New Attitudes Toward Policies

Hey everyone.....with most of us '13'ers now communicating with our DS/DD via email............. thought I'd share one exchange with mine:

Essentially, I told him about the "new Sheriff" and how he expects the upper classmen to give back a little more. One way they are being asked to do that is by being leaders and more helpful to the Plebes, like him. Helping them succeed.

He wrote back: "Don't see any help.....they all just seem angry, very angry." +++=========================================================

Of course, we all know that an absolute statement from a Plebe is not necessarily pervasive....It might be business as usual....but since he has never experienced this, or anything like it, that is his take.

I guess it is all "perspective" and how they are feeling on any given day. My PC said last week that everybody is very friendly and helpful, and occasionally there is a "regimental nazi" who gives you a had time but that is the exception. Again, 2013 knows no different than what is.

My son has only said great things. He said the upperclass have all been nice, encouraging, funny. His room mates are great. Don't think I've heard one negetive thing or story.

And of course it will indeed vary from Company to Company, and person by person.......angry to one, may not be angry to another....and helpful to one may not be helpful to another.....Our guy really seems to like everything he has been exposed to after finally getting out of "Sick Co."

The comment I posted has been the only "less than positive" thing he has said....and I prompted him for that.......And least we forget, that sometimes a hard and angry DI/Upperclass may indeed be what Helps them succeed!

Another PC observation

I learned this weekend that what information/attitudes i am getting are quite different from what the sisters and gf are getting from our DS. Can't be too happy for Mom and Dad have to be cool and persecuted I guess.

Thanks for sharing!

just because the upperclass don't like a lot of what's going on does not mean that we're not here to help the plebes. the issue is that the plebes still don't know how to get help. we have stuff to do to, and if the plebes want help, we'll gladly help them, but they better have an idea of what they need assistance with and show us that they've put a solid effort into learning it on their own. if a plebe comes to me and wants help and i see he hasn't even attempted his homework and gives me the impression that he wants me to do it for him, i'm going to tell him to get out of my face. which could come across as being angry. either way, WE ARE HERE TO HELP!

Is2day4him said:

................ the issue is that the plebes still don't know how to get help. we have stuff to do to, and if the plebes want help, we'll gladly help them, but they better have an idea of what they need assistance with.......... WE ARE HERE TO HELP!

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Hmmmm.....Insightful.....Thanks

as was said before, you can't make it through this place by yourself. this is very true, and the longer the plebes are here the more they will see the truth in it. i know my plebe year i had to get a lot of help from upperclassmen. as such, i know many of my classmates all feel as though it is our social duty to help those under us, who will, in turn, help those under them one day. we're all in this together.
make sure the plebes understand that we do not hate them. it might seem that way, but it's not the case. the whole school is focused around the plebes. they're the workhorses of this regiment. as such, we'll do whatever we can to assist these kids. ultimately though, it's their responsibility to seek the help. not ours.
keep your head up. before you know it, you'll be in my shoes, and then in the shoes of someone with degree/license in hand ready to take on the world.

I know for a fact that the Upperclassmen have been kind, helpful, funny no negetive vibes on this end......not really sure what all this is about but my son has been welcomed, comfortable and confident in his time and position in KP......and looking forward to giving back. And frankly me too. as his Mom....wow this place is a bunch of up tight control freak parents.....get over it..love your kids and stop micro managing...and Lol join www.facebook.com search USMMA 2013 Friends and Family and have some normal talk about life and kids and KP...stop the hating....

This is a bit off subject but who said

“It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.”

Most popularly referenced/credited to Abe Lincoln.
Quick google search also reveals attributed to:
George Eliot, Groucho Marx, Albert Einstein, and others.

zonker said:

Most popularly referenced/credited to Abe Lincoln.
Quick google search also reveals attributed to:
George Eliot, Groucho Marx, Albert Einstein, and others.

Click to expand...

Wise men.... wise saying....

The dissapointment and/or anger with the changes by a lot of the upper class aren't really "new attitudes" about the new policies - what I mean is all service academies are steeped in tradition and after going through your own plebe year you tend to be change resisitve to anything that tampers with tradition.

Case in point about recent policy changes, one of the first things Adm Worley did, at the suggestion of Dean Kumar, as I understand it, is shift slightly the start of the Academic day to enable an additional class period and more scheduling flexibility, etc. This had been discussed for some time. A lot of folks went off "half-cocked" and assumed that meant he would do away entirely with morning colors. this caused quite an uproar, including from folks like me - older alumni.

The funny (odd)bout our reaction you might ask - well we did everything we could while at the Academy to get out of colors. The classes on 79 - 83 were well known to have done numerous pranks involving the "World's Tallest Unguyed Flagpole" many of which were designed to obviate the ability to have morning colors. That was until the entire regiment spent several weeks restricted as the result of a "straw that broke the camel's back."

My point is our (self included) change resistive reaction was both totally illogical and it turned out totally baseless. Going back to the key point here is my advice is everyone should take a deep breath and count to 10 before reacting to what is likely transient initial emotional reactions. A single statement during a phone call or email, or a single email doesn't constitute an ongoing trend or issue - it's just a signle event, momemnt/data point. To be sure as some of us who've been living this for a while and or lived through it ourselves, no one's saying your DD/DS won't have bad days or even stressful weeks, but if they want to be there and get through it you'll know it as long as you, yourself don't become entirely involved in their every up and down.