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EEvery year they become more uncontrolled. crazy “where are you opiumBrigade, that is, who are swift and merciless to publicly shame anyone foolish/thoughtless/adventurous who appears on national television in November without proudly wearing a red amulet on their chest. Celebs beware! For high-profile celebrities, attending any kind of event without even noticing it is too much to ask for. After all, the grip of social media on the Internet means you can be “outed” to you anytime, anywhere, by anyone with a smartphone.
This week, three people have already become the target of the attacking mob. was the first loose Women Presenter Charlene White, who was forced to defend herself After appearing on the chat show poppy-less. again it was my turn good morning britainKevin Maguire will face the proverbial firing squad. After all, Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy scored this unholy victory when, standing in for Labor leader Keir Starmer at PMQs on Wednesday, he surprisingly seen with empty lapelsThere was a commotion on the benches behind him; A badge hastily put forward by MP Kelvin Bailey, a former RAF officer Attached to Lamy’s jacket By Bridget Phillipson, Minister for Women and Equalities.
What made the whole incident even more ridiculous was that the poppy in question belonged to a particular regimental regiment – making Lammy feel as if he was “pretending to serve in the armed forces”, as one draftsman keep it – And it was pinned to the right side of his jacket, that is, to the wrong side. The poppy is worn on the left side, similar to military medals.
Clearly, these people are not poppy turncoats either. Lammy attributed his mistake to the fact that he was wearing the new suit to impress his godmother. Maguire had in previous years shared his decision not to wear it for the coming days Remembrance SundayWhich is falling on 9th November this year.
And, in an emotional Instagram post earlier this week, White revealed that she does, in fact, wear the poppy, off air, and donate Royal British Army In honor of his late father, who served in the RAF. On air, she takes broadcast impartiality rules seriously – and says presenters are not allowed to show support for charities while on screen. “You may not agree with me, and I really don’t expect everyone to, but disagreement doesn’t legitimize abuse,” she said. “This is not what my father, my uncles, my close friends and millions of others served for.”
While Lammy and Maguire have served their share of punishment for this alleged crime, White, as a black woman, has been subjected to what she described as a campaign of “hate, vitriol and racism” that has gone on since 2013. The Royal British Legion has stepped out in the past to support White, writing a letter saying: “Those who bullied you should be ashamed of their behaviour.”
This is one of countless examples of how demonstrative poppy wearing has become inherently toxic in some areas, straying so far from the original appeal’s purposes – honoring the fallen, and supporting today’s armed forces veterans – that it has devolved into absurdity.
There are very few, if any, equivalent situations in which failure to wear specific material would attract immediate wrath. If a person is not wearing a rainbow outfit during Pride Month, it is not automatically assumed that he or she is homophobic. If someone marches for peace for Palestine without a keffiyeh, people don’t jump to the conclusion that they’re a Netanyahu supporter. Why does the poppy come with its own strange rules that are completely different from reality?
The fact that so much insult and abuse has been hurled at people because of the absence of a £2 paper flower (which has a tendency to fall off a jacket at the slightest provocation) has turned it from a nice show of support into yet another piece of weaponized propaganda in the never-ending culture wars.
In fact, the whole effort is so politically charged that some people are starting to think twice about even wearing a poppy because of the message it might send. A friend told me, “On principle I wouldn’t wear it anymore.” “The crazy reaction people get when they don’t eat the poppy… the whole thing is racist.” Another acquaintance put it this way: “I’ve got nothing against the charity side of it, but at this point, the Venn diagram of people who would kick you out if you didn’t wear a poppy and people who would happily hang an England flag on a lamp post is basically a circle.”
You may not agree with me, and I really don’t expect everyone to, but disagreement doesn’t legitimize abuse.
charlene white
And indeed, as St. George’s Cross has tragically become synonymous with racism And thanks for the anti-immigration sentiment.”Operation Enhance Colorcampaign across the UK, backed by Tommy Robinson and co-opted by far-right groups, so Poppy feels it may be at the pinnacle of its image problems. The fact that White, herself the daughter of a veteran, has been the victim of racist abuse due to her failure to wear poop is irrefutable evidence of how much the meaning of the symbol has been distorted by bad actors.
There is an alternative to not wearing poppy and that is to wear it white poppy seeds Instead, like mark rylance Did it earlier this week. Wolf Hall The actor was seen wearing the Alternative Remembrance Flower, which is sold by the Peace Pledge Union (PPU), whose profits go towards promoting peaceful alternatives to war, campaigning against militarism and peace education work. This is far from a new initiative; white poppy seeds First produced in 1933 by the Co-operative Women’s Guild, consisting mostly of women who had lost their husbands, fathers, sons, brothers and friends in the First World War. They were concerned by the increasing militarization of remembrance events, and saw the dissonance between the red poppy and the need to work for peace.
The white poppy represents three things: remembrance for all victims of the war, both military and civilian; Challenge any attempts to glorify or celebrate the war; And commitment to peace. Late, great poet and writer Benjamin Zephaniah One fan said: “I love wearing my white poppy… We have to remember all the victims of war, not just a select few. And we have to work towards a world where there is no war.” This year, Rylance is taking up that responsibility publicly, speaking at the National Alternative Ceremony of Remembrance, an annual event that remembers all victims of war and highlights the importance of actively working for peace.
“Unfortunately, wars today are fought with and against civilians, and I consider it a crime not to remember their suffering,” he has said of his decision to support the white poppy campaign, having previously argued that the white poppy “is in no way a protest against the red poppy worn in memory of military casualties”.
Today wars are fought with and against civilians, and I consider it a crime not to remember their suffering
mark rylance
Of course, all this has already angered some sections of the media. One newspaper called it the “controversial” white poppy movement; Others have termed it “woke”; One third described it as “dangerous”. All this calls for peace as well as a call to remember not only the civilians killed or affected by war, but also the armed forces personnel.
As Geoff Tibbs, Remembrance Project Manager at the PPU, says: “The white poppy is sometimes unfairly accused of being offensive. In fact, by wearing the white poppy we honor all victims of war – by remembering their suffering and making an active commitment to peace. A clarion call for peace is now desperately needed at a time of genocide, global instability and rising military spending.”
Every way, Wear whatever poppy you chooseBut lest we forget, many of our fallen soldiers knew the true horrors of war and sacrificed their lives in the fight against fascism. He fought for freedom of expression. An alternative badge is not an insult to their memory – but it may justify inflicting disgusting abuses on others in the name of patriotism.