Ahh, the annual rows over who is, isn’t or should be wearing a Remembrance Sunday poppy. A lovely way of tarnishing the ethos of Remembrance Sunday.

Image by comedy_nose via Flickr

The last few years have seen outrage that certain broadcasters and reporters weren’t wearing a poppy. This year, the rows seem to be sports orientated. FIFA says the England football team can’t wear poppies on their shirts in this weekend’s game against Spain (apparently it’s a political emblem and potentially offensive to German footballers. I suspect this viewpoint is of greater offence to the German people than a red poppy is). And the ongoing debate over whether Rugby League players can wear poppies on their shirts has now been cleared up with an affirmative.*

It appears that the decision to not wear a poppy is seen by some as tantamount to treason and the individual/ broadcasting house/ sporting organisation in question should be demonised and then hung drawn and quartered.

For me, it raises an interesting question; surely choosing to donate to any given charity is the right of the individual. It’s a personal choice, not a legal requirement. I wonder if anyone asked the footballers and rugby league players in question if they want to wear a poppy. I’m pretty sure they would, but these arguments could imply that it’s an enforced decision, rather than a voluntary one.

For any charity (large, small, local, national, children, sickness, research, animal, support services, the list goes on and on) corporate donations are one of the most lucrative means of fundraising. For the organisations in question, they have no right to force their employees to donate. They can encourage them to participate, but ultimately, it’s the fundamental choice of the individual.

Without a doubt, charities are operating in a tough and highly competitive world, but I’m pretty certain they’d rather donations came voluntarily rather than forcefully or resentfully. The latter hardly contributes to a positive “brand experience” and won’t help convert those individuals into regular donors.

Inevitably, I’d like to think that most people do donate to charity or buy a poppy, but who am I to tell them that they ‘have’ to do this or judge them for their decisions? No one has that right.

*As an aside, I did originally think who in their right mind would allow poppies to be worn on the football field – those pins are an accident waiting to happen. Fear not, it’s all about the iron-on poppy.