From the head of the English department re Mustache March

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WinstonWolfePF

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Colleagues,

We learned today that the Commandant has approved upperclassmen (men used purposefully!) to grow moustaches during the month of March. If you or cadets in your class choose to participate, please ensure moustaches meet AFI standards.

Let me register my full support for a colleague’s statement earlier today: “I have a personal concern about using a personal grooming choice as an institutional statement about masculinity and the superficial differences between men and women (and those men who cannot or choose not to grow a moustache). Moustaches used in this way celebrate the bravado associated with a dominant masculine culture and harken back to a time when men were the only people allowed in the combat arms of our military. I believe they celebrate the unhealthy aspects of masculinity and warrior ethos at the expense of many of our colleagues who are unable or unwilling to participate. This brand of masculinity can lead to hostility and unhealthy divisions between those who can and those who cannot. It is not just women who are the brunt of this exclusion. Men who are unable or unwilling to participate can also be the target of jokes or harassment. In a time when we are celebrating equality and the empowerment of movements such as #metoo, to celebrate an historical culture that exclusively celebrated men causes me concern. I ask is that you thoughtfully consider your statement about our culture if you plan to participate. Perhaps, with some careful thought, we can learn to celebrate the traditions and esprit de corps of our service in a different way that includes all members of our organization.”


What are your thoughts on this?

For me personally, this is the exact kind of PC, divisive, politically motivated, triggered-culture vitriol spewed by ideologues that I was hoping to avoid by attending a MILITARY Service Academy. Why can't they just let a fun tradition be a fun tradition in a place where traditions are loved, but are few and far between? I had never even considered Mustache March or No Shave November to be anything else besides an expression of our limited freedoms that come as a consequence of military service. It's something a little fun and silly to increase morale and to increase comradery. Why does every single thing have to turn into a politically charged discussion?

Again, these are just my feelings towards the matter. I'm interested to hear other peoples' thoughts.
 
Don't worry about the English department. They are definitely the furthest left department at the academy and have made other comments, such as suggesting that using the words "male" and "female" contributes to sexual assault. Don't expect to hear this kind of stuff from other departments.
 
Maybe you can have the history department educate them. Is "airmarshall" Terry still there?

If the department feels that celebrating a triple ace, AF Cross recipient, amazing combat leader, and USAFA Commandant is "toxic," perhaps they should find a different workplace that caters to a different level of sensitivity. The DoD exists to apply violence against enemies of the nation, to protect our Constitutional system.
 
This is both silly and sad at the same time. I just happen to be at Kunsan AB this week, home of Robin Olds’ 8th FW Wolfpack. Seeing all the mustaches here honoring Gen. Olds is something that makes me proud. I would be interested to know if this English professor is a civilian.

Stealth_81
 
From this career Naval Aviator, (who can’t grow a decent mustache), Brigadier General Robin Olds is one of the greatest aviation warriors of all time because of his singular focus on improving the lethality, effectiveness and efficiency of engaging and killing the enemy in aerial combat. His biography is a must read for any military pilot. Hope that USAFA continues this tradition.
 
Come on folks! The English Department faculty is taking a courageous stand in the face of the most insidious type of discrimination. The inability to to grow facial hair, while a mark of more advanced evolution, is what kept me from serving in the military.

This culture of facial hair dominance is apparently affecting the military's ability to attract the best and the brightest:

https://www.duffelblog.com/2013/03/...-special-forces-because-he-cant-grow-a-beard/
 
Hey, if the female cadets want to grow a mustache too, then let them. I’ve known a few female service members who had pretty good mustaches growing.

GOD I HATE political correctness. It HAS been the downfall of our society over the last 40 years. Men and women are different. Doesn’t mean one is better or worse than the other; just different. And until people ACCEPT the differences and stop trying to make the genders neutral, we will continue to fall further down as a society. Sorry, but there is NOTHING progressive about this at all. No 2 people are equal. Whether gender, race, color, religion, etc. No 2 individuals are equal. All we can strive for is that everyone gets an equal opportunity. Nothing more and nothing less
 
The prevailing opinion now at USAFA is that this letter was a fake, because of the writing style and grammatical errors.
 
I believe that th text originally came from Reddit. I could very well be incorrect about that.
 
16lpontzer said:
I believe that th text originally came from Reddit. I could very well be incorrect about that.
Click to expand...
It did come from Reddit. I took it from there and shared it over here to get more opinions. That doesn’t mean it is fake, though. The person who posted it seemed genuine.
 
Even if the opinion was fake, the sad part is that there ARE PEOPLE who think that way. That the word MAN should be removed from all words where it’s a suffix or prefix. Human, mankind, even WOMAN. I guess you could say “Woperson”. Does this mean middle age wopersons will go through ”personopause” instead of menopause?

I’m not trying to be funny. People need to get off of this political correctness crap and stop worrying about hurting someone’s feelings. If you take out feelings, you take out emotions. When you remove emotions, you remove passion. Keep it up and some day there will be a limited amount of food, clothing, music, art, etc. Society will be over protective about offending others. The liberals, (no, they aren’t progressives.... progressive implies being more advanced, and these people are not), believe in freedom of speech, expression, art, etc. as long as it’s a topic they believe in. They don’t believe in those freedoms for others who think differently than they do. And these liberals may get their way. But eventually it’s going to backfire when politically correct terms, beliefs, etc. offend others, and society will be controlled in all speech and communications.
 
OMG. I am like super liberal, like, I bleed blue kinda liberal. Any protest women have over mustaches makes me roll my eyes so hard they almost get stuck. Ladies, if you have a problem, grow out your pits, I guess. Otherwise, enough already.
 
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