(no subject)

[slemslempike]

I’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.

Comments

[sam-t.livejournal.com]

Have you tried chocolate tea? Just in case you should be suddenly seized with a desire to drink hot drinks at work. (If you haven't come across it, it's worth looking for - it's made from cocoa and spices, and is very delicately flavoured and not at all like milk chocolate. Must get some more.)

[ankaret.livejournal.com]

I hate it when someone archly asks me whether I'm 'being good' when I don't eat something I didn't want to eat in the first place. Ugh.

I am a bit dismayed by Ekklesia's trying to co-opt the already existing white poppy movement - how hard is it to google 'white poppy' before shooting your mouth off? I also think that the Royal British Legion's views on white poppies are, to say the least, the product of another era.

Then again, I generally wear no poppy at all, because I worry that wearing a white poppy will lead to confrontations with strangers.

[lsugaralmond.livejournal.com]

I was also confused by that story, mostly because I had no idea that white poppies were available as an option, I've never seen one. And besides, aren't the red poppies supposed to be about remembering the people who died, not commemorating war, so I don't really see the need for a different coloured one for pacifism anyway.
And I really don't get the Christianity argument. Is bizarre.

[notmarcie.livejournal.com]

I work for RBL (their one of my clients)

Their view on the PPU white poppy is this (well, this was last years press release)

"The Legion has no objection to any group expressing their views, nor in principle to white poppies. However, the Peace Pledge Union, which sells the poppies, does have a political message “Remember and Disarm”, which is not appropriate at the time of national Remembrance, which should be above politics. The PPU should choose another time of year to make their statement and not seek to ride on the back of the red poppy, which commemorates those who died for the freedom which we all enjoy, including, the right to free speech"


Which is a bit weirdly worded as they're saying free speech, but not on 11/11.

The poppy is not PC, in fact it's been criticised in the last few years and people have refused to wear it because of the Iraq war, Yamin Alihibi Brown (suspect I mis-spelled that) refused to wear it from 2003 until this year.


I'm disappointed in Ekklesia, they always seemed a more rationale Christian think tank.

[chiasmata]

You know, weirdly enough, wondering whether you drink tea or not has occupied me a good bit this week. And yes, I am being serious! When's your train tomorrow?

[morganmuffle]

I've come to the conclusion that the original article/statement/whatever it was from Ekklesia was just very badly written. On the BBC boards everyone's getting het up about the words "article of faith" because they're interpreting it as the guy saying the red poppy is a religious thing whereas I think he meant faith with a little f which it sort of is. And the PC thing I can sort of see too (if you don't wear one then you get shouted down a bit as happened when Huw Edwards had on the wrong jacket or some similar explanation last week) which has a similar feel to a lot of PC/non PC arguments.

It's just all a bit, as if they haven't researched white poppies and haven't really thought what the words they are saying will mean to people... Possibly I can see their point and occasionally I do feel a bit odd wearing a red poppy but to be honest my solution is to buy one to support the RBL and then not wear it. It mostly makes my head hurt.

[sangerin.livejournal.com]

Ekklesia's response is here (http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/content/news_syndication/article_06119altern.shtml). There's also links to a number of previous articles on the question.

They're a good bunch of progressive Christians. I disagree with them on certain things, but that's usually because they have a very UK-centric view ("don't fly on airplanes, travel in other ways"... is a little difficult to apply in Australia if I ever want to see my parents again.)