White poppy denigrates remembrance: Legion

[Praxius]

CBC News - Prince Edward Island - White poppy denigrates remembrance: Legion

The Royal Canadian Legion is upset over a new campaign launched by the Island Peace Committee on Prince Edward Island.

The Legion wants the group to stop distributing white poppies. The Legion's red-poppy campaign is underway, selling the traditional symbol in remembrance of those who died in war.
Peace committee members say their white version stands for non-violent conflict resolution.

"The people who are distributing these poppies are normally people who have never spent a day in the service of their country in their lives," Jim Ross, president of the Legion's P.E.I. provincial command, told CBC News on Monday. "To denigrate a symbol of the remembrance of people who died for this country certainly is emotional."
Ross said the Legion owns the rights to the poppy symbol, and its national office will likely be writing the peace committee to ask it to stop the white-poppy campaign.​

​

Do you feel they should be allowed to sell their white poppies at the same time vets are trying to sell their red poppies for Remembrance Day?


Or should they stop?


Or should they perhaps just distribute their white poppies during another time of the year?


For me, I'd first like to know where the money for their white poppies is going to, or if people pay for them in the first place..... but secondly, if they're that up for distributing these poppies, fine.... but do it at another time of the year. As I see these, it's a protest against wars and violence, but it's also a direct attack on Remembrance Day itself by trying to distribute them during this time...... and if that's the case, then these idiots obviously do not understand what Remembrance Day is all about.


It's not about glorifying or promoting violence and war, it's about showing respect and remembering the sacrifices men and women made in order to stop tyranny and defend those who could not defend themselves..... most of these men and women were probably even younger then those handing out these white poppies and never had the chances to experience the freedoms, luxuries, let alone their own lives that these people take for granted.


Perhaps their message is to be a noble one, but their approach and their timing is pretty bad.

​

​

 

[petros]

They should be pink and white like the ones grown in Afghanistan.

 

[YukonJack]

Hopefully, Canadians realize and act accordingly, that eople who sell or wear white poppies just try to hide thereal colour of the streak on their back: YELLOW!

 

[petros]

Why are the Roman Legions offended? They worshipped Morpheus in all the colours and planted the poppy where ever they went. Poppies and opium are what made the Roman Legions so strong and fierce.

 

[lone wolf]

Why not just go with the ribbon?

 

[talloola]

remembrance day is about the fallen soldiers who died for our country, 'nothing' else on that day.

it's about flanders fields where the poppies grow, and the soldiers buried there and here.

the further away we move from the actual time there are more and more people who have less connection

to the true meaning of the day.

the fallen soldier. This is 'their' day and only 'their' day. Have respect.

the other opinions of war are valid, BUT don't belong among those on Nov 11, there are 364 other days

in the year, pick one, and use it for whatever you think.

 

[#juan]

If it is legal or okay to sell red poppies, why would it be illegal or not okay to sell white poppies? I have
no objection to the selling of white poppies but I will continue to buy the red ones.

To remember all those young men and women who fought against Hitler's tyranny is an honourable undertaking
as is remembering those who died in the first world war. We would include the Korean war as well but I have
mixed feelings about later conflicts like VietNam etc.

 

[Praxius]

If it is legal or okay to sell red poppies, why would it be illegal or not okay to sell white poppies?

The Legal argument is that they have the rights to the poppy image and these white poppies are a stolen idea used for a different purpose.....

The Social or Moral argument is that this attempt to hand out white poppies during Remembrance Day is conflicting the original and only message that's supposed to be sent through this time of the year.... and while they may want to have a voice against war and violence, using Remembrance Day as they are to spread this word is the totally wrong thing to be doing, considering Remembrance Day isn't about glorifying war or violence but to remember those lost from violence and war and to send the message to not let it happen again....... and while Remembrance Day sort of relates to what they're trying to get across by using the white poppies, We already have red poppies to send this message..... where the white poppies are more about "Forget about these guys, let's just not fight anymore and seek peaceful resolutions to our conflicts."

That's all well and good, but not during the time we're supposed to be focused on something else...... pull that crap later in the year, or earlier in the year...... and while you're at it.... use a different symbol.

That's the only reason why they're using poppies in the first place.... because it's the time of Remembering and the time where people wear the red poppy..... so they're leeching off that identity to pimp out their own message during the time another message is supposed to be recognized and respected.

And because of that, I agree, it's disrespectful and they shouldn't be doing it.

God Damn Hippies..... they make the rest of us pot smokers look bad.

 

[karrie]

I will happily buy my family red poppies. But I won't try to stop someone else from making their point too. From what I've read of the white poppy campaign they want to support the troops, remember the fallen, while stating unequivocably that they do not support future wars. I think that's a valid statement. Are they getting it across well? No. Are they timing it poorly? Hell yes. Would common sense dictate they not mooch fund raising from the veterans? Hell yes. Should they be stopped from speaking their piece? I guess for that answer you'd need to ask every last soldier who died for our freedom.

 

[#juan]

Why do we wear red poppies on Remembrance Day, November 11? Where did that tradition come from?
The poppy worn on Remembrance Day is the red-corn poppy, which grows abundantly in Europe, including Flanders Fields.
'In Flanders Fields' is a poem, written by Canadian physician and Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae on May 3, 1915, and was written about the small red flowers growing on the battlefields of France amongst the death and blood from the men who died fighting for their country.

This is because the corn poppy was one of the only plants that grew on the battlefield. It thrives in disturbed soil, which was abundant on the battlefield due to intensive shelling. During the few weeks the plant blossomed, the battlefield was coloured blood red, not just from the red flower that grew in great numbers but also from the actual blood of the dead soldiers that lay scattered and untended to on the otherwise barren battlegrounds.​

Source: en.wikipedia.org



The poem and the poppy, have now become iconic symbols of both the World Wars, and now plastic versions are sold prior to Remembrance Day to remember those who died.
The poem:

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders Fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders Fields.

- John McCrae

 

[Praxius]

I will happily buy my family red poppies. But I won't try to stop someone else from making their point too. From what I've read of the white poppy campaign they want to support the troops, remember the fallen, while stating unequivocably that they do not support future wars. I think that's a valid statement. Are they getting it across well?

While I agree with much of what you say and the following I didn't quote..... isn't the statement you just described the same statement that's supposed to be made with the red poppies?

If so, then what's with the redundancy?

We remember the fallen, support the troops while at the same time hoping to eventually end wars all together in order to prevent more people ending up being remembered in this way.

 

[karrie]

Actually, the notion of ending war isn't written into their campaign, as many soldiers feel that saying that is traitorous to soldiers serving currently.

 

[Praxius]

Actually, the notion of ending war isn't written into their campaign, as many soldiers feel that saying that is traitorous to soldiers serving currently.

I'm curious to where you heard that from specifically.... I wouldn't consider it traitorous unless the military started the war in question and had no intentions of peace, let alone ending it.

But this caught my eye:

Remembrance Day - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

....... A small number of people choose to wear white poppies to indicate a preference to look forward to peace rather than backward at the sacrifice. Those who wear the white poppy have, since their introduction in the nineteen twenties, expressed their desire for peaceful alternatives to military action, which may be due to a variety of reasons from the religious, the humanitarian, legal or economic. White Poppies may be home-made, or they are sold by the Peace Pledge Union [41] in the U.K. The Co-operative Women's Guild produced White Poppies in 1933, along with white poppy wreaths.[42] Some of the early white poppies were made of white silk and silver, with the word PEACE across the metal button at the centre.

So the only difference I see above between the two is a preference to "Look forward to Peace, rather then Backward at the Sacrifice."


^ To me, that's a mistake in concept.


History will repeat until we learn from our past mistakes and for generations continually coming into our societies, the only way they will understand this and to understand the pointlessness of war and why one should "Look forward to Peace" they need to first look back at our history and be exposed to the horrors and the losses from war in order to understand the full reason why one should look forward towards peace and try and resolve issues not through violent actions.


There's no point in moving forward if you don't understand where you've been..... and if it wasn't for these people being raised and educated when they were young about our history in these wars and the devastation that came from them.... they wouldn't understand their own reasons for creating this white poppy in the first place.


All my life I was raised to understand the red poppy as a symbol for the above and to hope each remembrance day for these types of wars and devastation to eventually end so that no more lives will be lost over such things. The soldiers and vets I've encountered and listened to when I attended the ceremonies always voiced the desire to have these wars and conflicts end so that no more of our sons and daughters would be sent to the same fate they went through, or worse.... the fate their friends went through who are no longer around...... the white poppy to me is a symbol of redundancy with the flaw of ignoring our past with the hope of a better future...... but that has been proven time and time again as a flawed way of thinking.


We need to remember the reasons why we do what we do, or else there just isn't any meaning, those men and women's contributions and sacrifices begin to be forgotten and we then risk the chance of history repeating...... that's why Remembrance Day was created in the first place after WWI in 1919 by King George V.


^ Obviously these ceremonies and continually "remembering" hasn't stopped wars.... but I doubt the white poppy thing would do any better..... thus to me, it's pointless.

 

[damngrumpy]

During WWII those who refused to fight, and didn't have a valid reason were
sometimes given a white feather for being a coward.
There is a difference between being a coward and a person of peace though.
I think this group should show a little respect for the Legion and the men and
women who gave their lives. In addition i don't think we paid enough attention
to showing respect for the men and women who survived and built us a better
country. Whit Poppy might have been a poor choice of colour as it is associated
with a white flag of surrender and a white feather for cowardice.
There is a time and a place for everything and the white poppy has no place in
this celebration in my opinion.

 

[Andem]

I will happily buy my family red poppies. But I won't try to stop someone else from making their point too. From what I've read of the white poppy campaign they want to support the troops, remember the fallen, while stating unequivocably that they do not support future wars. I think that's a valid statement. Are they getting it across well? No. Are they timing it poorly? Hell yes. Would common sense dictate they not mooch fund raising from the veterans? Hell yes. Should they be stopped from speaking their piece? I guess for that answer you'd need to ask every last soldier who died for our freedom.

I think everybody should be able to exercise free speech, but following Praxius' logic and common sense, they shouldn't be able to bastardise the red poppy campaign. Look at it this way:

It's a very crude illustration I put together, the first thing that came to mind. But do you think Pepsi would be allowed to market themselves with Coke's distinctive design? I think not.

 

[bill barilko]

Flaky-very flaky.

 

[karrie]

I think everybody should be able to exercise free speech, but following Praxius' logic and common sense, they shouldn't be able to bastardise the red poppy campaign. Look at it this way:

It's a very crude illustration I put together, the first thing that came to mind. But do you think Pepsi would be allowed to market themselves with Coke's distinctive design? I think not.

Yeah, I get what you're saying, but.... this has been going on since the 20's... did either one of them register the mark exclusively?

 

[Goober]

Yeah, I get what you're saying, but.... this has been going on since the 20's... did either one of them register the mark exclusively?

The Rd Poppy is trademarked and owned by the Dominion Institute of Canada - AKA the Royal Canadian legion - Read where the Legion is PEI is contemplating legal action on just that point.

This is the closest link to what i had read earlier about legal action

CBC News - Prince Edward Island - White poppy denigrates remembrance: Legion

The Rd Poppy is trademarked and owned by the Dominion Institute of Canada - AKA the Royal Canadian legion - Read where the Legion is PEI is contemplating legal action on just that point.

This is the closest link to what i had read earlier about legal action

CBC News - Prince Edward Island - White poppy denigrates remembrance: Legion

Found it

Canadian Legion in new fight over white poppies

 

[damngrumpy]

Not only could there be a court case over it, it is a complete lack of class on the part of the
White poppy Peace Movement. Our society is based on mutual respect in society, and we
always promote peace as a nation. Why is it so easy to promote the continuation of peace,
but there are thousands of the same people who would not fight to preserve it. Sometimes
that is what is required. I wonder how well their white poppy campaign would have been
respected by guys like Hitler? As John Kennedy once said about America.
The American Eagle holds in its left talon an, olive branch and in it right a bundle of arrows
and we intend to pay equal attention to both. Unfortunately peace is something we take for
granted, and sometimes we have to muster the courage to defend it. If we are not prepared
we parish, I would respect the white poppy, at another time of year, right now I wear a red one
because I wish to honor those who kept the dream of peace and the reality of freedom alive.
The people with the white poppy campaign could have teamed up with the Legion and sold
them on VE Day in the spring, a little late for cooperation and good will now I reckon.

 

[Sparrow]

Why do people have to stomp of this Remembrance Day symbol? Don't they realize that they are throwing the death of their family members into these families faces. I am against war but will never degrade our fallen soldiers by buying or taking a white poppy. Some will say that is not the intention for the white poppy, well maybe they should put themselves in the places of families and children who have lost love ones.

I would buy one any other time of the year but not in November.