The issues addressed in the survey are legitimate concerns; for example, some service members might feel uncomfortable sharing an open bay shower with a gay colleague. That doesn't make it right - but I think it is legitimate to gauge the extent that these concerns exist in the rank and file military.
It's sort of like a company asking its employees how they feel about working with blacks or asians. Discrimination is discrimination - it's not up for grabs based on popular opinion. But, knowing that such concerns exist could help with education and training.
I'm more disappointed in congress for essentially washing their hands of DADT repeal - leaving it up to the white house and military. And, I'm disappointed in our president who shouldn't be asking IF DADT should be repealed - when he should be asking how soon can it be repealed.
3 comments:
I don't really see too much of a problem with it either, and I think gay groups sometimes like to bitch about things for the sake of bitching. But I did hear a point that I found valid: the survey presupposes that meeting a gay service member in the shower will be an awkward situation. Granted that would be an awkward situation for a lot of people in the military, but the way the survey is framed kind of puts it into your head that "this is an awkward situation, how will you react?" Instead of asking, "would you feel awkward?" the survey assumes you already do feel awkward, thus implying that there is something strange about a gay in a shower. But yeah, I don't think it's a huge deal.
The whole idea of a survey in the first place has always bugged me. This is the military, it is not an organization run by survey, or by polling or its members to see what they think. These young men & women deal with far worse situations every day. In many cases they have had to watch their best friends die, or be dismembered right in front of their eyes. And we need to be worried about how they might feel in the shower? Really? The whole idea is ludicrous.
This is one response I read to it...and I agree with it, to an extent (emphasis added):
None of the questions, alone, are particularly noteworthy, but the mind-numbing barrage of questions about showering in an "open bay" with fellow gay servicemen got me a little hot and bothered (mostly bothered, but a little hot).
Perhaps Uncle Sam loves the idea of stoking homoerotic thoughts that disturb its servicemen -- straight, closeted gay, and "openly" gay alike.
"You're not bothered by this in the least, G.I. Joe, are you, buddy? The thought of being in a veritable sea of naked muscular men at their collective sexual peak stroking their bodies all out in the open, steam rising, glistening flexing pecs, muscular abs, firm asses, barnyard lats, solid delts, vine-like traps, etc, slowly stroking their smooth, pumped, sexy bods. To you straight guys, this isn't stimulating in the least, is it? Not the slightest frisson of excitement, right? Even if we were to surround you with a bunch of openly gay men showering as they stare at your naked body, right? How would you feel if we did that? It wouldn't bother you, would it, G.I. Joe? No, because you're a MAN, aren't you, Joe? And you can take everything we throw at you, can't you, Joe? You'd go into battle and die if we told you, wouldn't you, Joe? No questions asked, right, Joe? Cause that's what a real man does, doesn't he, Joe? He just shuts up and takes it -- takes it all, takes it repeatedly and asks for more, forever and always, right, Joe?"
It seems like they are specifically going for a certain kind of response here...and the gay groups are contesting that because it's really obvious what's happening.
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