Do you wear one and if so why?

[Margaret Pilkington]

Originally Posted by Accyexplorer

In my eyes there is nothing at all honourable about war. Imo war is something that we (as human beings) should be ashamed of.Sadly, since the days of Blair, the unthinking masses have become conditioned and brainwashed to glorify war or so it seems.

Call my way of thinking what you will M, I'm of the firm belief that we are all part of 'one race' and killing others because they occupy another part of the planet is simply a display of savagery.
I'm also trying to understand why dropping a bomb on a family who are 'no threat' to us and blowing them to pieces is any different a terrorists who blows up innocent folk.
The former kills whilst dressed in a smart uniform after being brainwashed to see people as the enemy and not as human beings, the latter kills wearing normal clothes after being brainwashed to believe that those they are about to kill are the enemy and are different in some way.
The former takes his orders from his military commander. The latter takes his orders from his religious extremist commander. Both tend to obey unconditionally.
The end result is the same. We glorify and justify one and condemn the other.

People keep bleating on about Hitler to justify wars. Perhaps if they understood that the UK was arming the Nazis and the situation wasn't as black and white as the victors who wrote history make out, they may start to question things a bit more.
This link is worth reading to understand how Western companies profited by selling weapons to the Nazis during WWII:
https://libcom.org/library/allied-mu...ny-world-war-2

War is solely about profit. And then there were Finland's Jew people who fought on the side of the Nazis. And plenty of other facts folk won't have learned from any of their biased history books.
The Jews who fought for Hitler: 'We did not help the Germans. We had a common enemy' - Telegraph

Where was it that anyone has said that war is 'honourable'?
I certainly have neither said or implied any such thing.

You cannot be ashamed of something over which you had no control.
If you asked those conscripted men if they would want to go and fight....or if they would prefer to stay home with their families and loved ones then I think I know what their answer would be.......they did not think war was honourable, but they thought that their country was honourable.

They honoured their country by laying down their lives for it........and therein lies a subtle difference.....I think it is probably too subtle for you to grasp.
So you think I have been brainwashed and conditioned to glorify war?
What part of my post do you not understand? All of it, it seems to me.

As for being part of one race....why don't you see if those who are fighting for IS believe that. They are slaughtering their own kind, they commit genocide......and what would you do about it then........you would not wage war on them in spite of their barbarism in the treatment of the people they see as their enemies???....so no Geneva Convention rules for them then.

Whether or not the UK was arming the Nazis has no part in this discussion......it is irrelevant, because it is in the past and cannot be changed.
War is not only about profit(although it does play a large part) it is about men wanting power over other men...it is about removing the freedom of ordinary people to satisfy the ego of men.
It is men who start wars...men who are egocentric and desire power...kudos...want to go down in the history books...but for all the wrong reasons.
The sands of history are shifting...moved by the people who want to wipe out elements which were present, but were unpalatable....how is anything at all in a theatre of war palatable anyway.

Jason, it doesn't matter how you cut it...this is another thread which was started with the aim of being contentious......if people agree with you then that is fine and dandy, but when they don't agree then you have to accept that too.

I think the consensus here, is that we wear our poppy to signify the respect for the men and women in all conflicts who fell in the aim to keep us free....to remember them and the great sacrifice they made on our behalf.

[cashman]

[QUOTE=Margaret Pilkington;1123131

Jason, it doesn't matter how you cut it...this is another thread which was started with the aim of being contentious......[/QUOTE] ----------------- That is exactly why ive changed me opinion to he is stupid. To be contentious about ordinary people that lost life/seriously injured/ etc, shows no respect at all to families who lost people, anyone that does that to me, just likes to hear there own voice n is rather pathetic as well imho.

[Barrie Yates]

I think that Cashy's signature block says it all with regard to the originator of this thread.

[Eric]

Originally Posted by Accyexplorer

I'm sure most of you are aware it's that time of year again when folk are wearing poppies.
The 11 November marks Armistice Day, ending the First World War.
This day and Remembrance Day (the nearest Sunday to 11 November) is reserved as a day of respect and reflection for those who have served (and those who continue to serve) in the Armed Forces.
The traditional symbol of this day is the 'red' poppy, I think it's suppose to represent the carpet of poppies that grew amongst the churned earth of No man’s land.

You may ask yourself 'who wouldn’t support such a selfless cause?'.....

..Well i personally associate the poppy with war and bloodshed and think it's a shame that a charity has to support our troops when clearly it should be the MOD.Therefore I feel uncomfortable wearing one

I'm sure we all appreciate the classic comics history lesson ... as if most of us have been meandering thro' life blissfully unaware of armistices, world wars, and poppies.

And thanx for letting us know how you interpret the symbolism of poppies. And if you are uncomfortable wearing one, try not sticking yourself with the pin.

Maybe one could consider that there is no contradiction, nothing illogical about supporting the troops past and present, and being opposed to war.

[Eric]

Originally Posted by westendlass

My grandad, William, was shot, patched up and sent back to the trenches twice in the first world war. He was one of the lucky ones, he survived. I wear a poppy in honour of his and all the people that bravely fought so that we could live in freedom.

Same thing for my grandad too ... that's him ... my avatar ... Pvt. Albert Edward Ashton, Kings Own Regiment (Lancaster). He survived until '48.

[Rowlf]

I always wear my poppy out of respect of those who fought and died doing their duty for their country. My dad never liked the saying ' they gave their lives' he said they had their lives taken away. Two great uncles of mine were killed in the first world war and I always think of them at Remembrance time.I go to the service at the local cenotaph and I wear my dads medals with pride too not to glorify war but out of respect. There is far too little respect these days.

[dotti34]

Accyexplorer. You ask why do people wear a red poppy – a stupid question as you know the answer, or if you don’t then you should! The poppy is worn to remember the fallen, not to glorify why they fell. It is worn to show respect and our gratitude to those who made the supreme sacrifice.

Like most right-minded people I abhor war, it is cruel, it makes no sense, and nothing seems to ever be learnt from it.

However, on November 11th, AccyX, whether you are wearing a red poppy or not, I hope you spare a thought for those who gave their lives so that today you, too, can smell the roses.

[DtheP47]

Originally Posted by dotti34

Accyexplorer. You ask why do people wear a red poppy – a stupid question as you know the answer, or if you don’t then you should! .

Lots of replies to AccyX in a similar vein dotti...

As my old dearly departed mate Wandering Walter Horan used to say "Never have a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent"

[Margaret Pilkington]

It isn't a battle of wits though is it?
It is a contrived thread.....to what end?

[Margaret Pilkington]

Once upon a day no one would dream of asking the question, and people wore the poppy.....then some belligerent PC oiiks started imbuing the poppy with politicised nonsense and folk who really could not put two thoughts together jumped on the band wagon......thinking they were making some kind of radical statement.

We owe the men(and women) who gave their lives, a debt of gratitude.
If you do not wish to wear a poppy, then don't,but for goodness sake save us from all the justificating claptrap.

[Guinness]

Originally Posted by Accyexplorer

In my eyes there is nothing at all honourable about war. Imo war is something that we (as human beings) should be ashamed of.Sadly, since the days of Blair, the unthinking masses have become conditioned and brainwashed to glorify war or so it seems.

Call my way of thinking what you will M, I'm of the firm belief that we are all part of 'one race' and killing others because they occupy another part of the planet is simply a display of savagery.
I'm also trying to understand why dropping a bomb on a family who are 'no threat' to us and blowing them to pieces is any different a terrorists who blows up innocent folk.
The former kills whilst dressed in a smart uniform after being brainwashed to see people as the enemy and not as human beings, the latter kills wearing normal clothes after being brainwashed to believe that those they are about to kill are the enemy and are different in some way.
The former takes his orders from his military commander. The latter takes his orders from his religious extremist commander. Both tend to obey unconditionally.
The end result is the same. We glorify and justify one and condemn the other.

People keep bleating on about Hitler to justify wars. Perhaps if they understood that the UK was arming the Nazis and the situation wasn't as black and white as the victors who wrote history make out, they may start to question things a bit more.
This link is worth reading to understand how Western companies profited by selling weapons to the Nazis during WWII:
https://libcom.org/library/allied-mu...ny-world-war-2

War is solely about profit. And then there were Finland's Jew people who fought on the side of the Nazis. And plenty of other facts folk won't have learned from any of their biased history books.
The Jews who fought for Hitler: 'We did not help the Germans. We had a common enemy' - Telegraph

Yet another copy/paste

Do you wear a poppy..? ? General Discussion Forum ? Smeggy's Forums ? smeggys.co.uk

Do you ever have an original thought?

[Eric]

Originally Posted by DtheP47

"Never have a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent"

Maybe we could make an exception for Kevin ... nowt wrong wi' havin' a bit of a laff now and then.

[Margaret Pilkington]

The obvious answer would have to be 'NO'.

[Less]

Well I've been out since early doors and am happy to report that unlike the thread starter, lots of ex service people and other folk have been proudly remembering those that fought and those that fell so that he can criticise their efforts by telling us we are glorifying war rather than the sacrifice.

[Restless]

I dont wear one. Not for any person reasons other than I don't like pinning/sticking stuff to me, never have done.