# What are those blue and white ribbons for? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 20, 2001, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-those-blue-and-white-ribbons-for/82718 "2001-09-20T01:46:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![VarlosZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d78d45/32.png) [@VarlosZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VarlosZ)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2001, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-those-blue-and-white-ribbons-for/82718/1 "2001-09-20T01:46:12Z")
Since the events of 9/11, I see lots of people wearing red, white and blue ribbons. I assume these relate to some sort of national solidarity, but I also see people wearing sky blue and white ribbons. Can anybody tell me what they signify? ---
**Author:** ![stuyguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@stuyguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stuyguy)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2001, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-those-blue-and-white-ribbons-for/82718/2 "2001-09-20T04:20:47Z")
My WAG #1: blue + white = peace My WAG #2: blue + white = United Nations ---
**Author:** ![Guy\_Propski](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/5e9695/32.png) [@Guy\_Propski](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guy_Propski)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2001, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-those-blue-and-white-ribbons-for/82718/3 "2001-09-20T12:11:11Z")
It could also mean, “I ran out of red ribbon.” ---
**Author:** ![CnoteChris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/278dde/32.png) [@CnoteChris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CnoteChris)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2001, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-those-blue-and-white-ribbons-for/82718/4 "2001-09-20T12:29:55Z")
Kind of an aside- My parents were on a cruise a few years back and one of their dinner partners made their fortune in -get ready for it- selling yellow ribbon. As the story was told, the man and his brother, soon after the Iranians took the American Embassy personnel hostage, saw the rush on yellow ribbon back in the US and hatched a plan. Keen businessmen that they were, they began a campaign to buy up all the available yellow ribbon they could get their hands on. I mean _all of it_. Soon afterwards, due to the perceived shortage of yellow ribbon in the nation to tie around trees, the price for it went through the roof. After waiting a bit, and letting the shortage boost the price to incredible highs, they opened up their warehouses of hoarded ribbon and made a tremendous profit. His wife told my parents the husband hadn’t worked since (This was back in the mid-nineties on a cruise to Alaska’s Glacier Bay). Cheesy and wrong, but interesting none the less. Maybe he came out of retirement and bought up all the red ribbon? ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2001, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-those-blue-and-white-ribbons-for/82718/5 "2001-09-20T12:31:39Z")
Paula Poundstone was right! The ribbon fad was all a scheme of the ribbon industry! ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2001, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-those-blue-and-white-ribbons-for/82718/6 "2001-09-20T15:03:51Z")
Oh, good, I rummaged around on Google and various news sites last night and couldn’t find a thing, except that a solid medium-blue ribbon stands for “peace”. So now I don’t feel quite so clueless. Awaiting the correct answer with interest… ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2001, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-those-blue-and-white-ribbons-for/82718/7 "2001-09-20T15:53:08Z")
Dunno if there’s a connection, but the Israeli flag is blue and white and a lot of Jews use the color scheme to symbolize their support for Israel. Fenris ---
**Author:** ![Peregrine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a6a055/32.png) [@Peregrine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peregrine)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2001, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-those-blue-and-white-ribbons-for/82718/8 "2001-09-20T16:51:08Z")
I’m going to go with the United Nations guess for now. It would be a nice global alternative to the nationalistic red, white, and blue. Wanting to know the real answer, I checked these sites: text with links:[Ribbon Campaigns](http://www.interstat.net/~carolyn/ribbonstxt.html) with graphics: [Ribbon Campaigns](http://www.interstat.net/~carolyn/ribbons.html) They claim to be “The most comprehensive ribbon list on the 'Net” They have a selection of ribbons about the attacks, but not sky blue and white. So I went looking through Google. I found red: AIDS, drug abuse pink: breast cancer yellow: POW/MIA, spina bifida blue: prostate cancer, child abuse, kidnapped Israeli soldiers, myalgic encephalomyelitis, free speech online green: environmental damage, open records for adoptees, tissue donors, childhood depression, optic nerve hypoplasia/ septo-optic dysplasia purple: violence, heart disease in women, life affected by cancer white: pregnancy-related death, men working to end violence against women, right to life, road crashes, gay teen suicide gold: childhood cancer silver: children with disabilities grey: diabetes, elder abuse orange: racism mint green: sexual abuse teal: Alzheimer’s black: melanoma jade: hepatitis B purple/yellow: chemical injury navy pinstripe: ALS prism: MS multi-colored jigsaw: autism and many, many more. I didn’t find sky blue and white ribbons anywhere. I gather that part of the point of wearing the ribbon is to get people to ask what it’s for. Let us know what you find out. ---
**Author:** ![maralinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@maralinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maralinn)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2001, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-those-blue-and-white-ribbons-for/82718/9 "2001-09-20T18:55:30Z")
I would go with Occam’s Razor on this one – the simplest explanation is that it in memorium of those who died in the WTC attacks. ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2001, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-those-blue-and-white-ribbons-for/82718/10 "2001-09-23T01:54:48Z")
Okay, I ran into somebody today who said she isn’t 100% sure but she thinks it’s probably to show your support for Israel. Good guess, Fenris. 🙂