remind me of a man i knew growing up who was at Pearl harbor when it was bombed and was so sad and haunted for the rest of his life.

My Meeting House is laying a wreath of purple poppies at the local war memorial tomorrow to remember the animals that died.

 

[Moll Flanders]

Do people on here observe the silence? I was with some people at my house today and they did and I found it a little awkward.

I don't wear a red poppy but I did have a purple poppy that I bought from Animal Aid. I do feel a lot of sympathy for people who were conscripted into the wars as obviously they didn't have a choice.

 

[SummerRain]

I generally observe the silence and buy a poppy. I haven't really thought about any of this before this year though. So I'm not 100% sure how I feel about everything.

All charities that have a day/symbol like the poppy have an element of people joining in because they feel they should, and a sort of social pressure exists. But then I think a lot of people wouldn't give if that weren't the case, sadly, and in terms of fundraising having a day/symbol is really successful for that reason. I understand not wearing a poppy because it's become politicised, but personally I am happy to join in with it, as it raises awareness of the charity and raises lots of money for them.

I couldn't see on the white poppies website where the money actually goes, maybe I missed it. I think I'd be happy to buy one if the money went to the same place.

I'm not sure about the purple poppies idea. It just seems like a way for animal aid to raise money for themselves, off of the back of remembrance day. I wouldn't have a problem with giving money to animal aid and wearing a badge to publicise the charity, but the idea of it being a poppy to wear on remembrance day, when the money doesn't go towards anything to do with remembrance day, just doesn't feel right to me.

I think though it's also important to remember it's up to people how they want to give money voluntarily to charity. It isn't an obligation. So I think people get more upset than necessary about whether people choose to wear a poppy or not, because they confuse remembrance with buying a poppy. You can remember and respect people who have died in war without buying one, and you can buy one without really caring about remembrance.

 

[Mel]

We wear poppies in Canada as well, but I've only ever seen the red ones. I would wear one for the animals too if they had them here.

 

[Moll Flanders]

I think though it's also important to remember it's up to people how they want to give money voluntarily to charity. It isn't an obligation. So I think people get more upset than necessary about whether people choose to wear a poppy or not, because they confuse remembrance with buying a poppy. You can remember and respect people who have died in war without buying one, and you can buy one without really caring about remembrance.

I agree. I don't feel that I am obligated to give money or to support a cause unless I feel strongly about that issue. Nothing to do with Remembrance day but I have read online that quite a few veg people have had hassle at their workplaces as they haven't wanted to donate to a charity that carries out animal testing which I think is really unfair.

 

[Muggle]

Today I didn't wear a poppy or do the silence for the first time ever in my life. But I couldn't wear a poppy because it would have fallen off and been eaten by a dog or in dog poo or something like that (I do have a poppy pin but the hoodie I was wearing was too thick for the pin to fit through) and I couldn't do the silence because I was busy working.
I hated not being able to do it.

I have friends and family in the armed forces and most of my grandparents' siblings and parents were in the world wars. I have no issues with the British Legion and I actually donate money to them, not just in the poppy appeal. I also donate to the Army Benevolent Fund.

 

[Renee1]

We wear poppies in Canada as well, but I've only ever seen the red ones. I would wear one for the animals too if they had them here.

I'd wear a purple poppy, as well as the red one I normally wear.

 

[Freesia]

We have our remembrance day (ANZAC) in april. But I should wear a purple poppy too.

 

[Freesia]

I wear a red poppy because the wars generally being commemorated are the ones prior to 1950. I dont approve of any of the wars after this date as I think when the 60s arrived that is the point where humans should have known better and stopped the insane wars. So while i am sad for the fallen I am angry because I think they should never have been sent there in the first place.

 

[Lord Snot]

I wear a red poppy because the wars generally being commemorated are the ones prior to 1950. I dont approve of any of the wars after this date as I think when the 60s arrived that is the point where humans should have known better and stopped the insane wars. So while i am sad for the fallen I am angry because I think they should never have been sent there in the first place.

I feel similarly about recent wars, but something had to be done to stop Hitler, I can't imagine what the world would be like today if nobody had gone to war with Germany at that time. Perhaps I am ignorant and there were viable non-violent alternatives to stopping him. I also don't like war, but so many men at the time didn't have a real choice and the ones who did refuse were treated very poorly. The propaganda and peer pressure was unimaginable, and they were made promises about what a wonderful life they would come back to. So I feel very differently about people who went to war in WW1 and WW2 than people who went to war in, say, Iraq.