Every year, in the last few weeks of October, they appear-first on politician’s lapels, and by November they can be seen pinned on anyone, from the oldest veteran to the youngest child.
The only flowers that thrived on the ruined earth of WWI battlefields, red poppies are our simplest reminder of the complex phenomenon of war.
According to some students on campus, however, it is high time we examine the way in which we commemorate the losses of generations past.
This year, members of Students for Peace in Iraq (SPI) and the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) are handing out white poppies, an anti-war alternative to the familiar flower.
“[The red poppy] is only recognizing a piece of the impact that war has,” said Lara Barker, a spokeswoman for WILPF. “We stand for peace and we also recognize that veterans aren’t the only casualties of these wars.”
White poppies, although not known to most students, originated a few years after the red poppy was first widely worn after World War I. After unsuccessfully lobbying to have a “no more war” message emblazoned on the red poppy, women’s rights groups in Britain began making their white flowers in 1926.
Claire Hurtig, the head of SPI, believes that while justly honouring the suffering of those who fought in past wars, the spirit behind the red poppies focuses on the military rather than the broader impact of war, and that it tacitly endorses militarism.
“Part of their message is ‘never forget’ and ‘never again,'” she said, “but we feel the white one is more focused on the anti-war message, while the red one can sometimes glorify war.”
Kathy Bickmore, a specialist in peace education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, agrees.
“They’re certainly not raising the question [of whether wars are wrong],” she said of the red poppies. “They take for granted not only that wars will continue, but that Canadian participation in those wars…will continue.”
But not all students see it that way. When asked if she thought wearing a poppy endorsed war, one student, who wished to remain anonymous, said no.
“I wear one because my grandfather fought in the war, and it’s important to remember.” Others believe the red poppy sufficiently delivers the “never again” message.
“I think it’s a protest to war personally,” said Max Cameron, a third-year history student. “You wear a poppy to show that you are aware that major conflicts exist….The worst thing you can do is to be apathetic.”
Barker and Hurtig are careful to point out that they are not advocating the red poppy be scrapped.
“The white poppy isn’t the antithesis of the red poppy, it’s a complementary message,” said Barker. “It’s not trying to displace the veteran’s message, but it’s calling into question the whole system [of militarism].”
Students have been making the white felt poppies by hand. So far, they’ve made a few hundred, and last year they ran out. Hurtig believes that it’s one sign students are increasingly receptive to her group’s pacifist message.
“They’re pretty popular because we have a new anti-war movement in the past few years,” she said. “People see what’s happening in Iraq and Afghanistan.”
And according to Bickmore, Canadian attitudes towards war have changed since the country sent thousands to fight overseas.
“The First and Second World Wars were major nation building moments in Canadian history,” said Bickmore. “In a way, the refusal to join the U.S. war in Iraq was an equally important nation building moment in Canada….That doesn’t mean that Canadians have become pacifists, but it means Canadians are asking good questions about the consequences of war and the alternatives to war.”
