The vitriol and exclusion directed at those in society who choose either not to wear red poppies, or to wear an alternative, such as white poppies, is more substantial than you might think. Whether we’re talking about figures in the national news, like Charlene White, the ITV presenter, or our own previous YUSU president, Sam Maguire, who faced a vicious Tab article for sending someone in his place to a Remembrance Sunday parade, or shop assistants refusing to speak to white poppy wearers, tensions run high.
The main problem I have with this is how much it tars all with the same brush. People choose these forms of dissent for very personal reasons, and to think people disrespectful or (in the instance of choosing not to wear a poppy at all) even necessarily pacifist is prejudging their opinions. In the instance of the Tab article on Maguire, for example, there was a demonstrable lack of understanding of the complexities of Irish and Northern Irish politics, where not wearing a poppy is neither a commitment to pacifism nor a symbol of disrespect.
But really I can only talk fully about my own motivations for wearing a white poppy. Personally, it is a symbol of respect for all my ancestors, just as the red one may be a symbol of respect for yours. I have ancestors who were imprisoned and persecuted for their beliefs and convictions, and for me Remembrance should be about remembering all the victims of war, not just some. To remember those thousands of prisoners of conscience who, in this country barely a hundred years ago, were imprisoned, force fed, kept in solitary confinement, shot, left with criminal convictions, sent to hard labour camps, driven to suicide, and denied jobs after the war.
The white poppy has that inclusivity, and the ability to represent a campaign for better rights for all impacted by current conflict. Remembrance should be about fighting for the rights of current innocent bystanders, conscientious objectors, journalists and doctors caught up in fighting, as well as former soldiers. Our memory should not be selective, nor should our campaigns.
Personally, I also think it adds to solemnity. Remembrance Sunday for me is about sorrow. It is not about designer poppy jewellery or grand ceremonial marches. It is about standing in solemn silence and thinking about the vicious loss war rips through all in our society. About saying never again.
It is most certainly not about installing a military funfair outside YUSU the week before Remembrance Sunday to try and get some recruits. I think my ancestors who did go off to fight for ‘King and Country’ would find that deeply offensive and deeply contrary to the principles of Remembrance. So in part my wearing of a white poppy is a salute to them and their memory too.
My wearing of a white poppy is not to claim moral superiority over red poppy wearers. Rather, it is to remember a wider section of society, and to remind them of what a red poppy means. It is to challenge and get people to think. It is to stop our memory of so much sorrow and death turning into a fairground attraction to get more signed up to ‘play the game’.
Have always been uncomfortable with red poppies as they’re worn by so many without a second thought – I certainly didn’t think about it as a school child. I went one year without one, though donated money, and a good friend of mine took issue with it, having close family members in the armed forces. A white poppy is, to me, the perfect compromise. I do not only mourn the soldiers; I mourn the fact the war happened at all.
OMG WHO. THE. HELL. CARES.
This is very similar to the Black Lives Matter vs All Lives Matter discussion. I don’t think there’s a need to update the list of included victims. If you wish to commemorate your ancestors, I’m sure there’s another holiday for that. So take it or leave it.