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2006.06.22 |
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The Military really are different
T. F. Boggs may not be the best known of the milbloggres, but he is one of the best. He always tells the unvarnished truth, sometimes writing about what is going well, and sometimes what is wrong. Anybody who has been in service knows that some aspects of military life suck. And Boggs is an articulate nobody's mouthpiece. But if he sometimes has hard words for the military bureaucracy, its nothing to what he says about the media.
Continue reading here In this case, Boggs might have noted the particular hypocrisy of the media. The same people who send out reporters unable to distinguish between a battleship and a battalion, are the very ones most likely, except for their Academic brethren and sistern, to insist that, of course, men cannot cover a "women's issue" story, and that White people cannot understand racial minorities. Because they lack the special perspective. The fact is, Boggs is right, and not a hypocrite, and the pointey-heads are hypocrites and wrong. We are ceaselessly reminded that people, black and white, and also tan, are fundamentally the same beneath the skin color. And though men and women do differ significantly, both sexes grow up in close and continuous proximity with each other their entire lives. The childless may speak on child-raising issues, because they were once children themselves, and are almost certainly surrounded by neighbors and Friends with children. Race, sex,age, these are aspects of the human condition, accessible to anyone - which is why literature and drama are possible. But the military, particularly in war is different. First there is the arcane technical language, understandable only to those who have served, or studied deeply, the principle which leads the media to send special science and health corespondents to cover some stories. Second, and even More to the point. the basic reality of daily military life is far removed from civilian reality, even in peacetime or in non-combat zones. That is one reason recruits spend months training. Most of the technical skills could be taught in a matter of days. The essential aspects are the physical and mental conditioning, The mental conditioning most of all. New troops must learn to obey distasteful orders, to take risks, and to function under conditions of extreme pressure and fear, and with very vague and contradictory information. And to do so without hesitating to mull and consider. Here is an example. And with a high price for failure, paid sometimes by others and sometimes by one's self. The extraordinary aspect of war is also why soldiers need time, and occasionally special help, to readjust to peace, and to reintegrate themselves with their families and communities. And even then leaves traces, god and ill, that remain a lifetime. Unlike being Black or female, being a warrior is a highly distinctive experience. Big city policeman probably shares some of these special characteristics, and maybe thoracic surgeon. These characteristics go agaisnt the grain of everything that is a modern reporter. Boggs is right. |
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Posted by George Mellinger on June 22, 2006 at 04:41 PM in Old War Dogs, Rurik | Permalink TrackBack Listed below are links to weblogs that reference The Military really are different:
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