I swear I remember during the buildup to invading Iraq, a movement going around to wear red on Friday in protest of the war.
Which I didn’t do either, because “wear <x> for <random issue>” is one of the most idiotic things. I don’t care if it’s a certain color or a little ribbon or a lapel pin or a flower; it doesn’t do anything other than make you look like a trend-following doof.
Also, I have a mug that’s got a bald eagle and American flags and yellow ribbons on it, very patriotic, and it says “I support our troops more than you do”, and it makes me happy.
I’m sure it doesn’t count that I’m wearing a red shirt today. Right?
This thread reminded me of my college days when the main campus of Purdue was a tizzy over “Gay Blue Jeans Day” - allegedly if you wore jeans on a specified day, you were declaring yourself to be gay. :rolleyes: I did see a guy in jeans, a jean jacket, and a denim hat - I think he was trying to send a message…
For all of those whooshed by the brown pants, shit stains don’t show up against brown, much like blood doesn’t show against red.
Anyway, people here in Tucson usually wear red to show support for the U of A Wildcats. If you see someone wearing a red shirt this time of year, it means football season.
“Wear red on Fridays” has been something I’ve heard tossed around here in Canada for over a year now, ostensibly to support our troops in Afghanistan. The red state/blue state thing, obviously, does not apply here.
Personally, I think it’s stupid on either side of the border.
My buddy Chris in Kandahar is not helped by me wearing red on Fridays, but he IS going to be helped when I pitch in to send him a cool Christmas basket. Displays like ribbon magnets and red shirts have nothing to do with supporting the troops and everything to do with exclusion, as the OP says.
It’s also a way for someone to justify support that may not be there. “Look, that person’s wearing red, they support the troops too!” By sheer random chance a large percentage of people will wear something red. This is an old trick. Back when I was in university a gay rights group on campusdecided one particular day was to be Wear Denim If You Support Gay Rights Day, as per FairyChatMom’s event, except it was just supposed to be showing your support. They then announced a participation rate of something like 93% because so many people had worn jeans that day. Uhhhh huh.
In other news, Bear Nenno is thinking about maybe forming a SDMB drive for, you know, stuff for the troops. He was saying something about soccer balls to give to Iraqi kids.
He’s a character from the sci-fi webcomic Schlock Mercenary. He wears red, and tends to end up getting body parts blown off; more than once being reduced to a head on life support. And of course it’s a play on the expendability of Star Trek redshirts.
As for wearing a shirt to “support the troops”, just wear a shirt with a photo of some dead Middle Easterners and the logo “SUPPORT THE TROOPS AND KILL SOME IRAQIS”. It would be more honest; if you do one, you are doing the other.
For the benefit of our Americans, this makes the “red” make more sense – Canadians wear poppies before/around Remembrance Day to commemorate dead soldiers after the poem “In Flanders Fields” by John McCrae. Poppies, of course, are a blood red colour.
