Anyone see Tony Blair on Meet the Press today?
What the hell was that crazy lapel thing he was wearing? I don’t even know how to describe it-- a red main part the shape of a guitar body about 3" in length, with a green “hat” on top.
A poppy, maybe? The colours match, at any rate. People wear those around Remembrance Day in Britain(for that matter, Canada, too). link
Yes, that’s definitely a poppy. All the anchors on BBC World also wear one. Around Remembrance Day (November 11), in (many) Commonwealth countries, a poppy is worn on the left lapel or on the left side of the chest to recognize the sacrifice of those killed in war and of veterans. (This symbol is from John McCrae’s poem In Flanders Fields.) The poppies are sold beginning about two weeks before November 11, originally by veterans, though increasingly by younger volunteers and members of the cadet program as well as from donation boxes in stores. November 1st is the semi-official day when public figures such as newscasters and politicians begin wearing the poppy. In Canada the poppy is usually worn until November 11, but I noticed the BBC World anchors were still wearing them today (November 14), so I think they might be worn until at least the Sunday following Remembrance Day there.
The UK poppy is nicer, IMO, than the Canadian one. The Canadian poppies are more regularly shaped and do not have the green leaf behind. They have a black circular part in the middle and are attached with an ordinary pin, bent at the head end. The center part was originally green, but was recently changed to black because poppies are actually black in the center.
Come to think of it–what was the little round thing John Edwards was always wearing on his lapel, e.g., during the VP debate?
Another related question: is Flanders Fields known much outside of Canada? I’m not sure of other countries Remembrance (/Veterans/Armistice) Day traditions … I never knew before today that poppies were worn outside Canada! :o
Thanks!
I think Linus recited it during one of the Peanuts cartoons that appeared on TV. It was the one where the kids went to Normandy. So some Americans may be familiar with it from there.
Americans wear them on Veterans’ Day for the same reason. The VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars, the main veterans association over here) sells them here, and they are just red paper around a central green plastic knob. They come with snippets of the relevant verse, as I recall.
Here’s the Canadian Legion’s web-page on the poppy.
And there’s another GQ thread active: So you don’t have poppies in America - do you have something else instead?