What Does Someone Wearing The Poppy Represent To You?

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Smurf

Smurf

Private Member
Joined
May 15, 2003
To me it is a dignified way of paying our respects to those who paid the ultimate sacrifice. It isn't celebrating any war. It isn't about passing any judgement on the merits or justification of war.

You?
 
Smurf said:
To me it is a dignified way of paying our respects to those who paid the ultimate sacrifice. It isn't celebrating any war. It isn't about passing any judgement on the merits or justification of war.

You?
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Pretty much the same.
 
Smurf said:
To me it is a dignified way of paying our respects to those who paid the ultimate sacrifice. It isn't celebrating any war. It isn't about passing any judgement on the merits or justification of war.

You?
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pretty much the same as me, the only thing that bothers of is the poppy police and the fact the the bigots on both sides have hijacked the poppy.
 
Smurf said:
To me it is a dignified way of paying our respects to those who paid the ultimate sacrifice. It isn't celebrating any war. It isn't about passing any judgement on the merits or justification of war. You?
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Same here.I've always found it odd that some people can't differenciate between being anti-war and still caring about the people who risk life and limb so we don't have to.
 
Cannae be bothered with those that sneer and look down on those of us who choose not to wear a poppy. I'll decide how and when I keep dead soldiers in my thoughts and I don't need to make a public statement of collective national mourning either. Combined with the gunts appropriation the whole poppy thing I'll pass on it all.
 
southfieldhibby said:
Cannae be bothered with those that sneer and look down on those of us who choose not to wear a poppy. I'll decide how and when I keep dead soldiers in my thoughts and I don't need to make a public statement of collective national mourning either. Combined with the gunts appropriation the whole poppy thing I'll pass on it all.
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I'm with you batman :thumbgrin
 
I wear a red poppy to commemorate a tragedy. Fuck anybody who wears it to commemorate a victory.
 
southfieldhibby said:
Cannae be bothered with those that sneer and look down on those of us who choose not to wear a poppy.
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Nobody should be sneered upon or looked down on for choosing not to wear a poppy.

The issue for me is those that sneer and look down on those that do wear a poppy.
 
I dont often wear it bar if Im at a service but it is a charity I will always give something to. But I do see it as a means of remembering...and helping financially those who died or were injured in battle...not to glorify the battles. I imagine the Asians who have hit the news recently object that those who die for Isis, Taliban etc are not seen in the same way as the regular armies and only as terrorists in the same way as it was seen in Northern Ireland
 
Wear it to remember my grandfather who served in ww2 and how it affected the rest of his life. I'm incredibly proud of his role in allied landings at Anzio and on D-Day.
The poppies without a pin are quite shite though


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I never wear one. I have nothing but respect for the soldiers who fought in the great war and ww2. I just don't wear a poppy.
 
I'm not keen - I think its been appropriated by those who seek to justify their wars and stir British nationalism. I don't sneer at people who do wear it (well maybe apart from those who wear the posh 'leafy' versions) but I hate the conformity displayed in public/media life (Jon Snow the exception) and I also do find myself wondering about why individuals are wearing it - for me there are totally valid reasons to wear it but equally there and totally vacuous reasons for doing so as well - my (mild) frustration is not knowing which is in the mind of the wearer.....The charity seems sound enough but its not one of mine.
 
My reasons for not contributing to the haig fund are personal reasons.

My grandad on my dads side was a POW, captured by the germans and was in stalag luft 11 from where he escaped and made it back to "blighty", anyway, we had all hit upon hard times in the early 70`s and my grandad Charlie had had a stroke and could no longer look after himself properly and my dad would never see him in a home, so he moved in with us and we had nowt , nae room or money, nothing, in fact looking back we were in abject poverty , so back then my grandad needed help after his stroke and part of this was he needed calipers for his legs and these were not available on the NHS, so being an old soldier my dad applied for help from the EARL HAIG fund and this was denied , he went up with his war records ,everything,appealing to them, nothing , we got the help we needed from another charity who got wind of this case and supplied these calipers, for which we were very grateful , but my dad who was a very lovely charitable man, vowed from that day forward he would NEVER contribute to their fund again, and this from a man who would go without leccy in the meter for a week just to give YOU and i mean YOU, a fiver if you needed it.
I regularly contribute to the help for heroes and other such charities but draw the line at the haig fund , i know there will be people here whose families have benefited greatly from this charity and i thank them for that, even if my personal view is somewhat tainted, and it was a long time ago, and the charity has had a few "guises" since then but i believe that charity should be there for the needy and believe me , back then there was not many more needy than my family at that time .
Apologies for the rant.
 
wee_hissy said:
My reasons for not contributing to the haig fund are personal reasons.My grandad on my dads side was a POW, captured by the germans and was in stalag luft 11 from where he escaped and made it back to "blighty", anyway, we had all hit upon hard times in the early 70`s and my grandad Charlie had had a stroke and could no longer look after himself properly and my dad would never see him in a home, so he moved in with us and we had nowt , nae room or money, nothing, in fact looking back we were in abject poverty , so back then my grandad needed help after his stroke and part of this was he needed calipers for his legs and these were not available on the NHS, so being an old soldier my dad applied for help from the EARL HAIG fund and this was denied , he went up with his war records ,everything,appealing to them, nothing , we got the help we needed from another charity who got wind of this case and supplied these calipers, for which we were very grateful , but my dad who was a very lovely charitable man, vowed from that day forward he would NEVER contribute to their fund again, and this from a man who would go without leccy in the meter for a week just to give YOU and i mean YOU, a fiver if you needed it.I regularly contribute to the help for heroes and other such charities but draw the line at the haig fund , i know there will be people here whose families have benefited greatly from this charity and i thank them for that, even if my personal view is somewhat tainted, and it was a long time ago, and the charity has had a few "guises" since then but i believe that charity should be there for the needy and believe me , back then there was not many more needy than my family at that time .Apologies for the rant.
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Nowt tae apologise for man. Not a rant either. A lot of charities forget what and who they are meant to help. Didnae ken your granda but knew your dad. Your description of him is Spot on. Great man.
 
To me, it's just a way of showing that I am aware of the sacrifices that many have made . It's a time of year when all political views on the matter are put aside and pay respect to all who have served their country when the powers have requested them.

I wear it with pride and sadness.
 
I've never wore a poppy and probably never will, however i have no issues with folk that do. Just not into the whole war thing if truth be told.

Does anyone find it odd that every TV presenter whether it being a front man or pundit wears a poppy - giving that the majority of folk in the streets don't.

To answer Smurf's question, The poppy to me represents ...

The gentleman whose idea it was to start the poppy, General Earl Haig, who was responsible for gross incompetence on the battlefield in which thousands perished.
 
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For me personally it's been hijacked to a certain extent which makes me uncomfortable. I'll remember my Granddad (and his comrades) who fought and was wounded in WW1 with a Royal Scots battalion from Leith. He narrowly missed the Gretna Train disaster and died before I was born.

l'll also remember the innocent civilians killed by the British Army in NI, Iraq and Afghanistan. I know you have to separate the politics from the remembrance and my disgust at Westminster's foreign policies but it seems to be more difficult these days.
 
Canon Hannan said:
For me personally it's been hijacked to a certain extent which makes me uncomfortable. I'll remember my Granddad (and his comrades) who fought and was wounded in WW1 with a Royal Scots battalion from Leith. He narrowly missed the Gretna Train disaster and died before I was born.

l'll also remember the innocent civilians killed by the British Army in NI, Iraq and Afghanistan. I know you have to separate the politics from the remembrance and my disgust at Westminster's foreign policies but it seems to be more difficult these days.
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do you remember the innocent civilians murdered by terrorists in those countries?
 
I've no problem with anyone that doesn't want to have poppy I buy one for the memory to my grandad who served in the first world war and survived one of the lucky ones as the saying goes it was lions led by lambs

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Nobody should need to justify not wearing a poppy.

And neither should anyone who wears one.

We live in weird times where everything is twisted for a motive.
 
I always wore one, but don`t these days.

The "commercialisation" used these days truly sickens me.

Like the tripe rolled out year on year, whilst we, 100 years on, still send teens to their death. It was about oil then, as it is now.

Baghdad to Berlin pipeline anyone?

Those KIDS massacred for National greed, not pride, fills me with woe.

My family members and their mates (I have their pics/postcards) who never returned, saddens me.

So, without feeling the need to don one, regardless of where I am, or am supposed to be, I observe the waste, carnage and horror, at the alloted time. And many times in between. I remember ALL of the victims, in my own way.

Help4Heroes is a pocket-lining charity, where loads of skimming takes place, Earl Haig indeed, and the fact that Westminster are trying to take a cut of the ceramic Poppies sold, fills me with vile disgust.

This is in no way political, but the fact that Governance sent these souls to their deaths, failed to support the survivors, yet still see it as a revenue-raising initiative, is beyond even MY imagination of irony.

I won`t wear one, I smile a rueful smile when I see them though, and embrace ANYONE who sees fit to do so.

I don`t feel the need to wear a red tissue-paper cut-out, to tell me when to remember them.

I`ll do that on my own terms thanks.

May God bless the fallen.

May Satan continue to "bless" the protagonists. :sad
 
Zitellis Heid said:
I always wore one, but don`t these days.

The "commercialisation" used these days truly sickens me.

Like the tripe rolled out year on year, whilst we, 100 years on, still send teens to their death. It was about oil then, as it is now.

Baghdad to Berlin pipeline anyone?

Those KIDS massacred for National greed, not pride, fills me with woe.

My family members and their mates (I have their pics/postcards) who never returned, saddens me.

So, without feeling the need to don one, regardless of where I am, or am supposed to be, I observe the waste, carnage and horror, at the alloted time. And many times in between. I remember ALL of the victims, in my own way.

Help4Heroes is a pocket-lining charity, where loads of skimming takes place, Earl Haig indeed, and the fact that Westminster are trying to take a cut of the ceramic Poppies sold, fills me with vile disgust.

This is in no way political, but the fact that Governance sent these souls to their deaths, failed to support the survivors, yet still see it as a revenue-raising initiative, is beyond even MY imagination of irony.

I won`t wear one, I smile a rueful smile when I see them though, and embrace ANYONE who sees fit to do so.

I don`t feel the need to wear a red tissue-paper cut-out, to tell me when to remember them.

I`ll do that on my own terms thanks.

May God bless the fallen.

May Satan continue to "bless" the protagonists. :sad
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Agree with every word of that Zitelli.

Like you I use to wear a poppy but the "commercialisation" sickens me.

Lockheed Martin UK Announced Headline Sponsors of The Poppy Rocks Ball Lockheed Martin

The link above to me says it all.

Lockheed Martin is a military corporation that produced trident nuclear missiles.

It is fucking sponsoring the poppy appeal, I mean what the fuck :dunno:

I will never buy another poppy, but I will take time to remember those who took part in all wars, the living and the dead. The poor fighting the poor so the rich can get richer.

My Grandfather fought in WW1 as a runner. He was badly injured by a mortar that killed two of his colleagues that were killed outright. After that he had had enough. After being taken to Ireland to recuperate he decided to go AWOL. He jumped on a ship to Canada and remained there until the armistice.

My Grandad saw how futile war was and decided not to take part in the madness. I have nothing but pride for him.

May God indeed bless the fallen, but also those who lived and live with the scars of war.
 
southfieldhibby said:
Cannae be bothered with those that sneer and look down on those of us who choose not to wear a poppy. I'll decide how and when I keep dead soldiers in my thoughts and I don't need to make a public statement of collective national mourning either. Combined with the gunts appropriation the whole poppy thing I'll pass on it all.
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Dub said:
I'm with you batman :thumbgrin
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Lexo said:
I never wear one. I have nothing but respect for the soldiers who fought in the great war and ww2. I just don't wear a poppy.
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gun ainm said:
I'm not keen - I think its been appropriated by those who seek to justify their wars and stir British nationalism. I don't sneer at people who do wear it (well maybe apart from those who wear the posh 'leafy' versions) but I hate the conformity displayed in public/media life (Jon Snow the exception) and I also do find myself wondering about why individuals are wearing it - for me there are totally valid reasons to wear it but equally there and totally vacuous reasons for doing so as well - my (mild) frustration is not knowing which is in the mind of the wearer.....The charity seems sound enough but its not one of mine.
Click to expand...

Sunshine on Leith said:
I've never wore a poppy and probably never will, however i have no issues with folk that do. Just not into the whole war thing if truth be told.

Does anyone find it odd that every TV presenter whether it being a front man or pundit wears a poppy - giving that the majority of folk in the streets don't.

To answer Smurf's question, The poppy to me represents ...

The gentleman whose idea it was to start the poppy, General Earl Haig, who was responsible for gross incompetence on the battlefield in which thousands perished.
Click to expand...

All of the above summarise my thoughts. I salute each and every one of the fallen, those brave men and woman who gave up their lives for us, whether we supported it or no. Rest in Peace, you were brave.

Equally I support our right not to have to wear a poppy and think it shameful James McLean feels he has to defend his right to an opinion.
 
Zitellis Heid said:
I always wore one, but don`t these days.

The "commercialisation" used these days truly sickens me.

Like the tripe rolled out year on year, whilst we, 100 years on, still send teens to their death. It was about oil then, as it is now.

Baghdad to Berlin pipeline anyone?

Those KIDS massacred for National greed, not pride, fills me with woe.

My family members and their mates (I have their pics/postcards) who never returned, saddens me.

So, without feeling the need to don one, regardless of where I am, or am supposed to be, I observe the waste, carnage and horror, at the alloted time. And many times in between. I remember ALL of the victims, in my own way.

Help4Heroes is a pocket-lining charity, where loads of skimming takes place, Earl Haig indeed, and the fact that Westminster are trying to take a cut of the ceramic Poppies sold, fills me with vile disgust.

This is in no way political, but the fact that Governance sent these souls to their deaths, failed to support the survivors, yet still see it as a revenue-raising initiative, is beyond even MY imagination of irony.

I won`t wear one, I smile a rueful smile when I see them though, and embrace ANYONE who sees fit to do so.

I don`t feel the need to wear a red tissue-paper cut-out, to tell me when to remember them.

I`ll do that on my own terms thanks.

May God bless the fallen.

May Satan continue to "bless" the protagonists. :sad
Click to expand...

I agree with what you say, especially the commercialisation of it all
I see the queen and all our great leaders :hmmm at the cenotaph and I think " well stop fucking sending them off to war you bunch of cants.

However I wear mine simply as a mark of respect , the people who really paid the price had no say in where , what or why. Hopefully someone who has lost a loved one , see's people wearing a poppy and takes some comfort that the common man does appreciate the sacrifices many have made .

When I was a kid, it was poppy time, you wore a poppy on the lead up to Remembrance Sunday , it made me stop and think about wars and dieing etc It made me ask my granda who was a " desert rat" ( the other was casualty ) about his experiences. Otherwise I doubt I would have ever have gave it a second thought.

Not wearing one is almost giving in to the razzmatazz of it all . It was a simple act as a kid and I keep it that way now.
 
Wannabehibee said:
Whilst I agree with some of what you say above @taysidehibee, I feel that there are a load of folk wearing poppies who don't even give a second thought to the whole point of it, especially the younger generation.


I unfortunately had to watch Strictly last night as I was at my parents, every single one of them was wearing a razzmatazz poppy. What for?
"Oh look, that tit from TOWIE is wearing a poppy, think I'll go get me one of them".
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It's become a fashion thing as you say
 
Impeccable 2 minutes silence observed in Dobbies at uphall this morning. Very few poppies on show but a big show of respect.


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broonieboy said:
Impeccable 2 minutes silence observed in Dobbies at uphall this morning. Very few poppies on show but a big show of respect.


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A lack of poppies at the garden centre :rascal:
 
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