Zero Tolerance
I hate the phrase "Zero Tolerance".
Just like George Carlin writes in his latest book When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops?, the whole concept of "Zero Tolerance" is complete and total horse shit.
" I get weary of this zero tolerance bullshit. It's annoying. To begin with, it's a fascist concept; it's what Hitler and Stalin practiced. It allows for no exceptions or compassion of any kind. All is black and white - no gradations. But even more important, it doesn't solve anything. The use of such a slogan simply allows whichever company, school or municipality is using it to claim they're doing something about a problem when, in fact, nothing is being done at all and the problem is being ignored. It's a cosmetic non-solution designed to impress simpletons. Whenever you hear the phrase zero tolerance, remember, someone is bullshitting you."
The military prides itself on "Zero Tolerance" policies. Everything from sexual harassment in the work place to the use of illict substances in the privacy of your residence, will garner a maximum penalty if found guilty of such activities - usually including loss of rank, prison time and a dishonorable discharge, especially if you have a First Sergeant or commander who is itching to make rank. The fact you broke the rules despite the circumstances surrounding the event just will not cut it either. Again, Zero Tolerance.
I remember a time when I would go down to the A-10 squadron I was a part of and see Playboy calendars out in the open, on the desks of the pilots or the squadron commander. I also remember a time when you could try to get a piece of ass from a co-worker and it was all good. So long as it wasn't officer/enlisted, you could fuck anyone willing to give it up and it wouldn't impact your career in any negative way. You could curse up a storm, drink like a fish, and fight like a man. It was definitely fun times to be had by all.
All of this slowly started changing within the past 12-15 years, really throwing a monkey wrench in the works. It started out as Political Correctness, thanks to that goddamned bitch Hillary Clinton and her bleeding heart femin-nazi brigade, but it has mutated into the Neo-Conservative Christian backlash that Republicans have been pushing hard now for quite some time. Everything from dress and appearance standards to the use of alcohol and tobacco has been affected by the Christian element within the military, and from the looks of things, it won't stop any time soon.
For example: It used to be if you were a male, you could wear an earring while on base, off duty. You could have as many tattoos as you wanted and it wasn't an issue. Then in 1997 that all changed. Senior management decided earrings were considered inappropriate for public relations, and you couldn't have excessive tattoos on your body. Tongue piercings, belly button piercings, or any other kind of body modification were considered taboo as well, and failure to comply meant an automatic discharge from military service. Alot of seasoned personnel balked at the changes and either got the hell out or learned how to shut-up and color.
Next, alcohol and tobacco use came under the cross-hairs. To a certain extent, this has been unsuccessful to control, but for a period there, anything regarding its use or consumption was heavily scrutinized and almost outright prohibited. The catch-all General Order #1 became introduced, heavily punishing anyone breaking this command directive, primarily in remote locations people were deployed to, or areas in the world where such practices are not tolerated (like the Middle East for example). Once again, failure to comply usually meant grounds of an automatic discharge despite any previous track records of good conduct you may have.
Recently, the topic of sexual harassment has been getting beaten like a dead horse once again. Because a few scared little girls at the Academy cried to the media over situations they put themselves in, leadership has had no choice in the matter but to knee-jerk react and throw down yet another zero tolerance policy regarding dating and other pursuits of the heart. While there are legitimate cases of harassment and assault that happen, I've learned the majority of women in the service put themselves in situations without fully thinking things through until it's too late. They go out dressed up like 2-bit whores, dirty dance with some thug they meet at a night club, get drunk to the point of losing control of their functions, and then wonder why it is the next day their ass hurts and their clothing is all over the floor. While I don't condone the behavior of the men involved, I don't condone the lack of accountability on the part of these women either. Responsibility is a two-way street.
The ultimate pisser is when said women willingly fuck these dudes they meet and then feel guilty about it the next day and decide to "cry wolf" and press rape charges. I've seen that happen a few times too, despite the fact the guy was getting a perfectly consensual piece of ass. Under the new Sexual Assault Facts & Education (SAFE) guidelines, it is perfectly acceptable for such behavior from women, with no negative-consequences on their part whatsoever. What kind of message does this send out? Zero Tolerance yet again for any guilty parties involved.
The bottom line is when leadership can't address difficult issues or issues with alot of grey area, they use the blanket policy of Zero Tolerance as a catch-all, and we have no choice in the matter but to regurgitate the company answer. It's to the point now where it's religious dogma and anyone that tells a dick and pussy joke or boasts of his alcohol fueled exploits gets automatically labled as a trouble-maker and are then under evaluation for possible discharge. I honestly believe the Conservative Christian element of the military is at the heart of it all since I see alot of the same Judeo-Christian teachings and values being echoed by leadership BIG TIME, especially here in Korea. People like me can only bide our times and continue to fly under the radar until our separation/retirement dates become effective before we can smoke a doobie, drink a bottle of Jack and grab the ass of the waitress at the titty bar we're in with little fear of consequence. Until then we have to tolerate the Zero Tolerance rule.
Just like George Carlin writes in his latest book When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops?, the whole concept of "Zero Tolerance" is complete and total horse shit.
" I get weary of this zero tolerance bullshit. It's annoying. To begin with, it's a fascist concept; it's what Hitler and Stalin practiced. It allows for no exceptions or compassion of any kind. All is black and white - no gradations. But even more important, it doesn't solve anything. The use of such a slogan simply allows whichever company, school or municipality is using it to claim they're doing something about a problem when, in fact, nothing is being done at all and the problem is being ignored. It's a cosmetic non-solution designed to impress simpletons. Whenever you hear the phrase zero tolerance, remember, someone is bullshitting you."
The military prides itself on "Zero Tolerance" policies. Everything from sexual harassment in the work place to the use of illict substances in the privacy of your residence, will garner a maximum penalty if found guilty of such activities - usually including loss of rank, prison time and a dishonorable discharge, especially if you have a First Sergeant or commander who is itching to make rank. The fact you broke the rules despite the circumstances surrounding the event just will not cut it either. Again, Zero Tolerance.
I remember a time when I would go down to the A-10 squadron I was a part of and see Playboy calendars out in the open, on the desks of the pilots or the squadron commander. I also remember a time when you could try to get a piece of ass from a co-worker and it was all good. So long as it wasn't officer/enlisted, you could fuck anyone willing to give it up and it wouldn't impact your career in any negative way. You could curse up a storm, drink like a fish, and fight like a man. It was definitely fun times to be had by all.
All of this slowly started changing within the past 12-15 years, really throwing a monkey wrench in the works. It started out as Political Correctness, thanks to that goddamned bitch Hillary Clinton and her bleeding heart femin-nazi brigade, but it has mutated into the Neo-Conservative Christian backlash that Republicans have been pushing hard now for quite some time. Everything from dress and appearance standards to the use of alcohol and tobacco has been affected by the Christian element within the military, and from the looks of things, it won't stop any time soon.
For example: It used to be if you were a male, you could wear an earring while on base, off duty. You could have as many tattoos as you wanted and it wasn't an issue. Then in 1997 that all changed. Senior management decided earrings were considered inappropriate for public relations, and you couldn't have excessive tattoos on your body. Tongue piercings, belly button piercings, or any other kind of body modification were considered taboo as well, and failure to comply meant an automatic discharge from military service. Alot of seasoned personnel balked at the changes and either got the hell out or learned how to shut-up and color.
Next, alcohol and tobacco use came under the cross-hairs. To a certain extent, this has been unsuccessful to control, but for a period there, anything regarding its use or consumption was heavily scrutinized and almost outright prohibited. The catch-all General Order #1 became introduced, heavily punishing anyone breaking this command directive, primarily in remote locations people were deployed to, or areas in the world where such practices are not tolerated (like the Middle East for example). Once again, failure to comply usually meant grounds of an automatic discharge despite any previous track records of good conduct you may have.
Recently, the topic of sexual harassment has been getting beaten like a dead horse once again. Because a few scared little girls at the Academy cried to the media over situations they put themselves in, leadership has had no choice in the matter but to knee-jerk react and throw down yet another zero tolerance policy regarding dating and other pursuits of the heart. While there are legitimate cases of harassment and assault that happen, I've learned the majority of women in the service put themselves in situations without fully thinking things through until it's too late. They go out dressed up like 2-bit whores, dirty dance with some thug they meet at a night club, get drunk to the point of losing control of their functions, and then wonder why it is the next day their ass hurts and their clothing is all over the floor. While I don't condone the behavior of the men involved, I don't condone the lack of accountability on the part of these women either. Responsibility is a two-way street.
The ultimate pisser is when said women willingly fuck these dudes they meet and then feel guilty about it the next day and decide to "cry wolf" and press rape charges. I've seen that happen a few times too, despite the fact the guy was getting a perfectly consensual piece of ass. Under the new Sexual Assault Facts & Education (SAFE) guidelines, it is perfectly acceptable for such behavior from women, with no negative-consequences on their part whatsoever. What kind of message does this send out? Zero Tolerance yet again for any guilty parties involved.
The bottom line is when leadership can't address difficult issues or issues with alot of grey area, they use the blanket policy of Zero Tolerance as a catch-all, and we have no choice in the matter but to regurgitate the company answer. It's to the point now where it's religious dogma and anyone that tells a dick and pussy joke or boasts of his alcohol fueled exploits gets automatically labled as a trouble-maker and are then under evaluation for possible discharge. I honestly believe the Conservative Christian element of the military is at the heart of it all since I see alot of the same Judeo-Christian teachings and values being echoed by leadership BIG TIME, especially here in Korea. People like me can only bide our times and continue to fly under the radar until our separation/retirement dates become effective before we can smoke a doobie, drink a bottle of Jack and grab the ass of the waitress at the titty bar we're in with little fear of consequence. Until then we have to tolerate the Zero Tolerance rule.
posted by Machine at 12:35 PM
2 Comments:
Okay. Christians and their supporters. Then.
No offense to the Jews either. It's just that the term "Judeo-Christian" is so commonly used now, which is why I reference the phrase.
Or simply put "Responsibility for the Responsible" by Anton LaVey before he passed away.
I'll take you up on the offer to see George Carlin if I make it out to Vegas, Alison. I would love to hear his spoken word live.
Post a Comment
<< Home