Why I refuse to wear a poppy
From the time I was five years old until I was seventeen, it was the same. Once everyone put their Halloween costumes away, I would put my loonie in the little plastic box and pin a poppy to my jacket. Then, just like my classmates and teachers, I would wear the little red flower over my heart until the twelfth of November, when I would take it off and wait for the next year. But for the last four years, I have made the choice to not wear a poppy.
The social pressure to wear a poppy is rarely visible in public, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t there. There is a certain expectation in our culture that it’s just what you do, and few question why. In 2006, high-profile British news reporter Jon Snow was harshly criticized for his refusal to wear a poppy on air. Many claimed that by not wearing one, he was disrespecting the war dead and publicly lambasted him, demanding that he don a poppy on television. One can only imagine what the reaction would be if a prominent Canadian figure were spotted on an early November afternoon without the symbolic red flower pinned to their lapel.
When retailers and interest groups in Edmonton began selling white poppies in 2006, the Royal Canadian Legion threatened to take legal action. The Legion claimed that the “white poppies for peace” infringed on the Legion’s trademark crimson poppy and that they attached an inappropriate political statement to the flower. Rod Stewart (yes, that’s his real name), the vice-president of the Alberta-Northwest Territories command, told the Edmonton Journal that the Legion did not want the message of the white poppies interfering with what he believes is the true purpose of Remembrance Day. As he put it, “It is the one day set aside where we show our respect to the war dead. We don’t get judgmental about why they died or where they died or for whom they died.”
But I have to ask, why shouldn’t we get judgmental about why they died or where they died or for whom they died? I believe that we owe it to the victims of war and those who have been forced to fight to ask these questions. War is inherently political. It is our government’s decision whether or not our country chooses to engage in war and it is up to us, as citizens, to evaluate these decisions. In the First World War, many Canadians were forced to fight simply because they were the citizens of a British Colony. Britain declared war, Prime Minister Borden passed the Military Service Act, and soon thousands of Canadians were shipped overseas to fight a war for a country many of them had never seen. Considering all of this, is it really inappropriate to question the deaths of over sixty-six thousand Canadians?
The problem I have with the poppy is that in wearing one, we are asked to remember the veterans who died in the wars, but never to demand demilitarization or pacifism. It seems ridiculous to disassociate such a powerful symbol from the politics of war. The poppy has become a symbol of the militaristic rhetoric and pageantry that is celebrated every Remembrance Day. By wearing the poppy, the soldiers become martyrs and heroes. Granted, the veterans who fought in the World Wars endured extreme hardship and inhumane punishments, and we should recognize them for the trials they faced and the circumstances they were subjected to. But why shouldn’t we remember all victims of violence and hate? We are asked to remember the Canadians who died overseas, but we are never asked to remember those who died at the hands of military dictatorships or those who were killed by Canadian soldiers.
The symbolism of the poppy presents a false image of our military. The military has become a last resort for too many impoverished Canadians who have no other way to earn an education and make decent wages. Others are lured in by the illusion that the military presents an opportunity for them to be a hero or a freedom fighter. I am deeply saddened when I see footage of caskets being unloaded from a plane draped in a Canadian flag. We tell ourselves that they died honourably to cope with the pain of losing a beloved member or our community. We stick yellow ribbon decals on the backs of our mini-vans and pick-up trucks to convince ourselves that they made the right choice. As the war in Afghanistan has shown, our military men and women are not dying for freedom and honour. They are dying in vain to destroy a non-existent nation — a network of underground guerrilla criminals populated with young men who had nowhere to turn but towards the impassioned rhetoric of the local terrorist group.
I do not wear a poppy because I refuse to perpetuate the myth of the Canadian military that is promoted in the symbols of Remembrance Day. I cannot wear a poppy and feel a sense of pride for what it represents. Simply put, I cannot separate the poppy from the politics.
Some Melorists articles in the last two weeks have really gone to far. I have never wrote in about any Melorist article until last week, and now I feel I must do so again.
This is a typical argument from someone who has read to far into the anti-war sentiment felt by many Canadians. I, personally, do not feel war is justified by any normal circumstance in today’s world but I still wear a poppy. I know of the twisted tale of the military-industrial complex yet I still wear a poppy. I realize that elitist Canadians have begun to feel the Military is the best way to eliminate the bottom ten percent of the population, but I still wear a poppy.
Please don’t blame those who died for false causes for the decision to be there. I have family members who died in both of the world wars and have had a coworker who lost a brother in Afghanistan. It’s for the sake of those people I wear a poppy and I say be dammed to anyone who thinks I wear it because of what some veteran said.
Wear your heart on your sleeve for those men and women who made the choice, whether it was for pride, survival, or necessity, who gave there lives and continue to do so for the ideals of this country. If you don’t like what they’ve been sent to do, don’t blame them, blame the government you put in power. If it wasn’t for the men and women who serve, you would probably be sitting in a crevice with a shotgun trying to protect yourself from anarchy.
You don’t have to like what they do and I for one don’t, but I will honour the fallen soldiers of our armed forces in any way I can. If you don’t like the poppy, write an article about the war dead and how we should remember them, and then comment the poppy is to political. Remember why that poppy is red.
I don’t particularly feel that the crimson poppy perpetuates any sort of myth of the Canadian Military. Coming from a family who, for two generations, have been negatively effected by their involvement in both World War One, and post World War Two, I can understand the importance of honoring those who gave their lives to defend our country. My great grandfather was one of the Canadian soldiers effected by Germany’s chlorine gas. Thankfully he was neither killed nor blinded, but he was left with a permanent heart condition that was eventually the cause of his death years later. My grandfather, now deceased for reasons not pertaining to his life as a peacekeeping soldier, was negatively effected when he had to move to post World War Two Germany. He had to sacrifice the happiness of his family in favor of trying to make amends in the still war-torn country. My grandfather and great-grandfather knew what it was to sacrifice for the safety of this great Nation. If they could sacrifice their health and happiness, why shouldn’t I spend one dollar and wear that symbolic flower? I myself feel as though I am a pacifist, but I do not hesitate to wear the poppy. Why? The poppy has never been to me a symbol of pro-war, or anti-pacifism. No, in honoring the dead we can understand why they died, and why it should never happen again. I have never seen an advertisement for Remembrance Day that says “Lest We Forget, Now We Can Get Revenge.” After all, the three powerful words so often uttered around this time of year perpetuate the old adage “those who do not learn their history are doomed to repeat it,”. So, in short, I disagree with you Kendall. I feel that the poppies are the very opposite of pro-war, and I will continue to wear them proudly each year.
The reason why you should wear a poppy is to celebrate the fact that you’re allowed to write articles arguing against wearing one. Had it not been for those soldiers who gave up their lives to fight for our civil liberties, this article would have never been written. This is what happens when people take their rights for granted. With liberty comes responsibility, and that means paying tribute and remembering those who gave up their lives so you could have it.
I would like to respetfully disagree Kendall.
The poppy to me and those I know carries very little political value, its to remember those who have died for our country. If we dont agree with the pre-text and post-text of the conflict they still died for the idea of canada and with the thoughts that they were doing it to protect us and our values.
I may feel more inclined to wear a poppy since I lost relatives in war, but I feel I wear it to show those who have passed and those who have survived the war (regardless of side) that they do have some of my respect and are not forgotten remaments of socitey that we often devalue.
I also agree with thoise before me, the poppy isnt pro-war or anti-war. It is for those who have given their lives for an idea or principle that they are protecting us.
Interesting article…
The poppy-program is an important fundraising component of the Royal Canadian Legion. The monies donated by poppy-proud Canadians go towards funding programs for veteran families. I believe it is a great program, which covers the shortcomings in Canadian funding towards the military. An important part of this program is returning the poppies so they can be re-used next year!
Poppies have become part of our culture. – a symbol of respect for the sacrifices made by fellow Canadians. A sign of solidarity in times of peace and war. An internationally recognized symbol reminding us of the pains of war.
Let us not forget these Canadians made the ultimate sacrifice – and whether or not it was ‘right’ for the government to deploy troops to battle – the soldiers have given their all for the common good.
Stand on the soapbox. Say what you will. But do not try to de-base what the poppy stands for. Keep the anti-war sentiment for November the 12th – or any other day you are empowered by the freedom which ‘fallen-soldiers’ fought valiently to protect.
Perhaps the author’s family lacks a history of military-service. Never having endured the pains of losing a grandfather, aunt, brother, or child.
Peace is attainable and I sincerely hope the world can avert the dangers of another World War. Remembrance is important in achieving this goal.
“We forget all too soon the things we thought we could never forget.”
– Joan Didion
I agree with everyone’s comments. I don’t think that we should ever forget the positive image that the poppy portrays. However, I feel that because people have painted the white poppy as a negative and ‘interfering’ token that is taking away the true meaning of remembrance day, it does show that red poppy’s do have a secretive agenda about them. It may not be something that people recognized immediately, but eventually people began to figure out that it-like many other ideologies that we rally around-could be used in a much more subtle manner.
I would like to thank everyone for their comments. After having read them, it seems to me that my point may have been unclear. I still stand firmly by my article but I would like to address some points that have been brought up.
Ross, I do not blame those who fought in the wars for the violence that occurred. The Military Service Act that I referred to in my article deprived Canadians of the ability to make a choice. They were simply thrown onto the battlefield to attack and be attacked. I also understand that many individuals today do not have a real choice but to join because of the financial circumstances they face. Some others join because of false pretences that were fed to them by our society. Unfortunately, the poppy is a symbol of these pretences and rhetoric that casts the soldier’s deaths as martyrdom. I believe that their deaths and suffering are exploited to promote a glorified image of Canada’s military history. It is not your passed family members who I criticize, it is society’s exploitation of those family members that I am against. Sadly, it is a common rallying tactic. Brainwashed suicide bombers are frequently given the status of martyrs to increase support and legitimacy of their cause.
Kristie, I am sorry to hear about your grandparents. The suffering of Canadian soldiers like them is not something that I take lightly. While I do not believe that the poppy is pro-war, I do not think that it is explicitly anti-war. Calls for remembrance are rarely followed by calls for disarmament. There is a lack of critical thought surrounding Remembrance Day that worries me. There is a hesitancy to judge why so many soldiers have died. I believe that it is because it is difficult to admit that many of our ancestors may have died in vain. By no means do I support the actions of the Germans, Italians, or Japanese during the Second World War. I am staunchly against the atrocities they committed. However, I feel that the poppy promotes nationalism and single-mindedness. As I mentioned, we rarely recognize those on “the other side” who died or suffered. I am against the poppy for what it doesn’t represent and for what it omits. Our ceremonies are first and foremost for Canadian victims of war. I am yet to see a mainstream Canadian ceremony that explicitly asks the attendees to remember the Chinese who were killed by Japanese troops or the Germans who, like Canadians, were forced to fight. Instead, I see events that ceremoniously celebrate Canadian victories like Vimy Ridge or Ypres. Our military is not the same as the military of the Second World War and I think that we must stop using old war stories to promote today’s military.
J, I do not take my rights for granted. I am acutely aware of human rights and I see the military as an institution that demands Canadians give up their personal freedoms. Soldiers are subjected to the demands of their superiors and must “shoot if they are told to shoot”.
S, The poppy is a symbol of the way our government and society portrays war – an issue that is in and of itself a political matter. There is a big difference between visiting the grave of a fallen soldier and wearing a poppy.
Curtis, I understand that the money raised by the Legion goes to peaceful activities, but I would prefer to donate my money directly to community medical facilities, and homecare services for elders such as meals on wheels. It is exactly your point about “whether or not it was ‘right’ for the government to deploy troops into battle” that I make the choice not to weaer a poppy. I think the discussion of whether or not it was right is sorely missing from our Remembrance Day ceremonies. I have lost family members who were close to me and feel deeply for those whose family members were killed or harmed by war. But I do not think that we should allow our pain to create lies about the value of our military. My ancestors did not fight because, despite being Canadian citizens, they were detained by the Canadian government because of their race. Had they fought in the wars I do not believe that I would see them as heroes or freedom fighters, but rather as victims of powers beyond their control.
Mark, I think that you’ve addressed my point. There is more to the poppy than simply remembering those who have passed. There is a certain nationalistic and militaristic pageantry and defensiveness to Remembrance Day that demonstrates that is more than that. The poppy is used as a vehicle to promote military service and to present a glorified image of a soldier’s life. Criticism and questioning of Canada’s national defence policies are not part of the Remembrance Day tradition.
I am not asking anyone else to stop wearing a poppy. I am simply explaining why I have chosen not to.
Kendall
In short, it is not the memory of the Canadian soldiers that I am against. I believe that it is extremely important that we remember those who have been victims of war and violence of any kind. It is the selective memory and the exploitation of this memory that is represented by the red poppy that I oppose.
“The poppy has become a symbol of the militaristic rhetoric and pageantry that is celebrated every Remembrance Day.”
Violence is both legitimate and justifiable if its purpose is to defend civil society, and thus, human rights. I think its entirely appropriate to recall the militaristic “pangeantry” that is associated with Remembrance Day. There is a difference between a May Day parade in the former Soviet-Union, and Rememberance Day in Canada. You seem to be unware of the fact that civil liberties and human rights only exist because people are willing to die for them, not because people are inherently respectful of human dignity. History has proven this time and again. Ex. The American Revolution,The French Revolution, World War One, and World War Two ect. Visualizing a world in which human rights are universal does not make for a world in which human rights are universal. That is the difference between fantasy and reality. To demand demilitarization or pacifism is to ignore the fact that there are still many political regimes throughout the world unwilling to recognize the most basic of human rights.
i think we’re all forgetting that the canadian army was directly responsible, in part, for the downfall of the Master Race. though kendall makes some intelligent points, she fails to address the fact that we have are country’s veterans to thank for the proliferation and social domination of the jews.
and by “are”, i meant “our”. once again, my mixed-race genes have failed me.
“The military has become a last resort for too many impoverished Canadians who have no other way to earn an education and make decent wages.” -Do you have any evidence to back up this claim? I find it hard to believe that in a country such as Canada soldiers are forced to enlist in the military because they have absolutely no other means of earning money. Did this happen in 1939? yes it did. Is it happening today? well show me the evidence and then I won’t simply dismiss your claims as unfounded and nothing more than an overgeneralization of your opinion which you cannot prove. That people may have joined the military for financial reasons is certainly possible; however, I’m not convinced that means they had no other oppertunities. They saw an oppertunity, and chose to accept it. To say that they had no other oppertunities is a farse. Everyone has a choice. Furthermore, suggesting that soldiers enlisted only for money is very disrespectful to men and women who are serving our country and paying with their lives. men and women have served and died for our country in many wars and conflicts. We wear a poppy to show respect for their sacfrifice. If you are not willing to show that respect, than maybe you should also refuse to accept the freedoms that have been won for you.
Although the poppy is a canadian thing, it’s not just about remembering Canadians that died, it’s about remembering EVERYONE, soldiers, civillians, everyone. War is terrible, but sometimes people have no choice but to fight, or be affected by it. but I am very thankful that people I don’t even know died so that i could have a better life, hell yeah, I’ll honor them!
If you don’t like the poppy, don’t wear it. is that so hard?
Personally, because of this article I will definitely be wearing a poppy this Remembrance Day. For I do not see it as a symbol of war, but of freedom and if you feel that it is, then remember who made it possible for you to write this article?
Kendall, you have summarized the way I feel about Remembrance Day and the symbol of the poppy. Wearing it is inherently political; it’s only because the sentiments the poppy represent are so widely held that we don’t really notice.
To me, every poppy represents the failure of political leaders to avoid war. Wearing one and honouring the dead implicitly endorses the type of idiocy that led to the deaths to begin with.
Jon Snow, the British broadcaster you mentioned in your article, complained about “poppy fascists” who insist that everyone wear the flower. There is a lot of pressure in Canada, too. And the line that “people died to give you the right not to wear a poppy” is as ludicrous as it is self-negating. If I have the freedom to refuse, I will. If I’m being told that I should wear a poppy only because I have the right not to, then where does that leave the concept of freedom?
Besides, no individual soldier who died in any of Canada’s wars did so explicitly for my freedoms. They may have had noble goals, but most of those soldiers died because they didn’t have a choice in the matter. Let’s not look back on history through rose-coloured glasses.
I wonder what the veterans would think of your lack of consideration of not wearing a poppy. I wonder if they would be so willing to put their lives on the line for you if they could do it over again. I personally think you are ungrateful and the fact that you cannot even wear a poppy when so many did so much more for you without asking for anything in return….shame on you. You are able to walk this fine country without fear because of the selfless acts of so many before you. Wear the damn poppy and have a little respect!
This article should have been titled “When Postmodernism and Historical Ignorance Collide: A Refusal to Wear the Poppy Signals a Refusal to Accept Political Reality”
Here’s why we wear poppies; because the Germans tried to take over the world twice in 20 years. Our men and women helped stop the greatest threat of the 20th century. So yeah, show some respect, you ignorant hippies. Not that we’d ‘all be speaking German’ if Hitler took Europe, but do you really think that the world would be better off if he’d succeeded? i know this is a REALLY late comment and no one will ever read it, but still, the ignorance in this article is ASTOUNDING.
both my grandfathers ran up that beach in france in ww2 and they would be ashamed of the u.k military now all these horror stories from iraq etc. i read in a book called the planetary patriot about so many blonde kids their now too:( our troops saying they are nazis in poland etc
no i will never wear a poppy again, burn ‘em step on them, smoke ‘em. wear if you want wear ‘em if you want! they like usa u.k etc are just meaningless now. all my grandfathers spilt blood was for nothing. heil hitler or rather heil bush and blair and those that follow 
we are all the nazis now:(
Kendall, you make simple acts of respect complicated…. I WILL continue to honour the fallen by wearing a poppy.
Let me start by saying that my family has no military history. Rather the opposite, in fact, as I come from a long line of pacifists. Even in times of conscription when there were no exceptions for conscientious objectors my family has served only as medics. Let me also say that I agree with a number of points you make. It’s true that the poppy is an inherently political entity, it’s true that it turns the war dead into martyrs, it’s true that on November 11th we are not free to question the wars.
I still wear a poppy, however, and this is why: I agree that poppies are political, and to some degree I agree with the message you say they convey,but I don’t think it’s the main message they give out. The poppies are red for the blood of the dead, and not just dead Canadian soldiers. They are red for everyone who has ever died or suffered because of any war. Soldier or civilian, it doesn’t matter. ‘Least we forget’, for me, has always been about remembering the cost of war and remembering why I believe that we should always look for other ways.
It is problematic that ceremonies talk primarily about the Canadian military, but I think that this is balanced out a little by the fact that we actually have a day set aside to remember the atrocities of war. I’ve never seen a ceremony that hasn’t focused on Canadian victims, but I’ve also never seen a ceremony where someone (usually a veteran) hasn’t longed for the end of war.
You say that the poppy is not explicitly anti-war, but I must respectfully disagree.
And I think that it’s okay to not worry about the morality of the government on this day, and instead just focus on the people who paid for their decisions. We have 364 other days in the year, after all, and the government may make the decisions but it’s the everyday people who are most important.
This was an incredibly interesting article, one that made me think, which is why I’m writing this years after the article was published and when it’s probably been all but forgotten. For all I disagree, I thank you for writing it.
I struggle each year whether to wear a poppy or not. I agree you cannot so easily separate the politics. I do NOT want to support our occupation of Afghanistan. But I DO want to support those who died defending the world against Nazism. Just to point out though folks, much of our rights we enjoy came from struggles in our own countries. Union struggles, civil rights, feminist struggles. Do assume that all rights come through armed conflict between nation states is absurd.
*to assume
Thank you for writing this, Kendall. I am trying to piece together something similar but haven’t found all of the correct words yet. My quick thoughts here will be open to quite a bit of criticism, I’m sure.
I think this dialogue needs to include a plea for the value of non-violent direct action along with the reality of the occasional necessity for violent direct action and/or defense of real threat to basic human rights. I spent a good deal of time just trying to think through all the connotations of the word “bravery”. I do believe that standing up to violence, in its many forms, is brave.
I can’t wear a red poppy. I just can’t. Putting it on makes me feel like I’m joining a movement of compliance. Watching political leaders around the world don a red poppy and speak of the bravery of our current soldiers in the very political wars of today fills me with rage. Comparing a world mobilized to defend human rights with a war designed to defend Britain’s right to turn Palestine into Isreal is far more insulting than wearing a white poppy. I do appreciate that the two are connected.
I found a fairly harsh criticism of the nature of Remembrance Day while reading another blog. These are excerpts from Chris Hedges’s “Celebrating Slaughter: War and Collective Amnesia.:
“War memorials are quiet, still, reverential and tasteful. And, like church, such sanctuaries are important, but they allow us to forget that these men and women were used and often betrayed by those who led the nation into war. The memorials do not tell us that some always grow rich from large-scale human suffering. They do not explain that politicians play the great games of world power and stoke fear for their own advancement. They forget that young men and women in uniform are pawns in the hands of cynics…”
“A war memorial that attempted to depict the reality of war would be too subversive. It would condemn us and our capacity for evil. It would show that the line between the victim and the victimizer is razor-thin, that human beings, when the restraints are cut, are intoxicated by mass killing, and that war, rather than being noble, heroic and glorious, obliterates all that is tender, decent and kind. It would tell us that the celebration of national greatness is the celebration of our technological capacity to kill. It would warn us that war is always morally depraved, that even in “good” wars such as World War II all can become war criminals. We dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The Nazis ran the death camps. But this narrative of war is unsettling. It does not create a collective memory that serves the interests of those who wage war and permit us to wallow in self-exaltation.”
While I agree with most everything written above (though I may take a less individualist approach to his analysis), I appreciate the very real need for the family and friends of those lost at or at war to have a place and time to simply mourn.
A friend whose brother is currently in Iraq told me – I will be politically opposed to war and engaged in active criticism every other day of the year. On November 11th, I will wear a red poppy and quietly
mourn.
This article is a superfluous explanation of why the author is a jerk. They died for YOU and all of US. Just wear the poppy and show some respect, it’s the least you can do for a country and way of life that YOU never had to defend.
My comment is going in another direction….After reading the article and all these comments, I would like to say that I think Kendall makes an extremely relevant point overall. The other comments also have validity, however I think a few of us have failed to remember the point of free speech. Kendall has the right to write an article about whatever she likes, and while we are free to comment on it, there is no reason to call her a jerk or unpatriotic or anything else. That is just YOU passing YOUR judgement on someone who never asked for your opinion in the first place. Often times, people write opinion based articles merely to provide food for thought. There is no reason to lash out at them because your opinion differs. I will most likely think of what Kendall wrote anytime I don a poppy from this point on, but that doesn’t mean that I agree or disagree with her. Just that she has brought to my attention a point of view I had never considered before. So, as an institution of higher learning, perhaps we could try to act as enlightened as we would like everyone else to believe we are. Debates are fine, but insults are not. Maturity and respect are under-appreciated!!
A simple symbol to some people is not so simple.
Completly overanalyzed. Your decision to not wear a poppy seems more like your opportunity to be unique in a situation where you are really just being disrespectful. This piece completly downplays the sacrifices made by the men and women who serve our country in the military. There was a reason Canada was in Afghanistan, and it truely was for our own security in the world of International Relations. Please think over your entire reasoning before you write something like this again.
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