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Nov. 9th, 2006 04:10 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
slemslempikeI’m quite confused by this story. Basically, Ekklesia, a Christian think tank has said that wearing a red poppy is not as Christian as wearing a white poppy. What’s really puzzling is the British Legion response:
The Royal British Legion, which runs the annual Poppy Appeal, said his views were misguided and a white poppy would only confuse the public.
"The colour has become an internationally recognised symbol," said Brigadier David Wills, the Legion's director general.
"If you start to dilute that recognition by bringing in other colours, I don't think people will fully understand what they are buying the poppy for."
But there’s already a white poppy appeal to commemorate the victims of war while affirming pacifism. So it’s not bringing in other colours, it’s using another one (which has been going since the 1930s). Ekklesia (the think tank) also have a different take on the symbolism of the colour: the red poppy implies redemption can come through war, whereas a white poppy would suggest redemption through Christian belief. That’s not what the existing white poppy means. The PPU (who run the white poppy campaign) were quite strongly linked with Christianity, but (from their website) “Although Sheppard always argued from deep Christian conviction, he insisted that all were welcome who signed the pledge, whether from a religious or humanist standpoint”. I do realise that yahoo news is hardly the best way to read a story, but still. Confusing.
I have just had the conversation that I generally end up with in places of work, about drinking. Not alcohol, although that does crop up, but tea. I don’t drink tea. At all, as I can’t stand the taste. I also don’t drink coffee very often, and it never occurs to me to have some. Not drinking hot drinks at work is a source of great anxiety for people, and one of my officemates is puzzled by it. Interestingly, I am English and she is Korean, so while I often feel like it’s a national character thing, this wasn’t so much. I had to reassure her that I drink water because I feel like it. Then she asked if I hated chocolate, because I seemed very healthy. I looked at my “chocoholic” mug. Then I explained that I liked chocolate very much, and I wasn’t on a diet, or avoiding caffeine, and I wasn’t “being good”, I was just drinking water. Because I like it. And I also liked chocolate, a great deal.
The Royal British Legion, which runs the annual Poppy Appeal, said his views were misguided and a white poppy would only confuse the public.
"The colour has become an internationally recognised symbol," said Brigadier David Wills, the Legion's director general.
"If you start to dilute that recognition by bringing in other colours, I don't think people will fully understand what they are buying the poppy for."
But there’s already a white poppy appeal to commemorate the victims of war while affirming pacifism. So it’s not bringing in other colours, it’s using another one (which has been going since the 1930s). Ekklesia (the think tank) also have a different take on the symbolism of the colour: the red poppy implies redemption can come through war, whereas a white poppy would suggest redemption through Christian belief. That’s not what the existing white poppy means. The PPU (who run the white poppy campaign) were quite strongly linked with Christianity, but (from their website) “Although Sheppard always argued from deep Christian conviction, he insisted that all were welcome who signed the pledge, whether from a religious or humanist standpoint”. I do realise that yahoo news is hardly the best way to read a story, but still. Confusing.
I have just had the conversation that I generally end up with in places of work, about drinking. Not alcohol, although that does crop up, but tea. I don’t drink tea. At all, as I can’t stand the taste. I also don’t drink coffee very often, and it never occurs to me to have some. Not drinking hot drinks at work is a source of great anxiety for people, and one of my officemates is puzzled by it. Interestingly, I am English and she is Korean, so while I often feel like it’s a national character thing, this wasn’t so much. I had to reassure her that I drink water because I feel like it. Then she asked if I hated chocolate, because I seemed very healthy. I looked at my “chocoholic” mug. Then I explained that I liked chocolate very much, and I wasn’t on a diet, or avoiding caffeine, and I wasn’t “being good”, I was just drinking water. Because I like it. And I also liked chocolate, a great deal.
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Date: 2006-11-09 07:30 pm (UTC)It's just, if you've thought about poppies as symbols at all, surely you must be aware that there is a white poppy, and what is represents? And I can see his argument, actually, but the whole reporting of it is just confusing.