Don't Let Your Dingle Dangle Dangle in the Mud My sister announced a few months ago she would join the Air Force ROTC when she began graduate school (in family counseling and social work). It wasn't the surprise it might have been because she knows (and dates) a lot of military people, so the topic was at least not a new one. It's been really interesting since then to see the effect this has on other people. For example, a lot of people have asked, half-jokingly, if this means she is now a Republican. Even I did when she told me (I made her promise not to become one, and she agreed). The whole thing has made me realize how I live a life firmly in a certain corner of American society. This is perhaps best illustrated by a friend who found some military cadence CDs on the iTunes Music Store...
under Comedy. There is a humorous element to cadences, of course. The task they help to pattern is tedious and humor helps make it bearable. But I doubt that's the sense in which they were categorized. (No, I don't have any better ideas, but Vocal or Spoken Word would be more true to the intent.)
When you think about it, this association of military service with Republicanism is really unfortunate. What is Republican about loving your country enough to work for its security? We're at the point now where that question, from a leftist, is bizarre. Readers who may not know me well may be questioning my leftism for even bringing it up. Sure, we may no longer overtly assume that to be a soldier is to commit atrocities--that is now a socially inappropriate position to hold, after it apparently did such harm during and after Vietnam, and both sides now rush to lip-serve the meme of "supporting our troops." But it's an empty phrase on both sides. What leftists do now is patronize those who have chosen the military. Why aren't there demands for Lynndie England's head? Because the assumption is she was just a poor misguided kid who didn't know any better.
Now there is a basis from which to make that call. But I'm not sure that leftists who rush to patronize understand that basis, and I think that because of responses to my sister's choice. She has signed up to be an officer, she is not enlisting. I don't even fully understand the implications of that distinction, but I know enough to see that there are a whole hell of a lot of them. But the words "Air Force" are where people tune out and get shocked, "ROTC" doesn't modulate that much at all. The difference between signing up to be a grunt at 18 with high school diploma in hand and signing up for ROTC to get a commission at age 25 after obtaining a graduate degree is not often considered. (If they really knew about the military, the "Air Force" part itself would have meaning--it's widely perceived to be the easiest armed force to serve in, in lots of ways. People who understand the relationships between the branches get this right away, and understand her choice better.)
The situation is so bad that some of her military friends do not understand how anyone who holds a liberal position could be on their side. I submit that this is a problem. Republicans/conservatives have lined up this key segment of Americans in their corner (military and flag-waving supporters), and have been very successful at marginalizing pro-military liberals (see how unusual that phrase looks?). The thing is, "pro-military liberal" does not have to be an oxymoron--and it must not be. Only if liberals publicly demonstrate that will we have a chance to break the Republican stronghold on this group of Americans. And if liberals can do that, there is no longer a way for R's to easily and casually impugn our patriotism as they now do.
I worked a lot of this out as I went, so I might have missed some bits. I hope this starts a discussion and people are able to help develop this idea. Because my sister deserves props for her decision--genuine ones, not "well, if they will pay your bills, that's cool" ones. She has put her money where her mouth is, and will be showing people in the military that what I say is true by her example. Let's back her up from the outside.
