Do yellow ribbons actually help troops or just make people feel patriotic?

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jb
around my neighborhood, people have jumped on the bandwagon and started tying yellow ribbons around just about everything they could. i know this is meant to show they support the troops overseas, but how exactly does tying a ribbon around a tree help a soldier who's being shot at? I'm starting to think it's more of a badge of pride for some people, like they're trying to say, "hey, look at me! I'm a patriot! i support our troops!"

if these people are so gung-ho about the war and supporting the troops, why don't they support them by enlisting and fighting in iraq? I'm sure that would help the cause. or as a local newspaper editorial suggested, they could volunteer to help the family of a deployed soldier around the house, doing chores, running errands, or taking care of the kids while a parent works to make ends meet.
 
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It is about:

1) belonging to a club
2) mistaking symbols for what they stand for
3) being lazy, scared, or self-centered, and covering it with a bogus 'show of support'
4) incorporating it along with REAL support
 
This sounds like another one of those American things :wink:
 
Greetings !

As far as I know yellow ribbons are hung in
the US to signify the wish for safe return of
US POWs and soldiers that are MIA. As such,
I think they are an important symbol that
indicates that these soldiers must not be
forgotten and must be released or their
whereabouts confirmed. The "we're not leaving
our own behind" message is essential for
any democratic country and is an important
moral booster for the troops themselves.

Live long and prosper.
 
In the days right after 9/11, when every house, vehicle, man, woman, child, and pet was wearing an American flag, a friend of mine sardonically wondered how many of those flags would stay up after it stopped being a fashion statement.

Not too many, as it turned out.

...
 
I suppose there are less, but they're still visible everywhere, we've just acclimated.

Regards
 
Hmmmm...symbols are a waste compared to something useful. Go enlist, or petition the government to get them better equipment, or knit a sweater.