Turn of the century Tunisian MedalsThis poll question ventures into somewhat controversial material this time the topic of wearing medals with Steampunk attire. Being prior military, I had wondered about this topic in a peripheral sense (e.g. should a medal from a military organization be worn as part of, for lack of a better term, costume). A recent thread on the Steampunk Empire regarding this topic did pique my curiosity, and certainly did provide a number of viewpoints on wearing of medals. As such, I figured I would post this as a poll question, and see what the majority of the readers of this yellow rag say“Old unidentified medal”, from Shutterstock.comThe effort to distill the choices for the poll were challenging, as there are plenty shades of gray to address, but here is the question I have devised.Is it acceptable to wear medals from current military organizations on Steampunk attire?Yes If I can purchase a medal, I have no qualms wearing it.Yes If Ive earned the medals from active duty service, I have no qualms wearing them.Yes Wearing medals is simply part of my Steampunk persona, and I do not consider it disrespectful to active duty service members – this is akin to actors wearing medals to represent service members.No Wearing medals from active duty service is disrespectful to service veterans.Other – My view is not represented in the above choices.Persian Medals, Circa 1919I specifically used the term current military organizations to reflect any current military service, regardless of nationality. A gadfly might argue that wearing a medal from a defunct military organization is disrespetfuly, but Id wager to say that not many people (nor the defunct military organization) would be offended if one wore a medal from, say, the Ottoman Empire, even if one would have the financial wherewithal to afford said item.I realize that there are controversial legal issues concerning the wearing of medals, which one has not earned. The lead post of the Steampunk Empire thread references the Stolen Valor Act (in the United States), and other nations have specific laws regarding wearing military awards, but again, I would like to focus specifically on the poll question for a more complete complex analysis of legal issues, Id recommend a visit to the aforementioned Steampunk Empire thread.Finally, please, no political commentaries. There are plenty of other places which are better forums for political discussions, and I will be exceptionally hesitant to post political opinions (aka they will not be posted). The focus will be on the lead poll question, not on political discussion. I will make mention on the Steampunk Empire about this poll, and its is likely a better forum for said discussions. The thread in question is located at: http://www.thesteampunkempire.com/forum/topics/military-steampunk
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