Armed forced + uniform

[karen2205]

I can't see what the problem is:

1. If members of the armed forces want to wear their uniform in public then they ought to be free to do so (with due account given to 'what standard of behaviour do we (as a society) expect of people in uniform?' - a group of squaddies getting into a pub fight in uniform might well be viewed as worse than the same people doing so in civilian dress, because people in uniform are meant to behave in a way that is respectful of the institution they serve).

2. If wearing uniform in a particular place poses a danger to off-duty soliders/sailors/RAF people then wearing uniform in those places is unwise. I remember the late 1980s/early 1990s when two of my cousins were in the armed forces and they very definitely didn't wear uniform in public because of the IRA threat.

3. The UK isn't the US. We don't have the same culture and politicians 'encouraging' members of the armed forces to wear uniform in public isn't going to change our culture.

Comments

[friend-of-tofu.livejournal.com]

Struck me as something of a storm in a teacup too. And people aren't going to change their minds about whether not the war was wrong just by seeing a few more people in uniform on the streets.

[karen2205]

Yes, and even if people think the current wars UK forces are involved in are wrong, they should know better than to take it out on the individual, junior people involved by throwing abuse at them in the streets or worse.

My other sort of problem with uniform in the streets is that large groups of people in uniform can be scary/intimidating to other people in the streets - partly that's what the uniform is designed for, partly groups of people don't recognise how their behaviour appears to those around them.

[friend-of-tofu.livejournal.com]

They should - but that'd mean people exercising common sense, wouldn;t it?

Agree on the point of possible intimidation, though - I hand't thought of it that way really, thanks.

[phantas.livejournal.com]

Not familiar with the news in question but it immediately stroke me quite on the reverse: I feel somewhat uncomfortable with the idea of a military man unable to separate the work part of his life from the leisure part of his life. So while you are an armed forces person and not a civilian 24 hours a day and I can understand a bit the rationale behind, I am unease on how far this can be taken both personally and legislative.

On the other hand, I am not familiar with the differences between the Portuguese and the Brit armed forces in that respect.

[mirrorshard.livejournal.com]

I tend to think "in uniform" == "on duty". So seeing people in forces uniforms in public places makes me think (at least on a subconscious level) that something's going on and it's best to avoid that place.

Obviously, if it's just one of them popping into a shop or something, that's fine, but a group in uniform on the street would always be a bad sign.

[beginning.livejournal.com]

Living in the U.S. where we do see people in military uniform all the time, I get the same impression. There's a definite feeling of "authority figure, coming this way!" whenever I see a military recruiter, for example, walking around my campus or at the local shopping area. So even being used to it, you're never really used to it, if that makes sense.