Re: rememberance : Tue Nov 08, 2011 7:37 pm  

Dally wrote:

One thing I feel guilty of is rarely (if ever) buying a poppy. Whilst I do like to remember the fallen and have visited war cemetries and cenotaphs, I have always felt that the overt wearing of a poppy as well as paying respects to the fallen (which I like to do) also serves to glorify war publicly. It is for the latter reason that I have always been uncomfortable with it. Far better to remember quitely on your own, IMO (rather like being humble and quiet about giving to charity). I now await the inevitable criticism for being unpatriotic, etc.

I am not one who frequently agrees with you, Dally, but I come very close on this.

I don't begrudge the money in any way, shape or form – although I do get annoyed that our governments do not properly look after the men and women they send to their dirty work, and rely instead on our charity.

Personally, I've never felt that the poppy glorifies war – I've always seen it simply as a remembrance thing. But I do understand why some might.

I do wonder, sometimes, about how many people buy one without really thinking abut the meaning: does that matter?

Re: rememberance : Tue Nov 08, 2011 7:49 pm  

Mintball wrote:

I am not one who frequently agrees with you, Dally, but I come very close on this.

I don't begrudge the money in any way, shape or form – although I do get annoyed that our governments do not properly look after the men and women they send to their dirty work, and rely instead on our charity.

Personally, I've never felt that the poppy glorifies war – I've always seen it simply as a remembrance thing. But I do understand why some might.

I do wonder, sometimes, about how many people buy one without really thinking abut the meaning: does that matter?

It may not glorify war per se but it has instuitionalised / 'establishmentised' the act of remembrance in a way that arguably serves to encourage rather than deter further generations of would-be soldiers.

Re: rememberance : Tue Nov 08, 2011 8:03 pm  

Dally wrote:

One thing I feel guilty of is rarely (if ever) buying a poppy. Whilst I do like to remember the fallen and have visited war cemetries and cenotaphs, I have always felt that the overt wearing of a poppy as well as paying respects to the fallen (which I like to do) also serves to glorify war publicly. It is for the latter reason that I have always been uncomfortable with it. Far better to remember quietly on your own, IMO (rather like being humble and quiet about giving to charity). I now await the inevitable criticism for being unpatriotic, etc.

Not at all, stick a quid in the collecting tin and help the RBLA do the work that HM Government should be doing but won't - you don't have to take or wear a poppy.

Re: rememberance : Tue Nov 08, 2011 8:06 pm  

McLaren_Field wrote:

Not at all, stick a quid in the collecting tin and help the RBLA do the work that HM Government should be doing but won't - you don't have to take or wear a poppy.

Good point. In fact, I think I may have done that when I was younger.

Re: rememberance : Tue Nov 08, 2011 8:08 pm  

Dally wrote:

One thing I feel guilty of is rarely (if ever) buying a poppy. Whilst I do like to remember the fallen and have visited war cemetries and cenotaphs, I have always felt that the overt wearing of a poppy as well as paying respects to the fallen (which I like to do) also serves to glorify war publicly. It is for the latter reason that I have always been uncomfortable with it. Far better to remember quietly on your own, IMO (rather like being humble and quiet about giving to charity). I now await the inevitable criticism for being unpatriotic, etc.

tbh thats I'd agree with all the above, aside from feeling guilty about not buying a poppy. I'll drop a few quid in the collections, but can't remember the last time I took a poppy.

Re: rememberance : Tue Nov 08, 2011 8:46 pm  

The major problem I found with poppies was the fact the bloody things would never stay on anything for more than 10 minutes. So this year I bought a couple of the poppy lapel pins, at least they stay where you want them

Re: rememberance : Tue Nov 08, 2011 9:33 pm  

Been listening to the Jeremy Vine "The Songs My Son Loved" items this week, very touching, hard to listen to but also uplifting - there are five half hour interviews this week with mothers who's sons have died in Iraq or Afghanistan, speaking of their lads and playing music that they found on their iPods after they had died - they are appearing on the BBC R2 iPlayer page as they are broadcast, have a listen.

Re: rememberance : Tue Nov 08, 2011 9:37 pm  

Friday will be a bit more special for me. It would've been my old man's 90th birthday, so at 11.00am on Friday 11 November 2011, I'll be pouring a dram and drinking to you pop.

Re: rememberance : Tue Nov 08, 2011 9:50 pm  

cod'ead wrote:

Friday will be a bit more special for me. It would've been my old man's 90th birthday, so at 11.00am on Friday 11 November 2011, I'll be pouring a dram and drinking to you pop.

Our old men share a birthday then, mine was born 11/11/23 so thats, erm 88 then ?

Re: rememberance : Tue Nov 08, 2011 9:54 pm  

Mine will be Captain Morgan rum and Stones ginger wine, the old man's favourite tipple 'til he developed type 2 diabetes and they told him to drink whisky instead. After that it was 1 litre of Bells a day