Red Poppies and remembering

Eating my dinner tonight, listening to the CBC World at Six, the news, and heard a story I could hardly stand.  Apparently someone's started a white poppy campaign in Edmonton and there's a fuss.  The white poppy is meant, the folks say, to be a call for peace.  seems ok, even good, doesn't it?

But no, there's a problem.  The Canadian Legion, who sells poppies say the image of the red poppy is a trademark and that the white poppy campaign is an infringement of their right to sell and distribute their trademarked red poppies. 

So I came to this blog, found the post I'd written in 2004 in November, when Darfur was in the news.  Remember Darfur?  I wanted the photo of the button I wear every year at this time, which you see just up there.  Women understand this button, and often comment on it.  Men don't say anything. 

More than 25 years ago, when I was a volunteer at a rape crisis centre here we went to the Remembrance Day service at the Cenotaph downtown, and after it was all over, and the television cables were being rolled up, and all the elderly soldiers and nurses and others who had come to the ceremony were long gone, we stepped up to the cenotaph and had our own remembrance of all the women who have been raped in every war.  A local news reporter, who's still working in television to this day, ran a story that evening in which she, or her editors, had put the footage of our ceremony of remembering into the middle of the footage of the one minute silence.   

Those of you who are Canadian will understand the gravity of this  manipulation of our event.  As my wife said to me last night, Canada takes November 11th very seriously, not like the USA. 

The next day, at the rape crisis centre, we struggled to deal with the nearly 100 telephone calls we got from people who were outraged that we'd disrupted the minute of silence, and accused their sons and husbands of rape.  That was one of the  more difficult days of my life.  The consequences of the reporter's misrepresentation, or acquiescence to misrepresentation kept on coming up for that rape crisis centre for years afterwards.  They may still.

All because we said we wore a red poppy for the women who were raped in every war, historical and contemporary.  All because we remembered them. 

My button, ‘For Every Woman Raped In Every War’ was made by hand by Bern Mable sometime in the early 80s. She died some years ago. I wear it in her memory, and in the memory of all the women, all the girls, raped in every war.

Comments

[Samantha]

I am looking to purchase a box of these buttons, do you know where I coulg get some more?

Thanks,

Sam

[pippa]

This button is beautiful. It speaks to me... How is it that people can get so angry about a simple act of remembrance? Is hatred of women so deep within our cultures that we aren't allowed to include them in our national mourning? I am saddened by this, but also given hope. I think the button should be marketed annually with proceeds to appropriate charities. Cheers, Pippa x

[No Blood for Hubris]

They get angry because it suggests that rape actually occurs, and that the rapist should be held responsible.

It is preferable for many people to pretend these things do not occur, and/or that they are the fault of those victimized.