Poppies & Remembrance Day

[villa89]

It's all gone very American support our troops. It's just another charity fundraiser raising money to pay for something the government should already be paying for. Just like many other charities they cover up government underfunding. 

[HKP90]

On 05/11/2018 at 21:17, Zatman said:

I look forward to the comments section 

I know it's years old but I'm just seeing that video for the first time and tbf it's brilliant.

[Spoony]

I personally feel the poppy has lost all meaning and if anything is becoming an indicator of a more right wing viewpoint, rather than to remember the fallen. The public poppy politics is exhausting and increasingly absurd and the whole period just seems to be dominated by boomers posting ‘lest we forget’ stuff all over social media. It just feels like posturing over anything else now, which is a shame as it never used to feel like that growing up. 
 

FWIW I’m from a long line of serving military from my dad, his dad, his dad etc, so remembering is important to me and very very important to my dad in particular, but the poppy is no longer a key part of that to me. 

[Mic09]

3 minutes ago, Spoony said:

I personally feel the poppy has lost all meaning and if anything is becoming an indicator of a more right wing viewpoint, rather than to remember the fallen. The public poppy politics is exhausting and increasingly absurd and the whole period just seems to be dominated by boomers posting ‘lest we forget’ stuff all over social media. It just feels like posturing over anything else now, which is a shame as it never used to feel like that growing up. 
 

And here is the issue. 

You want to wear the poppy? fine. You want to wear rainbow shoelaces? Fine. You want to wear a cardboard box over your head? Feel free to do so.

Everyone should do what they want to do. If a poppy means something to someone, wear it. Don't give a shit if someone thinks it's right wing, left wing, Mao communist, who cares. 

Each person wearing anything even remotely connected to some thought process should do it for themselves - not because of social media or politics.

Anyone with a bit of self reflection should leave 'viewpoints', 'ideologies' or 'social media' out of their decision making. 

[meregreen]

If I ever doubted the validity of wearing my poppy, I only have to be with my mates son, who lost both legs to an IED in Afghanistan. Whatever the merits of any war, it’s the men who sacrificed so much that the poppy is remembering. It’s little enough.

[blandy]

And women, but yeah.

[foreveryoung]

Its also not just about wearing it, the money it raises goes to the armed forces community, an they certainly need it.

[ThunderPower_14]

I'm someone who struggles with military based public holidays etc. Obviously Australia has basically no history of war apart from wars fought on the other side of the world, but Australia still tries to have a fairly strong national identity based around the defence force which bothers me quite a bit.

England obviously has a much darker history of war and conquest and there is a lot more baggage that comes with celebrating that, and unfortunately it's part and parcel of honouring conscripted teenagers who made the ultimate sacrifice in WWI. You can't separate the two.

I don't see an issue with how McClean does it. His position is strong and reasonable, and he holds it despite people using it as a culture war stick to beat him with. And it's that culture war stuff that really pushes this sort of thing into the limelight. Right wing types who want to push their militaristic views and want to normalise the celebration of war spouting outrage. It's all very American.

Another factor to consider is that you just know the loudest and angriest of the people threatening him would be against a pride badge and would celebrate players refusing to wear it.

[meregreen]

4 hours ago, ThunderPower_14 said:

I'm someone who struggles with military based public holidays etc. Obviously Australia has basically no history of war apart from wars fought on the other side of the world,

 

Really. The Aussies who were taken prisoner by the Japanese in Singapore, fought some of the most vicious battles in Burma, New Guinea, Australian naval forces who took part in operations in the Pacific. Even, for a short period, Vietnam in the 60s. Not exactly wars fought on the other side of the world. Perhaps we do need Poppies to remind us after all

Edited November 2, 2023 by meregreen

[Adam2003]

59 minutes ago, meregreen said:

Really. The Aussies who were taken prisoner by the Japanese in Singapore, fought some of the most vicious battles in Burma, New Guinea, Australian naval forces who took part in operations in the Pacific. Even, for a short period, Vietnam in the 60s. Not exactly wars fought on the other side of the world. Perhaps we do need Poppies to remind us after all

Plus they lost that war with the emus in 1932. 

[The Moustache of Teale]

3 hours ago, Adam2003 said:

Plus they lost that war with the emus in 1932. 

[The_Rev]

This was actually a thing.   (Emu war) 

[Vancvillan]

As a kid I always took the poppy as a symbol for remembering those who made an unthinkable sacrifice in war.

Reading his comments I see how it's different depending on where you're from. Hard not to respect that.

The irony of Lest We Forget while at least two wars rage on isn't lost in me either. I'm not sure we've remembered much of anything.

[Dodgyknees]

47 minutes ago, Vancvillan said:

As a kid I always took the poppy as a symbol for remembering those who made an unthinkable sacrifice in war.

Reading his comments I see how it's different depending on where you're from. Hard not to respect that.

The irony of Lest We Forget while at least two wars rage on isn't lost in me either. I'm not sure we've remembered much of anything.

I always see it as the fact I can respect our war heroes but I don’t need to wear a poppy to do that. I haven’t worn one since I was at school and I don’t plan on buying one. Wearing or not wearing doesn’t make me a better person, it means I’m grateful to those who allow us the freedom of choice through their efforts and to those who have died so that I can choose.

[Mic09]

On 02/11/2023 at 05:42, ThunderPower_14 said:

I'm someone who struggles with military based public holidays etc. Obviously Australia has basically no history of war apart from wars fought on the other side of the world, but Australia still tries to have a fairly strong national identity based around the defence force which bothers me quite a bit.

in WW2 alone, Australia (at that point a much less inhabited land) suffered around 100,000 casualties, around 35k of those died. 

In 1940 Australia had about 7 million people - meaning 1 in 70 Australians have suffered in combat. 

As someone mentioned above, they were involved in some of the most intense fighting in the pacific as one of the key battlegrounds.

They were involved in the battle of the Coral Sea, a prequel to the Midway battle, one that has probably helped to end the pacific war by at least a couple of years.

[tomav84]

  

2 hours ago, Dodgyknees said:

I always see it as the fact I can respect our war heroes but I don’t need to wear a poppy to do that. I haven’t worn one since I was at school and I don’t plan on buying one. Wearing or not wearing doesn’t make me a better person, it means I’m grateful to those who allow us the freedom of choice through their efforts and to those who have died so that I can choose.

starting an off topic thread as it's a valid discussion but this is pretty much how i feel. my issue now is, that whilst it doesn't make you or i a better person for wearing one, NOT wearing one leaves you open to attack, that apparently we don't care or are in some way disrespectful. i've a family lunch next saturday...i'll be wearing one just to avoid the comments/arguments. i remember and respect everyone that fought...including my grandfather...and do not feel like i need to wear a poppy to do so.

[sidcow]

I'm going to buy an extra super big poppy, with glittery bits to catch the eye, just to show how much better I am at remembering soldiers sacrifice than everyone else is.

[Dodgyknees]

1 hour ago, tomav84 said:

  

starting an off topic thread as it's a valid discussion but this is pretty much how i feel. my issue now is, that whilst it doesn't make you or i a better person for wearing one, NOT wearing one leaves you open to attack, that apparently we don't care or are in some way disrespectful. i've a family lunch next saturday...i'll be wearing one just to avoid the comments/arguments. i remember and respect everyone that fought...including my grandfather...and do not feel like i need to wear a poppy to do so.

I support a local charity that supports homeless veterans. I don’t shout about it. I have 3 charities that I donate to monthly. I don’t feel I could to do anything more than what I am.

If my circumstances get better, I’ll do more at that point. 

[LondonLax]

1 hour ago, sidcow said:

I'm going to buy an extra super big poppy, with glittery bits to catch the eye, just to show how much better I am at remembering soldiers sacrifice than everyone else is.

I think the right wing types call that ‘virtue signaling’. 

[Genie]

1 hour ago, sidcow said:

I'm going to buy an extra super big poppy, with glittery bits to catch the eye, just to show how much better I am at remembering soldiers sacrifice than everyone else is.

I’m going to get a poppy tattoo on my face