# Why do so many people refuse the Order of the British Empire? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 31, 2003, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-refuse-the-order-of-the-british-empire/221935 "2003-12-31T13:39:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2004, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-refuse-the-order-of-the-british-empire/221935/41 "2004-01-04T05:01:13Z")
Didn’t the Beatles all receive the award? I seem to recall learning that John Lennon later returned his in protest (I believe it had to do with the situation in Northern Ireland in the 1970s). ---
**Author:** ![spogga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ab097/32.png) [@spogga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spogga)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2004, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-refuse-the-order-of-the-british-empire/221935/42 "2004-01-04T05:51:14Z")
OWL: We beat you 3-1 at WHL and 4-1 at Maine Rd and won the title by beating Newcastle 4-3 at St James ---
**Author:** ![Rayne\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@Rayne\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rayne_Man)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2004, 8:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-refuse-the-order-of-the-british-empire/221935/43 "2004-01-04T08:59:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Guinastasia \* > \*\*Didn’t the Beatles all receive the award? I seem to recall learning that John Lennon later returned his in protest (I believe it had to do with the situation in Northern Ireland in the 1970s). \*\* It was to do with the Biafrian war in Nigeria and the British Governments attitude to it, and it was an MBE ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2004, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-refuse-the-order-of-the-british-empire/221935/44 "2004-01-05T02:29:52Z")
Ah, I knew it was something like that. ---
**Author:** ![Murcielago](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/da6949/32.png) [@Murcielago](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Murcielago)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2004, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-refuse-the-order-of-the-british-empire/221935/45 "2004-01-05T03:31:45Z")
Can’t remember where I heard this line, it was delivered in a very self-satisfied British voice: “I am both an Earl and an OBE, and that makes me an earlobe.” ---
**Author:** ![Rodd\_Hill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3ab097/32.png) [@Rodd\_Hill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodd_Hill)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2004, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-refuse-the-order-of-the-british-empire/221935/46 "2004-01-05T03:54:29Z")
I hereby award all Dopers in this thread the [Serbian Gold Medal for Zeal](http://vicmart.com/ext/items/85fb1bec_ser1913zealmed2crowns.jpg) (1913). ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2004, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-refuse-the-order-of-the-british-empire/221935/47 "2004-01-05T05:43:25Z")
I always liked Bernard’s explanation in _Yes, Minister_ of what some of the honours stood for. Civil servants within the Foreign Office receive the Cross, Knight’s Cross and Grand Cross in the Order of St. Michael and St. George. According to Bernard, those stood for: CMG - Call Me God KCMG - Kindly Call Me God GCMG - God Calls Me God [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-refuse-the-order-of-the-british-empire/221935.md?page=2)