Every November, the British Legion takes to the streets and floods every retail outlet with trays of artificial poppies. This is their big fund raiser and I assume that the cash raised goes to good causes, though these days you can never be sure. Apart from raising money, the idea is to raise awareness of the terrible events of 1914-1918, when so many lives were lost in a seemingly avoidable conflict. The poppy is seen as a symbol of peace and it is easy to imagine the battlefields, once red with blood, changing in the aftermath to fields festooned with the fragile poppies.
It seems ironic that now the poppy has become a point of conflict in itself. Some feel that everyone should wear a poppy in November, and because that is the way that they think, anyone seen without a poppy is branded as some sort of traitor. There is a jingoism that blossoms every year and the symbolism has been hijacked by the far right groups such as Britain First, which seems to have taken over from the BNP and the National Front.
There are a number of pro military organisations, that seem to be emerging and growing in size with passing time, and just like in the first world war, it is those who get killed or maimed for life that are labelled as heroes. In reality of course, some that go to war were heroic, but the majority were ordinary people in the wrong place at the wrong time and had no choice in their actions.
Modern warfare is very different to that of the early twentieth century. Much of the carnage is now delivered from afar and soldiers do not spend months at a time knee deep in mud in trenches infested with rats. Hand to hand fighting and the ridiculous charging at machine guns probably never happens. Those that had to do so had no choice - they either faced the hail of enemy fire or were shot by their own officers if they refused.
Being killed in warfare is tragic and rarely heroic. Yes of course there were men who sacrificed their own lives to save their comrades but for most soldiers they were trying to survive as would anyone in their position.
Petty arguments over symbols have a habit of escalating and each year the conflict over who wears poppies and their "Britishness" seems to grow. While the poppy is seen as a support for war in general, many people will refuse to wear one and I do not blame them.
It seems ironic that now the poppy has become a point of conflict in itself. Some feel that everyone should wear a poppy in November, and because that is the way that they think, anyone seen without a poppy is branded as some sort of traitor. There is a jingoism that blossoms every year and the symbolism has been hijacked by the far right groups such as Britain First, which seems to have taken over from the BNP and the National Front.
There are a number of pro military organisations, that seem to be emerging and growing in size with passing time, and just like in the first world war, it is those who get killed or maimed for life that are labelled as heroes. In reality of course, some that go to war were heroic, but the majority were ordinary people in the wrong place at the wrong time and had no choice in their actions.
Modern warfare is very different to that of the early twentieth century. Much of the carnage is now delivered from afar and soldiers do not spend months at a time knee deep in mud in trenches infested with rats. Hand to hand fighting and the ridiculous charging at machine guns probably never happens. Those that had to do so had no choice - they either faced the hail of enemy fire or were shot by their own officers if they refused.
Being killed in warfare is tragic and rarely heroic. Yes of course there were men who sacrificed their own lives to save their comrades but for most soldiers they were trying to survive as would anyone in their position.
Petty arguments over symbols have a habit of escalating and each year the conflict over who wears poppies and their "Britishness" seems to grow. While the poppy is seen as a support for war in general, many people will refuse to wear one and I do not blame them.
No comments:
Post a Comment