A few questions for the defense professionals

[Eeshaan]

This is something that's been in the back of my head for a LONG time, so I guess it's time to ask the professionals I've seen posting in these forums.

As professionals serving in the defense industry, or the various branches of the militaries of your respective nations, do you believe you are treated fairly and justly by the mainstream media and civillian public in general ? Do you think they "Understand" you enough ?

Does the mainstream News media and public's opinion matter to you AT ALL ? Of course it does to the government ( and sure as hell does when it comes to defense budget/financing decisions etc. ), but does negative or positive public and media opinion have a major psychological impact on the professionals in the industry and the front lines ?

Just need your 2 cents on this, thanks...

 

[RobWilliams]

As professionals serving in the defense industry, or the various branches of the militaries of your respective nations, do you believe you are treated fairly and justly by the mainstream media and civillian public in general ? Do you think they "Understand" you enough ?

Whilst I may not be a defence prof., I'll link you to a UK article I read some time ago, there are many others like it in other papers so it's by no means specific to this particular paper/driven by a particular agenda.

Let down by their countrymen: how our Forces often feel unappreciated - Telegraph

The first four paragraphs particularly get me worked up something awful.

A survey of more than 9,100 servicemen discloses that almost one in five military personnel has been refused service in pubs, hotels and shops because they were in uniform.

Six per cent have been attacked in the street, while 21 per cent have reported strangers coming up to them and shouting abuse.

In one case, a member of the Royal Navy was told by his son’s head teacher to stop wearing his uniform on the school run because it “upset the parents”.

A female RAF recruiter said that on more than one occasion members of the public have screamed “baby killer” at her as she walked to work in her uniform.

It takes a special kind of person to put up with that kind of abuse.

Then again, it probably comes from that particular group of people which most nations have who despise everything military because they're "evil".

 

[Eeshaan]

That article is quite disturbing indeed.

I wonder what kind of psychological effect this kind of thankless behaviour has on the men & women on the frontlines. Although I'm no psychologist, I'm certain this does not exactly help improve the PTSD situation that alot of servicemen are facing...

Anyways not going to rant about it, but that paints a very sad picture....

 

[ADMk2]

I don't think subject matter experts in ANY field are particularly bothered by what the mainstream media (whose sole intent is to generate as much drama as possible, in order to sell their product) may write/say etc.

It didn't bother me personally in my time in Defence and doesn't bother me in my chosen profession (law enforcement) nowadays, despite a number of my investigations gaining rather significant media coverage.

What does bother me is that mainstream media influences our political masters, who are more concerned (in my experience) with their re-election chances than "what" is right or wrong...

 

[Gremlin29]

In the US many citizens go out of their way to show their appreciation for those of us that are in uniform, particularly when you get away from areas that surround a military installation. At airports while travelling in uniform I can't begin to count the people that have walked up to me and shook my hand thanking me for serving. I always tell them that I appreciate their appreciation and that it a great privelage for me to serve. I have many strangers buy me coffee, or try to pay for a meal and more than once try to give me their 1st class seat on the airplane (I refuse to take it but thank them profusely). I believe 9/11 gave America a new conciousness about the military fueled in part by an underlying shame for the way Vietnam vets were treated.

As for the media, most military folks view them with disdain and don't get that worked up about the constant erroneous reporting or negative anti military spin typically generated in their "stories". They deserve and receive little respect.

 

[Eeshaan]

I believe 9/11 gave America a new conciousness about the military fueled in part by an underlying shame for the way Vietnam vets were treated.

As for the media, most military folks view them with disdain and don't get that worked up about the constant erroneous reporting or negative anti military spin typically generated in their "stories". They deserve and receive little respect.

Thanks for your opinions, guys.

Ah yes, I forgot to mention the example of the treatment of servicemen in the Vietnam era. That was completely unfair & unjust.

But as far as the media goes, is there some sort of vendetta towards the military ? Why concoct so much rubbish against the servicemen of your own country ( lots of that happens here in India as well ) ? Seems more like a tool in the hands of politicians to vent their anger towards the current administration IMHO...

 

[Dodger67]

I get the impression that mainstream media in many countries seems to be "culturally" anti-military. The kind of people who are attracted to journalism as a career and the kind of people attracted to the military are on opposite ends of an attitude spectrum.

There even seems to be an unwritten rule that journalists are forbidden to have any real knowlege of military matters - I'm sure we've all seen/heard reports that call any type of warship a "battleship" or refer to any armoured vehicle as a "tank", so even at a purely technical level ignorance of military subjects is standard in mainstream media.

Reports on defence spending practically always include criticism of how many classrooms/hospitals/orphanages/<insert cause of the week> could be built with the money wasted on "tanks and battleships"

 

[Smokin' Joe]

I get the impression that mainstream media in many countries seems to be "culturally" anti-military. The kind of people who are attracted to journalism as a career and the kind of people attracted to the military are on opposite ends of an attitude spectrum.

There even seems to be an unwritten rule that journalists are forbidden to have any real knowlege of military matters - I'm sure we've all seen/heard reports that call any type of warship a "battleship" or refer to any armoured vehicle as a "tank", so even at a purely technical level ignorance of military subjects is standard in mainstream media.

Reports on defence spending practically always include criticism of how many classrooms/hospitals/orphanages/<insert cause of the week> could be built with the money wasted on "tanks and battleships"

I can agree with that to a degree. A reporter or journalists wants the highest ratings. What causes high ratings? Controversy. I have more than once found myself reading something that I knew I wasn't going to agree with and getting upset about it. Journalists know this and cause drama and controversy to get paid.

Another problem I have is with journalists in the field with troops or even on bases close to the enemy which can privi them to sensitive information even if it is unclassified.

I have never been seriously bothered by the media on military matters personally, but I could see how someone dealing with PTSD symptoms and coming back feeling all alone would read the news and it could drive them into a deeper depression. I have felt personally ashamed of how SOME people in the US can treat military folks with such disdain because of what they read in the media. All in all I fought for their freedom to feel that way so I hope they enjoy their lives full of criticizing something they will never know themselves. Luckily, as mentioned before I have met more people who seem appreciative rather than ungrateful.

 

[sgtgunn]

Thanks for your opinions, guys.

Ah yes, I forgot to mention the example of the treatment of servicemen in the Vietnam era. That was completely unfair & unjust.

But as far as the media goes, is there some sort of vendetta towards the military ? Why concoct so much rubbish against the servicemen of your own country ( lots of that happens here in India as well ) ? Seems more like a tool in the hands of politicians to vent their anger towards the current administration IMHO...

I agree with Dodger67 in that I think that often times the sort of individual who is attracted to journalism, and the kind of academic and intellectual enviorment such a person would encounter in journalism school can be "anti-military" or more broadly "anti-establishment". Big stories (and big careers) are often built around uncovering the misdeeds of authority figures (politicians) or institutions (government agencies, corporations) so I think many journalists view the government, corporations, the military, politicians, etc. as "the enemy" that they are trying to catch in the act of doing something bad (and therfore newsworthy). Journalists can also be famously cynical about anything establishment to the include the military.

The funny thing is that the experience of the past decade has shown that reporters whp "embed" with military untis for any lenght of time, sharing in thier experiences and hardships, tend to come out with a more "pro" military attitude - though maybe those are the sorts of folks who want to embed in the first place. This seems to be true to the extant that there are those in the journalism world who oppose emebeding as it can "compromise" the reporters objectivity - i.e. it's hard to be objective about the folks who keep you alive....

Adrian

 

[sgtgunn]

Whilst I may not be a defence prof., I'll link you to a UK article I read some time ago, there are many others like it in other papers so it's by no means specific to this particular paper/driven by a particular agenda.

Let down by their countrymen: how our Forces often feel unappreciated - Telegraph

The first four paragraphs particularly get me worked up something awful.



It takes a special kind of person to put up with that kind of abuse.

Then again, it probably comes from that particular group of people which most nations have who despise everything military because they're "evil".

Wow...being verbally abused or assaulted? I can't imagine that here in the US. It sounds like the late 60's or early 70's.

While there certainly are folks in the US who politically/ideologically have no use for the military, they are a minority (and seem to congregate at Universities). I was a recruiter from 2008-2011 and recruiterd in a politcally liberal, upper middle class region of the country and never really had any serious problems. I did run into parents and schools who didn't want recruiters around thier "children" - but I think thats almost more a class issue - "the military is wonderful as long as it's not my kids".

I have people offer to buy my lunch or coffee all the time (I actually had to stop going to get my coffee at one place becuase they would never let me pay and it was getting embarassing!)

A significant portion of restaurant chains, stores, movie theaters, and other attractions offer military discounts in the US. A good exaple is the big home improvement chains like Lowes and Home Depot who give 10% off (nice when your buying an $800 washer/dryer set or a $300 lawnmower).

Don't pensioners (military retirees) get that sort of thing in the UK?

Adrian