Support our troops
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Awareness ribbons
Support our troops (French: Appuyons nos troupes;[1]Spanish: Apoyar nuestras tropas) is a slogan commonly used in the United States and Canada[2] in reference to each country's military forces or troops. The slogan has been used during recent conflicts, including the Gulf War[3] and the Iraq war.
The slogan is sometimes seen as over-generalizing complex issues; for example, an individual may support personnel in the military but not the current respective government's foreign policy.
Contents
[edit] Red Friday
Groups have advocated the wearing of red on Fridays, in an event known as Red Friday,[4] to show their support for all members of the armed forces abroad, regardless of the circumstances under which they were deployed.[4] Other groups wear red on Friday to support or oppose wars, specifically the Iraq War and the War in Afghanistan.[citation needed]
[edit] Red Friday in Canada
People in Canada have worn red on Fridays to show support for troops serving in the Canadian Forces. Red is chosen because it is an official Canadian colour, and historically is a colour of remembrance because it symbolizes the red poppies in Flanders Fields and the loss of life that the country has endured.
Many positions in the House of Commons do not allow employees to dress outside of uniform, but allow staff to wear a red ribbon as a compromise. This is the only exception to these dress codes other than wearing a poppy for Remembrance Day.
[edit] Related ideas
Awareness ribbons are short pieces of ribbon folded into a loop (or representations of such) that are used in countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia, and the UK as a way for the wearer to make a subtle statement of support for a cause or issue. A yellow ribbon is a symbol with various meanings, mostly associated with those waiting for the return of a loved one or of military troops who are temporarily unable to come home.
A service flag in the United States is an official banner that family members of service members in harm's way can display.[5]
[edit] Criticism and opponents
Political analyst Noam Chomsky has criticized the slogan, saying,
- "[...] the point of public relations slogans like "Support Our Troops" is that they don't mean anything [...] that's the whole point of good propaganda. You want to create a slogan that nobody is gonna be against and I suppose everybody will be for, because nobody knows what it means, because it doesn't mean anything. But its crucial value is that it diverts your attention from a question that does mean something, do you support our policy? And that's the one you're not allowed to talk about."[6]
[edit] See also
- General
- Anti-war
- Other
