Is it unpatriotic to wear a poppy ?

Tarzan007

Since we are coming up to Armistice Day, two friends of mine had a (surprisingly) heated discussion on people in Ireland wearing a poppy. Obviously one was for it, the other against it. To be honest, I think it's ok to have some sort of remembrance, but my friend who was against it did make a good point that it's too closely associated with the British Legion and a pompous celebration of imperialism.

So people, is wearing the poppy wrong or right ?

Degsy

A guy in work was wearing one last year and he was being called "Poppy the Sailor Man" which i found funny.

mink_man

yes..yes it is....

arybvtcw0eolkf

Personally I think its ok to wear one.

I buy one every year, but thats just me - I could care less what other people think.

But ya know, there are some extremely narrow minded people in this country who refuse to let go of the past - fvck you I say, your yesterdays man.

soundsham

wore a maris piper last year.........

kerrs pink this year for me

artanevilla

It's ironic that that flower is now funding the killing of British soldiers in Afghanistan.

Tarzan007

Degsy wrote: »

A guy in work was wearing one last year and he was being called "Poppy the Sailor Man" which i found funny.

It's something I've thought about anyone wearing a poppy, I can imagine the smart comments some of those who dislike it.

phasers

I was in London a couple of years ago around this time and a woman in an undeground station tried to sell me a poppy. I said no thanks and I thought she was going to kill me.

oppenheimer1

Degsy wrote: »

A guy in work was wearing one last year and he was being called "Poppy the Sailor Man" which i found funny.

Your place of work (which I occasionally frequented) is probably the only place in the country where you see people wearing the poppy, apart from maybe the airport.

phasers

Occasionally Frequented? Is that possible?

Sheeps

Why would it be unpatriotic? If anything it would be patriotic. Lots of Irish men lost their lives in the war too.

kowloon

Quite a few people are upset at the BNP wearing them. :rolleyes:

oppenheimer1

phasers wrote: »

Occasionally Frequented? Is that possible?

For two weeks a year I'd be there every day!!:D

TheCandystripes

why would an irish person wear one of those poppys?(altho having said that i cant understand why irish support british football teams but maby its just me)

Degsy

oppenheimer1 wrote: »

Your place of work (which I occasionally frequented) is probably the only place in the country where you see people wearing the poppy, apart from maybe the airport.

A lot of how shall we say..west brits in my place.

dan719

The amount of Irish people killled in WW1 is huge. Any Irish person who wishes to wear a poppy to commemorate these men is more than entitled to do so.

Dan Dare

artanevilla wrote: »

It's ironic that that flower is now funding the killing of British soldiers in Afghanistan.

I suppose it is ironic. I don't think it is unpatriotic at all to wear one.

arybvtcw0eolkf

artanevilla wrote: »

It's ironic that that flower is now funding the killing of British soldiers in Afghanistan.

You should familiarize yourself with the workings of the British Legion before making stupid statements like that.

You see, often around here people like you can go below the radar for a time - post something idiotic & get stuck with a label you'd rather not have.

Btw, you do know that The Organisation for National ex-service men & women will offer similar service's to members of the Irish Defence Forces who are also serving with ISAF in A'Stan?.

I applaud these organisations.

oppenheimer1

Degsy wrote: »

A lot of how shall we say..west brits in my place.

Thats one way of putting it. The hidden memorial around the back of your building is usually adorned with poppies this time of year too, iirc.

Seillejet

I was on a stags in Manchester two years ago and one of the lads bought one and wore it. The lads gave him dogs. Fair play to him though he stuck to his guns.

Degsy

oppenheimer1 wrote: »

Thats one way of putting it. The hidden memorial around the back of your building is usually adorned with poppies this time of year too, iirc.

Is this the memorial to the bloke that was killed during the rising?

TheZohanS

Degsy wrote: »

A lot of how shall we say..west brits in my place.

Remembrance Day – also known as Poppy Day, Armistice Day (the event it commemorates) or Veterans Day – is a day to commemorate the sacrifices of members of the armed forces and of civilians in times of war, specifically since the First World War. It is observed on 11 November to recall the end of World War I on that date in 1918. (Major hostilities of World War I were formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 with the German signing of the Armistice.)

Degsy

TheZohan wrote: »

Remembrance Day – also known as Poppy Day, Armistice Day (the event it commemorates) or Veterans Day – is a day to commemorate the sacrifices of members of the armed forces and of civilians in times of war, specifically since the First World War. It is observed on 11 November to recall the end of World War I on that date in 1918. (Major hostilities of World War I were formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 with the German signing of the Armistice.)

Do the germans wear it too?

oppenheimer1

Degsy wrote: »

Is this the memorial to the bloke that was killed during the rising?

I think it is, or at least it was. The plaque was changed a year or two ago, to something more general I think.

MistyCheese

Degsy wrote: »

Do the germans wear it too?

Queen Lizzy does.

3hn2givr7mx1sc

I think they look a bit ghey.

My name is URL

I wouldn't buy or wear one, even if it was solely an Irish thing

I refuse to perpetuate violence, or romanticize war for the sake of posterity

Queen-Mise

100,000 irish men and woman lost their lives in world war 1. Compare that to the few hundred of 1916. The irish in the trenches were disgusted with the rising and felt betrayed by it. This can be seen from many many letters of the time.

Of course all of us should wear the poppy. It is one of the biggest disgraces of our nation that these men and woman arent remembered. They came home to a country that didnt want to know them.

Instant Karma

Cali Handsome Opium wrote: »

You should familiarize yourself with the workings of the British Legion before making stupid statements like that.

You see, often around here people like you can go below the radar for a time - post something idiotic & get stuck with a label you'd rather not have.

Btw, you do know that The Organisation for National ex-service men & women will offer similar service's to members of the Irish Defence Forces who are also serving with ISAF in A'Stan?.

I applaud these organisations.

Way to miss the point. The poster is referring to the drug trade.

arybvtcw0eolkf

My name is URL wrote: »

I wouldn't buy or wear one, even if it was solely an Irish thing

I refuse to perpetuate violence, or romanticize war for the sake of posterity

Cool that you have the freedom to make those choices!.

Sea Sharp

I don't wear one, purely because I don't care.

If ya like, spray-paint it green in memory of the young Irish lads who lost their lives/

minidazzler

If they are on sale around cork I will get one. I used to be retarded about this type of thing, then I stopped being so.

Millions of people died fighting in WW1, it's a shame, and they should be remembered.

It's quite funny actually last year I was with my RDF unit and we had an Artillery Shoot on 11th November. Our First rounds landed at 1100. It's strange because the last rounds fired at the End of the war were on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.

Noone thought of this except me, which I was quite proud of, so proceeded to tell everyone who would listen.

It was on the 90th Anniversary too which made it kind of poignant I think.

artanevilla

Cali Handsome Opium wrote: »

You should familiarize yourself with the workings of the British Legion before making stupid statements like that.

You see, often around here people like you can go below the radar for a time - post something idiotic & get stuck with a label you'd rather not have.

Btw, you do know that The Organisation for National ex-service men & women will offer similar service's to members of the Irish Defence Forces who are also serving with ISAF in A'Stan?.

I applaud these organisations.

I wasn't referring to the actual poppies sold for remembrance purposes, but the opium and heroin trade which funds the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Daroxtar

Cali Handsome Opium wrote: »

Cool that you have the freedom to make those choices!.

Why wouldnt he?

Ruu_Old

I wear a union jack suit with my poppy.

mega man

its not unpatriotic for a British person to wear the poppy.
it is unpatriotic for an Irish person to wear the poppy as you are supporting a foreign force.

BQQ

Cali Handsome Opium wrote: »

Cool that you have the freedom to make those choices!.

only since 1921.
Before that we wouldn't have had that freedom.
(Like many of the Irish that died in WW1 weren't free avoid dying because of conscription)

empirix

yes - i am narrow minded and staying that way!:p

seanybiker

baz2009 wrote: »

I think they look a bit ghey.

+1
Full of the ghey them things

minidazzler

mega man wrote: »

its not unpatriotic for a British person to wear the poppy.
it is unpatriotic for an Irish person to wear the poppy as you are supporting a foreign force.

They weren't a Foreign Force the year the Armistice was signed.

This would be one year I would definitely wear it. The Last Tommy did die this year so it's definitely something I will look into getting.

Dyr

If you want to honour those brave chappie's who died in the service of the british empire massacring pesky natives across the globe then it's fine, otherwise wearing one just means you're naive or full of sh*t.

I would suggest a jaunty cap in black and tan to round out the look

Robbo

Ruu wrote: »

I wear a union jack suit with my poppy.

I thought I was the only one.

Bring a long a bottle of Pimms to my ceremonial burning of Wolf Tones CDs and Celtic shirts like a good chap.

mega man

minidazzler wrote: »

They weren't a Foreign Force the year the Armistice was signed.

This would be one year I would definitely wear it. The Last Tommy did die this year so it's definitely something I will look into getting.

correct me if i'm wrong but isnt the poppy commerorating all British servicemen killed in all conflicts?

philologos

There's not a bit wrong with wearing a poppy to recognise those fallen in WW1, WW2 or any other war. It's absurd to think that people are even saying that it is unpatriotic considering how many people from Ireland were at the frontlines with the British Army.

It's best to be as inclusive as possible with the concept. All who have died civilians or soldier should be thought of, war is something that has scarred human history and to take a day out to honour it is nothing less than what should be done I would have thought?

Instant Karma

If you feel you have to wear a poppy, why not buy and wear a white one?

Agricola

Its abit of a gray area for me. I wouldnt wear one as I would view it as supporting / remembering a foreign force, specifically the British Army. At the same time, alot of Irish people died in that war and they should be some form of commemoration for them.
Just because they lived in an Pre-Independence Ireland doesnt make them unfit to get a suitable tribute.

mega man

does the poppy commemorate those who died in the massereene barracks attack in 2009?

Snowie

Did Irish men not fight in the second world war and join the english army?
Do irish men a women join the english army yes they do.
did the english army fight against these people called nazis I beleave they did
did a lot of them die for generations of freedom to come? I beleave they did.

Did they fight and for them selves or because if they had'nt we'd be under nazi rule?
More then likly, wearing a popppy shows your aprication to men who invaded normandy got there legs blown of blown up into tiny peaces, got shot in the head, stud on mines gave there lives not just that but the men who drowned at sea to the men who actually made it out of there.

mega man

is this the same army that opened fire in Croke Park?
was this the same army that murdered civilians in Derry?
sorry i must me living in the past.

i'd say there were irish soldiers in the british forces at that time too but sure we will turn a blind eye to it.

philologos

I just find it unbelievable that sectarianism / nationalism obstructs something as simple as honouring the dead at war in 2009.

Queen-Mise

I would think so. Died in a conflict situation.

I had that forgotten till you said it.