Blue
Cross and the fight against alcohol on stamps:
Since I have
been working in Blue Cross for some years, it was natural to
collect stamps that somehow reflected this kind of work.
But I have not been collecting systematically, and I don't
have too many of these stamps and labels. Here is what I
have so far:
Denmark 1920's
In the 1920s
and 1930s, abstinence was not such a bad idea for quite
many people in Scandinavia and some other European
countries. This sticker from Denmark - probably
from the 1920s - wants "Denmark free from alcohol".
That would have been good...
This Danish label, saying
"Help for alcohol patients", would be difficult to issue
today. It portrays alcoholics as shipwrecked
people (which they of course often are) and down-trodden
in poverty (which they of course also often are...).
The right label also portrays alcohol patients before
and after rehabilitation. And even though we might
not think exactly the same way today, the message is
still very clear: Alcohol is a slave master that keeps
you down in poverty and misery. (click on the picture to
see a larger version of it)
Grønland
Greenland is a society that has
suffered
enormously from the effects of
alcohol.
These
labels from Greenland are inscribed both in the local
language and Danish. They are meant to send a
message that drinking is definitely not something to be
desired.
Down
right for example, we find the message "Drunk and
foolish".
Different
labels, but same series. Upper right label has a
strong question: "What about the children?" We
know that even small amounts of alcohol makes people
change. Children are the first to notice...
And many of them get scared! The down right has
the message "Today I want to be sober". Not a bad
idea...
Greenland 1991
Not many
countries have honoured Blue Cross on stamps, but
Greenland has! In 1991 they commemorated 75 years
of Blue Cross work at the island.
France 1912
This
label from France cancelled 1912 would not be accepted
today! But in the first part of the 1900's the war
against alcohol was much more accepted than today.
The label consist of an ordinary stamp fixed on a frame,
and reads:
Up: War
against alcohol!
Left:
Alcohol kills!
Right:
Alcohol stupefies you!
Down:
Absinth makes you a fool!
Although
we might choose different words today, the message is
still valid: Alcohol does kill, alcohol does
stupefy and makes fools out of people....
Tanzania 1986
This
miniature sheet from Tanzania 1986 (SG MS488) has not
directly to do with Blue Cross, but presents a text
which has: "Child Survival and Development".
We know that even a small amount of alcohol during
pregnancy can cause irreversible damage to the child.
Therefore, all pregnant women are strongly advised not
to drink during this period.
For us
who work in Africa, we see examples of just too many
cases of the opposite. Very many women DO drink
during pregnancy, thus having children with various
birth defects. This is tragic as it so easily
could be avoided.
Which brings us to my dream
situation that will never come through due to the
utterly egoistic nature of human beings: A society
totally rid of alcohol and drugs. In fact, nobody
can argue with this fact: If there were no alcohol and
drugs, no alcohol or drug related diseases, broken
homes, traffic accidents, rapes, incest, death and so on
would exist due to alcohol and drugs. Some of
these things would still exist, yes, but drastically
reduced. So why are human beings not willing to
ban the most damaging poison there is? Well, I
said it above: Due to the utterly egoistic nature of
human beings. Problem is, most people will not
admit that this is the cause, but excuse themselves that
they are not the ones bringing the problems...
Seems like we have to live with the poison, but at least let
us do our best so that the children will not be harmed
in any way!
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