Why you should wear a red poppy with pride indy100 indy100 Indy100 logoNewsletter sign upRegister/Sign inTop 100NewsViralPoliticsCelebritiesScience & TechVideoWishlistWishlistBooksFashion & BeautyFood & DrinkHome & GardenKidsSports & FitnessTechTravel & OutdoorsMoreScience & techVideoConversationsSportIdentitiesLifestyleShowbizTVSearchxNews
Why you should wear a red poppy with pride
Stefano HatifeldNov 03, 2014 An extraordinary thing happened last week: an art installation caused crowd and traffic chaos, bus diversions and the closure of the nearby Tube station, Tower Hill. I am, of course referring to the First World War ceramic poppy installation, Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red, by the artist Paul Cummins in the Tower of London. By Armistice Day on 11 November there will be 888,246 ceramic poppies planted, one for each British and colonial death during the war. An estimated four million of us will have seen it by then, myself included. Via social media, I can tell that dozens of people I know have been too. Perhaps surprisingly, it has cut across generations. That’s one of many reasons why I don’t care if it’s “art” or not. Nor can I agree with the critic, Jonathan Jones, who described the installation as “fake, trite and inward-looking”, partly because it “only” commemorates the 888,246 who died on “our side”. How can a memorial that has inspired millions to come and reflect be “toothless”? Jones only reinforces how out of touch the liberal media elite is with the general public. I do not understand how wearing a poppy in innocent remembrance can offend anyone. Nor, do I comprehend the need for those ridiculous white poppies. How is honouring those who died any kind of endorsement of war? Wear your poppy with pride – or don’t. But if you choose not to, spare us the personal justification. Because, sometimes in life, it really isn’t always all about you. Stefano Hatifeld is the editor-in-chief of High50.com More: Each one of these 888,246 poppies represents one British military fatality in WWI More: James McClean refuses to wear poppy, here's whyKeep reading...Show less This 53-second clip completely sums up Jordan Peterson
Chilling political ad shows what it' s like when abortion is illegal
Emma Thompson I cried when I heard Scottish school had won top prize
Please log in or register to upvote this article Top 100
Who won today' s PMQs Truss tells Starmer she' s ' a fighter not a quitter'
prime minister's questionspmqsliz trusskeir starmerprime minister's questions3h Elon Musk reportedly thought that Grimes was not real
elon muskgrimescelebritiesspacexteslaelon musk6h Just Stop Oil protester praised for ' great' explanation of soup stunt
just stop oilvan goghprotestclimate activistsjust stop oil6h Man endures ' 29 hour flight' with screaming kids for the entire trip
flightplanechildflightOct 12, 2022 Lorraine Kelly hits out at Madonna' s ' boiled egg' face
madonnamadonnalorraine kellygmbshowbizplastic surgeryOct 11, 2022 Elon Musk is actually selling a ' Burnt Hair' fragrance
elon muskthe boring companyperfumeelon muskburnt hairOct 12, 2022 Couple spark debate for ' scandalous' wedding cake topper
wedding caketiktokwedding cakeviralOct 12, 2022 Love Island star shows extent of how far influencers edit photos
Love IslandLove IslandinfluencersshowbizOct 11, 2022 Jon Stewart slams Arkansas attorney general for her ' anti-trans law'
lgbt+Oct 11, 2022 Steven Seagal describes Putin as one of ' greatest world leaders'
steven seagalOct 10, 2022 Lizzo wears empowering shirt after being fat-shamed by Kanye West
lizzoOct 10, 2022 14 of the worst things the Tories did this week
liz trussOct 08, 2022 M People' s Mike Pickering was ' appalled' hearing Liz Truss used song
Liz TrussOct 06, 2022 Why Elon Musk once gave $1m to Mr Beast
mrbeastOct 05, 2022The Conversation (0)