I guess we just have a different definition of 'perfunctory'. You have added 'needless' to my definition of 'routine and rote'. I always thought 'perfunctory' described more an attitude than a ruling on the necessity of the action. Under my definition, one could paraphase the old saying that flight is 99% perfunctory and 1% pure terror. We will just have to wait for some of the language experts to chime in with their interpretation.
We are going to have to agree to disagree on the concept of whether 'rules' are 'rules', or not. And of course you have taken the position of what parents want to hear, not what is actually proper.
Fair enough.
As long as you realize that I am
not vying for popularity amongst the parents.
I have said some
extremely unpopular things (from the
parent perspective) on the USNA parent list-server, the most heavily moderated, highly restrictive, and politically correct network every created; yet a
great resource for many things amongst the parent community. It is very sanitized. There are a lot of discussions about sunshine, lollipops, rainbows and puppy dogs.
About the worst post on the network will be something like: "My mid's car broke down in North Carolina and he has to be back for Block 3 by Thursday. He is really stressing out. Does anybody know of a good and reputable car mechanic in the Selma, NC area?"
For instance, the recent controversy of no-grease-on-Herndon for the Class of 2013 was squashed by the moderators.
But, that's OK. At least there is no pretense about the
purpose of the list-server. The theme seems to be, "If you have something critical to say - keep it to yourself."
For instance, you could
never talk (at length) about Bruce Fleming articles, the Admiral Fowler slush fund and his minority recruiting bonanza, midshipmen who are being retained who should be booted, or just about
any scandal. The topic of midshipmen being "voluntold" into a service selection not of their choosing will almost certainly get you a scolding from one of the fleet of moderators - one of whom is an Admiral. And, unlike this forum, midshipmen cannot participate in the network, by confirming or denying anything being discussed about the operation of the Brigade or the actual implementation of any policies.
For instance, around this time last year, when the first Plebe phones calls were being made, many parents were chiming on the list-server about how much their Plebe was enjoying Plebe Summer and what a great experience it was.
I chimed in with a general comment about how their Plebe was just being "nice" to them during the phone call. No Plebe
enjoys Plebe Summer. They may find it manageable. They may find it doable. They may find it not as hard as they thought. But they
definitely want it to be over. They are not "enjoying" it to the extent that they are waking up every morning and thinking. "Oh, goody gumdrops, another
wonderful day of Plebe Summer. I hope this never ends."
The parents didn't want to hear that. I did not win a lot of "brownie points" from those parents who wanted to bask in the delusion that Billy was at summer camp and enjoying every moment. I rained on their parade. And then I got private messages from the moderators to cease that line of discussion. And yet, I was getting
private messages from a select group of parents who did not get that "all is great" phone call.
Seriously, what parent is going to broadcast on a widely read forum about how their son/daughter is struggling and not enjoying the experience? By only reading the parent list-server, you would think that they were all having a grand time at Camp Chesapeake. They have camp fires, makes s'mores, tell ghost stories, and have pillow fights every night.
I made the unpopular (amongst the parents) observation that their Plebe was probably not having quite as peachy of a time as he may have led you to believe. He was probably just being nice and telling mommy something that wouldn't worry her. Many Plebes often do that.
My only point is this - I'm not trying to win any popularity contests with the parents - if that's what you think.
This forum isn't really a "Parent Network" anyway.
Yes, I think agreeing to disagree is probably the best way to go on this highly volatile issue of Friday morning PEP.
I can't wait to show my wife that I have actually been accused of telling people what they want to hear. Am I telling
you what you want to hear? I think it's fair to say, no matter what one says, there will
always be somebody who wants to hear it and somebody who does
not want to hear it. The best way to be popular is to say
nothing at all and have no opinions on anything controversial.