An Editorial on Don't Ask Don't Tell

[Rips]

I think as long as there's a large amount of people not ready to accept gays then the DADT should remain.

Nobody's ever going to be ready to accept gays if they don't get used to it. This was covered in the marriage thread. You can't wait for someone to change their mind and go "hmmmm.. well okay, I guess." Gays have to fight for their rights.

It really is tricky, the don't ask don't tell policy. I understand where it comes from and how the military sees it I think. They're worried that if gay men are stationed with straight men it would cause a distraction, I get that. I just think that gays having the right to be open about it and serve in the military is so much more important then someone being uncomfortable about it.

If you don't have the maturity level to work with other gays, I'm not going to say you shouldn't be serving, I'm going to say you need to up your maturity and professional level to serve. Not saying you don't have the right to serve if you're uncomfortable, but you get my point.

People keep replacing gay with blacks when it comes to gay rights and issues and sometimes it can be too much, but I think that rule can apply here. What if you have a bunch of white men uncomfortable with black men with them? I'm serious here. What is expected of them? To grow the fuck up?

 

[Rips]

In Starship Troopers, the men and women showered together. Just a fun thought.

 

[Javir]

I can't recall how the assimilation of blacks, and women was done, someone who was around then would have better insight than I would. I would have thought this country was ready to fully accept homosexuals as well until the amount of opposition that came up against gay marriage. I initially had thought everyone would understand and work with them, instead of this outright wall bigotry that they seem to have put up for themselves. I don't understand it, and I don't understand when people around me support it, or just don't give a damn that it's there.

I'd like to have enough faith in my shipmates that when they're faced with serving with other gay men, they wouldn't care. But right now, I don't know...

I wasn't there personally, but I enjoyed my history lessons! Helps I like the History Channel too. But the first using African Americans was actually in the Civil War. The Northern Armies had units of segregated African American troop units. This trend continued I think until around or maybe just after WW2. I know that in WW2 they also had units made up of mostly Native Americans who went to war because they felt that despite their history with the US government, an attack on what was their home (meaning the USA as a whole) deserved an appropriate response.

Anyhow, before I ramble on that more. Eventually with desegregation laws and the fact that people had the opportunities to work with Units comprised of different races it just started to make more sense to have a more streamlined military. If I remember correctly the military was one of the first organizations to self administer the start of desegregation.

In pertaining to Gays and joining the military, I'm not sure I can see a solution short of a need to initiate a draft. If they initiate a draft they almost have to kill the Don't Ask Don't Tell rule, because how many people will make out with their best guy buds to not go into the military by force? (I use guys, because at this time women can't be forced to draft.. only volunteer).

 

[Halifirien]

In Starship Troopers, the men and women showered together. Just a fun thought.

That's why I could never serve in the military (that, plus my age and general marshmallow shape)... naked Casper Van Dien would distract me. I love my country, but not enough to fight down a 24-hour erection.

 

[Tristam Green]

That's why I could never serve in the military (that, plus my age and general marshmallow shape)... naked Casper Van Dien would distract me. I love my country, but not enough to fight down a 24-hour erection.

Indeed.

Oh shit, wait. I thought you were talking about 1996-era Dina Meyer in the shower, not Casper Van Dien.

Damn you Halifirien, dammmn youuuuu.

 

[Raesvelg]

In Starship Troopers, the men and women showered together. Just a fun thought.

Yet ironically, in the novel (aka, the real Starship Troopers), men and women in the military were kept relatively segregated, to the point where having a female in the MI area of the ship was practically unheard of.

Verhoeven should be treated in much the same way as he treated Starship Troopers. Which is to say, mutilated, mangled, dressed up like something it's not, then finally used as some sort of meat puppet to say bad things about Paul Verhoeven.

/derail. God I hate Paul Verhoeven.

 

[Halifirien]

Ah, but how can you hate Starship Troopers? Any movie that has Doogie Howser doing a mind-meld on a giant grub is solid gold.

Speaking of novels, you should give John Scalzi's Old Man's War a try if you haven't already.

 

[Raesvelg]

Ah, but how can you hate Starship Troopers? Any movie that has Doogie Howser doing a mind-meld on a giant grub is solid gold.

Speaking of novels, you should give John Scalzi's Old Man's War a try if you haven't already.

I wouldn't have minded it... if it were called something other than Starship Troopers.

And yes, I've read Old Man's War, lol. Though, to be honest, I lost interest in the series after the 2nd book.