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Or Victoria?
I don't consider it a political statement.
I should also point out that when you buy a poppy, you're contributing money to the Legion which goes to support veterans and that, to me, is worth putting a few bucks in a jar.
If you think "they died for our freedom" is a piece of propaganda designed to justify and rationalize past and future wars fought by the poor on behalf of those who rule them, then remembrance day and all its associated paraphernalia is very political indeed.
If you want to know what a poppy means to a person wearing it just ask--but be prepared that they may not be able to condense that down to 10 words or less. And that is okay.
Not everything has to be a single soundbite.
To say that we remember people who went out to fight for freedom should not be so loathsome-- this is what they were told and this is what they believed-- and therefore this was part of their motivation-- and many were given no choice in the matter. That participation in a war can be misguided is another matter that has a lot less bearing on the guy sent to the front line. That many of these people were working people and that social class played a role in who went, and what their experience was is another fact that should not be forgotten.
If anything from this discussion, we could agree that those who wear or do not wear a poppy have many different reasons and why not ask each person theirs rather than assume that they have become some kind of imperialist by putting one on.
I have a lot of respect for those writing their personal reasons on both sides here and a lot less respect for the simplistic moralists who seem to want to lecture to others on the form of expression they should take and predefine what that means. Many symbols get co-opted and some will always want to benefit from that -- but this is not a reason to allow them exclusivity in the discussion. I certainly do not want the memory of war and those who died to become the exclusive domain of those who would happily repeat the exercise and appreciate those who both express that they remember while arguing for peace.
But then I am a veteran of Canada's armed Forces.
The simple fact is you all have a choice because of some others who also would wear it today.
If they hadn't died so we could argue its significance.
I FORGOT AGAIN. I was going to order a few boxes this year to hand out! (Not sell, of course...wouldn't want the Legion's lawyers coming after me...)
I thought this post was relevant: Nice post. I thot the Legion supported freedom of speech. Didn’t their veterans fight so that we could wear ANY poppy? Or did they just fight for RED poppies? Did my uncle die in WWII for RED opoppies only? I don’t think so. The RCL glorifies all ALL wars, and wants the monopoly to do so. So a plague on their house!
but also taking up an arts and craft moment - design and wear your own. Or throw the red poppy into bleach and let it sit as the colour bleeds out.