November 10/13

I guess the soldiers and veterans of war fought and died for our freedom to be total assholes.

My respect for the poppy as a symbol was diminished when I found a Reddit (discussed earlier this week) page where the Canadian Legion had threatened the Reddit page administrators because they were using a picture of the poppy, which the Legion has trademarked.  The comments about the fight were enlightening, as veterans weighed in, and were decidedly split...many had no love or respect for the Legion and think it's a self-serving, selfish organization for its jealous protection of its trademark, while others just asked for the poppy to be changed out of respect to veterans and don't have much to say about the Legion itself.  These are veterans...being told that a picture of a poppy is enough to instigate a lawsuit.  Is that not perverse?  These are people who our leaders tell us fought to protect our freedoms, and that includes the freedom to be a pacifist in a white poppy or to say things we don't agree with.

I've watched this year's battle over the white poppy unfold on my social media, and really, instead of seeing anyone try to understand the history of the white poppy, or why some would choose to wear it, I see defensiveness and name-calling on both sides.  The last straw for me was very early this morning, when I was checking Twitter, and found a tweet by a Canadian singer/songwriter which called everyone who wears the white poppy, assholes.  Similarly, I'm seeing old friends use the language of name-calling and 'hate' and it angers me.

The thing is, I've seen and read about veterans who wear both: they wear the red to remember and pay respect to their fallen comrades, and they wear the white because they want to remember that what they went to war for was peace.  These people are few and far between, but they seem to be growing in ranks, if testimonials are any indication. 


The white poppy is not a new thing.  To the contrary, it has endured for nearly as long as the red poppy, but most people don't know that, thanks to shitty, biased reporting by "news" outlets like Sun News.  The white poppy began after a group of British WWI widows started wearing them and handing them out.  They lost husbands, brothers, sons, friends, and family members to war, and they wanted it to end.  It's important to remember the context: WWI was supposed to be the war to end all wars.  Those women and men wanted no one else to suffer the same kind of loss. 

So, if you see someone wearing a white poppy, before you start shouting sacrilege and calling them assholes, maybe stop and ask yourself if perhaps they haven't already sacrificed to the gods of war, and want everyone to remember it was all done in the name of Peace.

A little understanding...

...Wish you were here.