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Posted September 3, 2002
Clark Stooksbury was a Marine, once upon a time, and knows how to have fun with his heritage. Unlike most other ex-Marines, however, his fun does not consist in braggadocio or moronically repeating semper fi.
Instead, he chooses to debunk the bunk that surrounds the Marines. In a recent AntiWar.com article, he argues that the Marines,
whose purpose is organized mayhem and violence,
should not be expected to be
a repository of high-minded virtues....
In fact, he writes, this idea — so beloved of neo-conservatives — is nonsense
!
True enough. And the former Sgt. Stooksbury offers enough anecdotal evidence to prove his thesis.
Why he is right, however, could be worth exploring. For now, however, all I want to mention is that one function of such reputations is as a form of suasion. When a parent says that Virkkalas don't do things like that,
the truth of the statement is not at issue. It is a prescriptive sentence, not a descriptive one. Sure, Marines may be liars and thieves, as bad as (or worse than) the common lot of the American public from which they were culled, er, selected. But, by saying such pieties Marine Sergeants and officers hope to discourage the worst behavior, thus keeping their beloved Marines from being the worst they can be.
So, Clark, by blowing the lid off this myth, you may be contributing to the degradation of the Marine Corps. You devil, you!
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