Charlene White gets the Poppy Day row right
The usual mouth breathers have been having a go at Charlene White over her refusal to wear a poppy onscreen while reading the news. She’s made an entirely fair point about this, has Ms. White, but she’s not in fact correct about the poppy wearing either. Really, rather the point of the whole exercise is to remember those who fought so we’d have the freedom to wear a poppy or not as we wish. This is something the Royal British Legion at least understands.
The mouthbreathers:
ITV News presenter Charlene White has explained why she will not wear a poppy while on screen after receiving a wave of online abuse.
The 38-year-old was most recently called a “f*****g disrespectful c***” this week after she didn’t wear a poppy while delivering the news.
One person on Twitter said: “If @CharleneWhite isn’t willing to wear a poppy she shouldn’t be on our TV screens. She’s more than happy taking a wage out of this country. F*****g disrespectful c***.”
Yes, quite, delightful isn’t it. By the way, it’s not the country that pays her wage, it’s the advertisers, the people who cough up the money to put those little bits inbetween the programs.
Charlene White as responded on Twitter:
For those asking tonight – some nicely, others not – here’s an article explaining why I don’t wear a poppy on air: https://t.co/YNXJeWJ5OS
– I wear a poppy off screen
– I donate to the British Legion
– I come from a forces family
– I’m really not a b***h, c**t or p***k— Charlene White (@CharleneWhite) November 2, 2018
The explanation is that she supports a number of charities. And she’s not allowed to support them on air, wearing the right ribbon for this or that. The poppy, yes, that can be worn, that has a special exception. But she’s not happy with supporting just the one – if she can’t support all, then none.
No, we don’t have to agree with this but we do have to understand it. But then, as the Royal British Legion says, that choice is rather the point in the first place:
A spokesperson for The Royal British Legion said: “We take the view that remembrance honours the sacrifices and contributions our Armed Forces community have made in defence of freedom, and so how people choose to remember, or not to, must be a matter of personal choice.
“If remembrance became compulsory it would lose its meaning and significance.”
Quite so. Or, as we might put it, Charlene White is exercising the freedom those fought and died for by deciding for herself whether to wear the poppy or not, when and where. That’s actually the damn point.
Posted: 6th, November 2018 | In: Key Posts, News Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
