poppy

Poppies.

Who wears a poppy? Do you? If so, why do you? Have you ever faced any evil looks by other Muslims who wonder why you support such a cause? Have you ever felt pressured into wearing one, simply because a colleague or friend is wearing one and you feel you are obliged to do the same?

Do you not wear a poppy? If not, why not? Do you feel this is something that only White British people or the families of those who had ancestors participating in the war should do? Are you strictly against Britain involving in war overseas? Are you confused about how they should be worn?

Why I No Longer Feel Comfortable Wearing a Poppy

I should probably point out that I'm not against the original meaning behind Poppy Day: remembering how Britain twice sent a whole generation of its young men off to be slaughtered, and that future generations should be able to live without the fear of enduring such violence. Yet that meaning often seems to get forgotten as Remembrance Sunday becomes a celebration of jingoism and militarism, where the victims of British aggression in wars past and present are rarely mentioned. It's for this reason that I generally try and have a personal media blackout in the days directly before and after 11 November.