Tributes, Testimonials, Hairstyles, Hot Chicks, and Misogynist Rants
YouTube videos by and about women in
the military remind me there’s nothing new under the sun in the gender "debate." Women
and men serving or who’ve served in the military are there to remind us that
women have served as long and as well as men; others tell us they haven’t. What’s
both fascinating and scary to me are the high stakes of military service that place genders under a microscope. I’m glad to see that’s happening on YouTube: Historical
accounts of women and the men they’ve served testify to the honorable contributions
of women in the military. Women officers post their reasons for joining up
and becoming leaders. Women soldiers, being women, offer tips on being women
and bearing hair on their heads. Men soldiers, being men, don’t hold back from displaying
varying degrees of stupidity in responding to human counterparts who are not the
men they aspire to be. What twists the entire narrative is the fact that people
under the military microscope are the ones we civilians hire to fight our
fights. Most of us who’ve worked have had bosses with varied qualifications.
How good are we as bosses? Are we human, or are we dancers?
Guess I could've provided a little context for my YouTube pick: I wasn't aware there is a Ms. Veteren America Pageant. No matter what you or I think of pageants, the existence of this one is a potent reminder that military women are, first and foremost, women. Nothing wrong with that, unless you're a man who doesn't like to see them step out of what you consider to be their traditional role as sandwich maker...
ReplyDeleteThis is one of my favorite uses for Youtube--inspiration and awareness of a cause. For this kind of communication, I think videos are the very best way to influence and engage an audience.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know there was a Ms. Veteren America Pageant either. That's interesting. Your topic and posts remind me a lot of my sister. She isn't in the military, but her husband is. She and the other women on the base would band together and help give each other the support they needed. They still use internet sites and facebook to keep in contact. Both men and women in the military, whether they fit traditional male or female gender roles, do amazing service for our country. And they're all human, whatever gender.
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