Poppys

The poppy has, through no fault of its own, become a 'look at me' symbol, as attention seekers look at ways to think of more extravagant ways of outdoing last years attention seeking. What's wrong with how it used to be, you'd buy a poppy of the guy from the british legion and then wear it on remembrance day. Now we have 'rivers' of poppys, football kits with poppys, emergency vehicles with poppys, everybody on TV wearing one weeks before november 11th etc. And if you dare to disagree with this like James McClean and not wear one you are chastised as some sort of Devil character. I always put some money into the collection tin as a small token of my appreciation of what was sacrificed by others for future generations benefit. But i do not wear a poppy because of the hysteria that has come to surround it. It doesn't make me think any different, i just refuse to be forced to do something because of pressure from sections of the public and media.

 

A sign of the times. What's the point in remembrance and respect if you haven't got an audience to witness you doing it? You only need to look at Facebook to see the hollow carnival of disingenuous bullsh*t that surrounds every single tragedy and death. Nothing is personal anymore. Not one to knock the younger generations but this is the number one failing at the moment. Look no further than the Leicester City tragedy last week for the latest dose of mawkish insincerity!

 

Funny you mention the Leicester tragedy because your sentiments mirror my thoughts on that one. Talk about milking every last drop out of it. I know it was a tragic event but the days of remembrance with a respectful one minute silence have been replaced with a media circus and a full weeks schedule of events.

 

Even braced myself on here before posting about Leicester. Is it tragic? Of course it is. He sounded like a damn good bloke but when it comes to stuff like this there is such a display of false emotion. I had to turn off the radio this weekend listening to some of the 'heartfelt' messages of condolences and breast beating by people who a) hadn't heard of the guy before last week and b) will have totally forgotten about the accident already.

 

Each to their own as far as I’m concerned. If you don’t want to wear one fine, if you want to wear one fine.

The whole idea of a free nation and freedom of speech/expression is that you get to choose. Everyone banging on about it disrespecting the people who died to deliver freedom during the war(s) seem to forget that the freedom that those people died for allows you to choose whether to wear a poppy or not.

 

I've bought one, as I do every year. Not worn it yet, and if I do it will be on the 11th if I go out on Sunday. Can't say I really notice when people wear them, or really care tbh, certainly don't disrespect the dead but your choice if you actually want to honor people you never met or knew.

 

Just seen that the Rochdale captain tonight will present the Leicester City U21 captain with a floral tribute. When does this actually stop?

 

I think the remembrance of the 100 years of the first world war is different and worth the extra, The men and women who went to war were volunteers not the regular army or called up, They volunteered to fight for both their country and for the freedom of Europe, They gave up families, wives, children and in most cases their future for a cause and freedom that a lot would not see and would die for others freedom, They deserve some recognition be it by a poppy or something else, They were brave volunteers who died for our ours and Europes freedom and deserve just a moment of thought on Sunday.

 

Except a lot of people didn't volunteer, they were coerced, shamed or didn't know what they were letting themselves in for, and ended up dying horrendous and pointless deaths at an extremely young age. That doesn't make it any less tragic, but mindlessly valorising these people achieves nothing. If we really want to respect those who died then we should be focused on preventing something similar from ever happening again, rather than rewriting history to glamorise stupid and wasteful wars.

 

That is your point of view and are entitled to it, Of course the real point is that they fought and died to preserve your right to have those views, I doubt you would do the same for them, They will always be remembered for the selfless sacrifice to ensure the freedoms we now enjoy

 

Totally agree some of the stories of the terrible slaughter that happened brought a tear to my eye.
A local lad who was only16 was given a " white feather" so the kid signed up lying about his age, packing what he needed and went to the front.
His mother found out wrote a letter to the army and the reply was your son has been killed in action on the first day.
I could never get into my head what those poor souls thought when the command came to them in the trenches "up and over" knowing there were German machine guns awaiting them, cannon fodder.
They gave their lives for what we have today.