remembrance day: all the victims of war, not just the ones who did the killing

Richard Jackson:

I would wear a red poppy if it was a symbol of remembrance for all the victims of war, and not just the ones who did the killing. By excluding the non-military victims of war from remembrance, the red poppy upholds a moral hierarchy of worthy and unworthy victims: the heroic soldier who is worthy of respect and official commemoration, and the unworthy, unnamed civilians killed or maimed by the heroic soldier who remains unacknowledged and unremembered...

I would wear a red poppy if it did not function to hide the truth and obscure reality...

I would wear a red poppy if its fund-raising and symbolism had the true interests of the military personnel it purports to support at heart...

I would wear a red poppy if...

Read this excellent piece here.