With Remembrance Day occurring, the iconic red poppies will appear on the left-hand side of everyone’s chests above their hearts. A symbol that we have grown up learning to respect, treasure and cherish, and although it is a small gesture compared to the actions of those who fought, and it is used to honour everyone around the world from young children learning about Remembrance Day to the older veterans who survived the war understands its importance.
The poppies on Remembrance Day are worn to remember the thousands upon thousands of solders that died in World War 1 and the sacrifices they made for our safety and well-being. They are worn to pay our respects and show our appreciation for those who were lost, those who survived and the families that were impacted as well through a small symbol.
There were no criteria put in place that was used when choosing the poppy for the symbol of Remembrance Day. It was a simple story from a beautiful poem we have heard our entire lives. “In Flanders Fields where poppies grow, between the crosses row on row”. Flanders Fields, the battlefield for the First World War, turned from something terrible to something memorable when after the burial of the fallen soldiers, beautiful bright red poppies began to spring from the ground of a place that was once full of sorrow and pain.
For over 100 years, people remembered with respect. We were taught to wear our poppies with pride leading up to and on November 11th and that was an aspect of our society that was never up for debate, until recent events took place. Throughout the past week social media pages, and tabloids have been exploding with the news of introducing a new “rainbow poppy” to wear instead of the red. There have been many opinions from either side of this argument, from some who are completely opposed to the idea and some who are completely for the idea.
The idea of the “Rainbow Poppy” was introduced as a way to show support for the LGBTQ community and implement the ideas of being prideful of people’s chosen sexuality, which is an amazing thing to do, and many people in this world, including myself, take any opportunity to show their support for the LGBTQ community. However, the original red poppy was introduced as a symbol for everyone who served in the war: man, woman, and any sexual orientation, even for the animals that were lost, and in no means meant to discriminate.
Overall, Canadian society should come together as a whole and put their differences aside to commemorate this one day that has been given to the people who truly deserve it. This “rainbow poppy” that is being introduced can be seen as unnecessary because the pre-existing red poppy that Canadians wear on November 11th is already serving the full purpose of being an honourary symbol that many have grown to respect. It is a perfect example of how if it is not broken you should not try to fix it.