Poppy Pressure?

Today is Sunday the 14th of November, it is Remembrance Day. On this day we remember those who fought and died in World War One and World War Two. More recently this day has also been utilised for us to remember the British troops who are currently fighting in Afghanistan.

As I looked around at peoples lapels in the weeks leading up to this day I saw nearly all of them were wearing poppies. Whenever I watched the television: news presenters, interviewers, interviewees, sports personalities, musicians, each one of them were wearing red poppies. This made me panic. "Everyone has a poppy on" I thought, "I haven't bought one yet, everyone's going to start thinking I don't care, I need to buy a poppy." And just like that, I was a victim of poppy pressure.
Are those on the street or on television wearing poppies because every time they put them on they stop and think about the people who died at war? Perhaps they do. Or are they wearing one as they feel socially pressured to buy one, or because the television company would look bad if they didn't make everyone on their shows wear one?

At the start of november my brother and myself were sat at Victoria looking up at the advert of a solider putting on a prosthetic leg, next to this image it says "It only takes a second to put on a poppy". I ask my brother, who works for a charity, what does he think of this advert? He replies, "It makes the viewer feel guilty, like all charity adverts, so I guess it's a pretty effective advert." I can't argue with him, I do feel guilty when looking at the advert and it does make me want to buy a poppy.

Therefore we as a nation obviously feel guilty that we have sent men and woman to fight wars for us and they have not always returned. I am not saying that Remembrance Day is not important, nor am I saying that war is not horrific and awful. What I am saying is that guilt is most definitely a strong emotion attached to Remembrance Day and that perhaps the 14th of November is a day designed to vent a nations guilt just as much as it is to remember.

 It is a firmly accepted fact now that World War One was one of Britian's most awful wars. We accomplished very little and a lot of blood was shed in the process. And no one seemed to really know what we were fighting for. Sounding familiar to a certain war we are currently engaged in now? I do find it slightly ironic that we have a day where we remember how awful war is and how guilty we feel for so many people dying in the process, yet we go and do it all again. And no doubt after this pointless war another one will surely follow.

I bought two poppies this year and lost both of them before Remembrance Day after they fell off of my coat.