"Poppies or pan..?" Topic

This from London:

YouTube link

You tube link.

Is this happening here??

Poppy pin with a funny flag attached.

What's next Poppy and McDonald's "M"?

Honestly they should lift the ban a day and German descendents could do Poppy and eagle (which I don't think is banned??) or even Poppy and wonky cross.

At least that would be related.

Personally, and from my own experience, people sticking up middle fingers is more common, rude, and harmful then an occasional starchy wave. So why isn't that banned? It's on loads of merchandise from t-shirts to hats and all. Oddly two fingers is not as bad as it's what English archers did to French who would cut off their fingers if caught, or so I read. Minor segway.

You can't use ANZAC without jumping through hoops. So why aren't Poppy pins on at least one day a year protected? Or are they in Australia??

I haven't been to a Rememberance day since school, never bought a Poppy. Try to keep my mouth shut (for a minute) when I remember or see it on telly.

This bugs me though.

It's like comic con.

Being a comic con veteran (went a few times pre COVID, plus many other film/tv cons), I know how many military veterans must feel about such intrusions.

Welcome to Oz, H. I haven't worn me gongs or been to a dawn service in years. The circus is not worth the effort. I can remember my mates without the help of special days, drunken clowns playing two-up and political/activist speeches.

So is it that actual poppy flowers are being banned, or even artificial ones? Are they that protected? The irony is you can probably go to the gov't and get free opium… :-p

p.s. I haven't watched the video (bad internet…)

They're not banned, Zephyr. The YT video is about the Royal British Legion- the British Legion is a charity that supports serving and ex-serving personnel, and their families in the UK, partly by selling the poppy badges and associated merchandise. In Aussie terms, they're like a mix of the RSL and Legacy. The BL is doing?/considering? a deal with an alphabet activist organisation, and the deal includes sharing the funds raised from the traditional poppies and the ones with a rainbow flag added.

So it's just another activist move to bring their cause further forward. If anyone objects then they're automatically homophobic. If they support the move then they are obviously woke and part of the movement. To me it's just par for the course, these days.

People (IMO three talking heads who look like they've never been in any service) are offended by something, and chucking a tanty on someone else's behalf. On the other hand a respected tradition is being modified to mollify noisy activists, who will chuck a tanty if they don't get their way.

Frankly, most former members probably couldn't give a flying flock about it. Why should we?

It's dealing in and publicly displaying ww2 German wonky cross memorabilia that's banned and the "on the top shelf" salute.

With the pins, it's also confusing, as if you wear a funny flag Poppy, are you thus funny, or do you just support funny people, or was it just all they had left?

Also you hear about their "allies", like at comic con. So regular folk must be axis I guess.

Probably part of their plan to have their allies be associated with ww2 Allies. Trying to make themselves sound sensible.

Just more confusion.

"Never confused, never confused."

You know, my understanding of an ally is someone with whom one has a limited common interest. It's understood that an alliance benefits all the participants, who might break the alliance otherwise.

"Ally" as it's used on the cultural/political left these days seems to be what's normally called "flunkey" or "minion."

But wouldn't this be more suitable for the "Utter Drivel" board, where the political rules are a little looser?

Thanks for the clarification. It's a shame that the activists don't put their efforts into helping the actual people in need instead of virtue signalling about themselves…

"But wouldn't this be more suitable for the "Utter Drivel" board,"

As an addition, maybe, but I don't feel the concern matches that title. I put it here as I'm interested in the Australian viewpoint and possible occurrence.

I guess in WW2, both sides (mostly, I've watched the unit) liked chicks and didn't need anyone to prime or press others on the topic.

"activists don't put their efforts into helping the actual people"

I believe a lot of this stuff is fallout from people forming organisations to get things legalised, then when that happened, they have to find new things to do. Of course, anything they do will have to be slanted in their original direction and with the same determination.

I feel that's the cause of a lot of problems today.

Cough, comic con, cough.

Right about that, H Man. No one in the top ranks of an organization is going to disband it when the mission is accomplished. Such people just look around for another crusade. This is not always bad. The March of Dimes (against polio) morphed into "The Mothers' March against Birth Defects" with the invention of the Salk vaccine.

Other times, I wonder whether the initial (sane) objective was ever intended as a stopping point, of just a prelude to the later crazy objective.

Pilsudski once said to a political rival "I rode the tram of Revolution to the stop marked 'National Indipendence.' What stop are you getting off at?"

It was said that the recent marriage vote in Australia (which had nothing to do with marriage equality, even though news is still banging on about it for other countries, as Australia had only one type of marriage. More confusion they make.) that it would be a slippery slope.

Probably, but we have a guy (of certain persuasion) jumping a boarder to have a surrogate give him a kid, and there is not even any marriage involved one way or the other.

Poor kid.

I don't know where the slope started, or where it may end (apart from civil war), there's not much more you can cut off.

That said, I do expect people to be grafting themselves to each other at some point, sad to say.

Mind boggles.

Other times, I wonder whether the initial (sane) objective was ever intended as a stopping point, of just a prelude to the later crazy objective.

Sometimes I wonder if there is a result wanted, or whether the "Struggle" is an end to itself.

Two ex-army mates I asked were of my basic opinion- it's a manufactured crisis/controversy on both sides and who really gives a copulation?

And, just for a change, let's hear from a 38 year veteran of The Black Watch (1979-2019):

YouTube link

Everything's always so simple, isn't it? At least for right wing TV pundits….

You may also wish to read about what the UK Government is doing to make restoration to those whose military careers pre-2000 were affected by homophobia and the "gay ban":

link

And a sort of obvious point – very little is done these days by the BL to support WWII veterans…but there have been a lot of conflicts since then….

"it's a manufactured crisis/controversy on both sides and who really gives a copulation?"

On one side.

On the other there are serious and very real concerns for people's wellbeing, especially children.

You can't just stick things back on, at the extreme end.

One side created the problem, the other is pulling their hair out trying to deal with it. Either actively, or just day to day. Meaning yet more people suffer.

"restoration"

?

Restitution.

Great, so now they are making money out of it at tax payers expense.

Safe to assume where some of that money may end up.

"there have been a lot of conflicts since then"

Unfortunately the important ones seem to be fought by civilians on home soil.

So where's our money then?

On the other there are serious and very real concerns for people's wellbeing, especially children.

The topic and the video was about the supposed insult/disrespect to Remembrance Day and old soldiers, H, with a side mention of the totally one-sided bans on "offence material and gestures" (introduced despite our common-law rights to free speech and expression). You introduced the other- very political and much more complex- issues of children, etc- later in the thread. If I'd seen those references up front I'd have ignored the thread- it's too complicated and divisive an issue for a board about playing with toy soldiers.

As for the initial issues, I gave my response and refuse to show a ranting, spitting contempt for those nasty, unnatural destroyers of traditions. They aren't worth it.

Well said.

But if such pins become common place, it will have, certainly by that point, a knock on effect.

I already see dedicated monuments and foot paths and even churches lined with funny flags.

Where is the line?

The pins are just a symbol, H. This is all about power and forcing their world/societal view onto everyone else. The pins are just an incidental item and tool for their purposes.

I wish I knew if there was a line, mate, and as I hinted above, I don't think there is one. They'll keep pushing until there's a popular backlash (as usually happens) and then look for a new cause to champion.

I agree.