Poppies

[The Boofon]

It's gone too far this nonsense now. I'm sure I'll be in the minority here but give me strength. This Tower of London display as nice as it looks is a load of bollocks. As is the outcry over the Wigan player not wearing one.

 

Poppies used to be about showing a bit of respect for the dead in both world wars. Now it seems like wearing a poppy commemorates fucking everything to do with British Army/Navy/RAF.

 

Scunnered of it. A minute's silence tomorrow yes of course but please let's stop lambasting people on the telly because they aren't wearing one.

 

 

[Henry]

Couldn't agree more.

[AndrewW]

It feels far too imperialistic and celebratory for my liking.

[Bluto10]

Modern life is rubbish

[Ke1t]

It's gone too far this nonsense now. I'm sure I'll be in the minority here but give me strength. This Tower of London display as nice as it looks is a load of bollocks. As is the outcry over the Wigan player not wearing one.

 

Poppies used to be about showing a bit of respect for the dead in both world wars. Now it seems like wearing a poppy commemorates fucking everything to do with British Army/Navy/RAF.

 

Scunnered of it. A minute's silence tomorrow yes of course but please let's stop lambasting people on the telly because they aren't wearing one.

 

 

 

 

Have youself a +1 from me, you hairy bastard.

[360]

To be fair to these female presenters that wear shiny ones the size of bin lids they just care a little bit more than we do.

[Bluto10]

I show my respect by not give g a shit about who does or doesn't west a poppy

[Ke1t]

To be fair to these female presenters that wear shiny ones the size of bin lids they just care a little bit more than we do.

 

 

That's an interesting thought.

 

Is there a direct correlation between poppy size and amount of caring?

 

So, realistically, someone with a giant poppy could harangue someone with a small poppy for not caring enough...

 

"You cunts are phoning it in... look how much I care, you no-caring, tiny-poppy wearing motherfuckers!"

 

[ollie1903]

 

 

That's an interesting thought.

 

Is there a direct correlation between poppy size and amount of caring?

 

So, realistically, someone with a giant poppy could harangue someone with a small poppy for not caring enough...

 

"You cunts are phoning it in... look how much I care, you no-caring, tiny-poppy wearing motherfuckers!"

 

I think that may actually be a red gerbera, but nonetheless , she cares a lot.

[dave_min]

I think that may actually be a red gerbera, but nonetheless , she cares a lot.

Nonsense.

 

If the bitch can't be bothered even finding the right flower she's probably at least in Isis.

[Cowie]

Went to the tower today.

The scale is something else.

Bollocks it is not.

[Terrorfex]

 

 

Poppies used to be about showing a bit of respect for the dead in both world wars. Now it seems like wearing a poppy commemorates fucking everything to do with British Army/Navy/RAF.

 

Feeling the love there, Boofon. Don't put yourself out on my account though.

[ollie1903]

Nonsense.

 

If the bitch can't be bothered even finding the right flower she's probably at least in Isis.

Was she looking for a poppy? Do we know this for sure?

[BrianFaePerth]

While the reason for poppies is not lost on me, it has become a farce.

 

Every fucker, regardless of background, seems to be forced to put a poppy on when appearing on tv in the 2 weeks leading up to 11 November.

[The Boofon]

While the reason for poppies is not lost on me, it has become a farce.

 

Every fucker, regardless of background, seems to be forced to put a poppy on when appearing on tv in the 2 weeks leading up to 11 November.

 

 

My point in a nutshell.

[At The Border Guy]

While the reason for poppies is not lost on me, it has become a farce.

 

Every fucker, regardless of background, seems to be forced to put a poppy on when appearing on tv in the 2 weeks leading up to 11 November.

 

Worked in a few public-facing jobs where I've been told I had to wear one. Temped in a Government building where there was sometimes media crews floating about and was told I had to wear one at all times there as well. It's a giant load of bollocks these days.

 

Quite simply, if we're at the stage where people have to wear them whether they want to or not, then the folk who fought and died to 'protect freedom' obviously fucking failed.

[davieb]

 

Worked in a few public-facing jobs where I've been told I had to wear one. Temped in a Government building where there was sometimes media crews floating about and was told I had to wear one at all times there as well. It's a giant load of bollocks these days.

 

Quite simply, if we're at the stage where people have to wear them whether they want to or not, then the folk who fought and died to 'protect freedom' obviously fucking failed.

 

What would have happened if you hadn't worn one?

[DD1903]

I can see your point Boof. I always wear a poppy as I had several family members who fought in WWII and want to show my respect for what they did. Normal guys who signed up or were told to go. Anyway, for me they push the forces thing now to try to get the younger generation who don't have family who fought in the world wars involved in supporting the 'poppy cause'.

[Ke1t]

I can see your point Boof. I always wear a poppy as I had several family members who fought in WWII and want to show my respect for what they did. Normal guys who signed up or were told to go. Anyway, for me they push the forces thing now to try to get the younger generation who don't have family who fought in the world wars involved in supporting the 'poppy cause'.

 

I lost a grandfather to the Jerries, and good on him for fighting for actual freedom as opposed to the current wars we fight to steal other people;s shit.

 

I won't be pressured into wearing a fucking poppy by a bunch of mental cripples who buy into the whole, 'Place the military on a pedestal' bullshit, though.

 

In my opinion the whole hero-worship of the military in America is way, way beyond a joke, and it;s starting to get that way in Britain too. Right now it's "Place your hand on your heart for the heroes in our armed forced" on every media outlet you care to watch, A bunch of celebrities are paraded across our screens, placing their hands on their hearts, in a high-profile parade of showing everyone just how patriotic and worshipful they are towards the military... and hey, you Schmoes should do it too, otherwise you're an unpatriotic prick.

 

Well, how about no?. How about you take your overt, bullying patriotic shite and fuck off? How about you go on TV to show how worshipful you are of health workers, or scaffies, or plumbers, or any of the other folk who genuinely make life better for us, instead of rampaging around foreign countries killing and displacing men, women and children we've no reason to be bothering? You won't see that because there's no personal glory for Will Smith in going on telly to put his hand on his heart for the guy who fixes fridges, or the lassie who works the tills at Safeway.

 

I've no issue with soldiers, sailors, or any of the other men and women in the military, but I will be fucked if I'm going to be pressured into worshiping them like they're better than any other person.

 

You're paid to do a job, just like the rest of us, get on with it... and no, there'll be no fucking poppies or hands on heart for doing the job you volunteered to do, Sorry.

[Terrorfex]

I'd argue this country has, until very recently, been quite indifferent - if not actively hostile - towards its own military. Still, fight the power. You'll show that poppy a thing or two.

[Ke1t]

I'd argue this country has, until very recently, been quite indifferent - if not actively hostile - towards its own military. Still, fight the power. You'll show that poppy a thing or two.

 

I'm not addressing what has gone before, I'm addressing where we're at and where we're headed.

 

The poppy is a symbol of enforced conformity, here it's 'hand on your heart'. It's at the stage where the act of burning a poppy is subject to screaming headlines in every newspaper.

 

Plenty people are cool with being told what to think, how to feel, who to worship, and why they HAVE to wear a poppy and be outraged if someone doesn't wear one, of course.

 

Personally I find that disturbing.

[dervish]

It's gone too far this nonsense now. I'm sure I'll be in the minority here but give me strength. This Tower of London display as nice as it looks is a load of bollocks. As is the outcry over the Wigan player not wearing one.

 

Poppies used to be about showing a bit of respect for the dead in both world wars. Now it seems like wearing a poppy commemorates fucking everything to do with British Army/Navy/RAF.

 

Scunnered of it. A minute's silence tomorrow yes of course but please let's stop lambasting people on the telly because they aren't wearing one.

 

 

 

+1 from me with the caveat that I do think the display is very powerful (and worthwhile). The bams latching on to it for self edification should be treated with the contempt they deserve though.

[Terrorfex]

Surely the reason some are outraged by the idea of burning a poppy is because of what that has come to symbolise. You might not agree with that symbology, but that doesn't make it any less understandable as to why those reactions happen.

[Ke1t]

Surely the reason some are outraged by the idea of burning a poppy is because of what that has come to symbolise. You might not agree with that symbology, but that doesn't make it any less understandable as to why those reactions happen.

 

The paradox there is that the poppy/American flag represents those who fought and died for freedom, including freedom of speech. Burning a flag or a poppy is an expression of the freedom of speech that those men, and women, allegedly died for. Arresting, attacking, fining, or imprisoning those who chose to express their freedom of speech is in fact in direct contradiction of what those symbols stand for.

 

Ironically it's those who attempt to prevent such expressions of freedom who are, in fact, attacking the very foundations of what those icons represent.

[tutankamun]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-UGv4XsEWQ&sns=em

[Terrorfex]

I wouldn't dispute the paradox, but attacking a symbol for being ill-handled by some of its believers isn't particularly helpful and isn't the fault of that symbol. I am fully cognisant of the painful brand of patriotism the Americans pedal which is ever on the cusp of being sickly, but that's America. Not here and like I said prior - this country has historically utterly failed to recognise the contributions of its military. This is something that only really began to change with Telic and Herrick in Iraq and Afghanistan. Two weeks of some paper poppies, some school children visiting war graves and two hours on BBC One in the Albert Hall on Remembrance Sunday doesn't seem an outrageous demand.

[Guest]

I've never worn a poppy and never will.

 

This doesn't mean that I wore a Germany scarf for the world wars. I wasn't even alive then.

 

It is the propaganda surrounding the remembrance that offends my instinct.

 

Very many good men died in the wars.

 

Innocent men.

 

Innocent young men, many of them.

 

Innocent kids.

 

As if this wasn't tragic enough, the UK government continues to allow young kids to die.

 

In the name of wars.

 

That are not real wars. But travesties.

 

The poppy does not represent anything consistent.

 

It has become a joke and it represents a lie, an instrument to engender conformity to state sickness.

[Terrorfex]

I can tell you that even if you were right, and the poppy was some sinister symbol of state control and propaganda, it's been "adopted" (in your system view, not mine) by a lot of decent people to remember a lot of other decent people.

 

I hope you're not too offended, though.

[Ke1t]

I wouldn't dispute the paradox, but attacking a symbol for being ill-handled by some of its believers isn't particularly helpful and isn't the fault of that symbol. I am fully cognisant of the painful brand of patriotism the Americans pedal which is ever on the cusp of being sickly, but that's America. Not here and like I said prior - this country has historically utterly failed to recognise the contributions of its military. This is something that only really began to change with Telic and Herrick in Iraq and Afghanistan. Two weeks of some paper poppies, some school children visiting war graves and two hours on BBC One in the Albert Hall on Remembrance Sunday doesn't seem an outrageous demand.

 

It's not the institutionalised remembrance I have a problem with. In fact the low-key treatment that the British military was subject to was, to my mind, a good thing. I see the UK follow the Yanks down that slippery slope of deification of the military, though, and that's decidedly not a good thing.

 

The glorification of the military leads, has led in America, to the demand that atrocities perpetrated by US military be allowed to go unpunished. The US military committed nothing less than war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan, but the media, and therefore a public led by the nose, insist that 'our boys' don't commit atrocities, regardless of the atrocity committed.

 

The poppy, once a symbol of genuine remembrance, has been hijacked by the chickenhawks and the the weak of mind, to represent something other than that which it was originally intended, that being the British soldiers who fell in battle. Now it's merely a glorification of militarism. The American flag went that way a long time ago.

 

It's probably a manifestation of the increasing nationalism and radicalism around the world right now, but it's still shite all the same.

[Guest]

A lot of decent people died in the "great" wars.

 

A lot of decent people continue to die in the illegal wars.

 

Poppy-wearing people are not decent.

 

They are thick establishment-brainwashed cunts.

 

Indecent people without brains nor courage.

 

No surprise there then. 55% of this country are fearty thick bastards.