In common with many people I have been appalled by the decision to restrict service men and women wearing their uniforms in public to prevent then being abused over the UK's involvement in Iraq. This is not the first report of this nature! I remembered reports that injured service personnel in NHS Hospitals were being denied treatment by some staff, who again objected to British Forces Iraq and Afghanistan.
Consider for a moment what would happen to a group of teenagers verbally abusing and spitting on an individual from a different race or of different sexual orientation. These would be "hate crimes" and would be dealt with quickly and firmly. Can you imagine the outcry if gay men were told that if they went out flaunting their sexual orientation then they deserved to get beaten up or if to prevent assaults people of one race or another were advised to stay off the streets!
Service personnel should be able to wear their uniforms with pride and any yobbo abusing them in the streets should be dealt with in the same way as anyone abusing someone of different race or sexual orientation. Unfortunately while "gay bashing" is (quite rightly) illegal there is obviously no law against abusing our service men and women. Similarly hospital staff refusing to treaty a gay patient would be in big trouble! Why then can they refuse to treat injured services personnel? Possibly because our armed forces go where they are sent, do the job they are told to do and get on with it without the benefit of a politically correct lobby behind them. Even remembrance day parades are being scaled down by the PC Brigade. I would give every one of out boys and girls who serve in Iraq or Afghanistan a medal the size of a dustbin lid, the freedom of their home town and no serving soldier, sailor or airman should ever need to buy a drink while home on leave. It dosen't matter whether you think we are right or wrong to be in Iraq (personally I think we are dead wrong and sholud never have been there in the first place). What matters is our armed forces deserve and have many times over earned our support, respect and admiration.
While I agree with the general point you make could I ask you to pause for a moment and read it again.
ReplyDeleteThe comparison you have chosen to make is between serving soldiers, airmen etc with a person who is gay
"Can you imagine the outcry if gay men were told that if they went out flaunting their sexual orientation then they deserved to get beaten up" and "Unfortunately while "gay bashing" is (quite rightly) illegal there is obviously no law against abusing our service men and women. Similarly hospital staff refusing to treaty a gay patient would be in big trouble!"
It's easy to say that you are not predjudiced against gay people - you just say so - as you have done. But predjudice doesn't have to be blatent. It can also be subtle to the point were the writer isn't even conscious of it.
Like it or not the real tone of your post is:
" we live in a society were EVEN gay people are more protected than our service men."
I agree that asking service men not to wear their uniforms was a disgrace. I also agree that anyone targetting service men should be treated with the contempt they deserve.
However, I hope to live in a society one day were ALL people are treated equally. Clearly from your post we are still some way off achieving this.
Thank you for your comments. I hope you enjoy my blog? I too hope to live in a society where all people are treated equally and I am glad we can agree on that point at least.
ReplyDeleteYou do however seem to be implying that I am homophobic but possibly I don't realise it? It would be easy to say (and true) that I have gay friends and their and my different sexual orientations make not the slightest difference to me or them.
I suggest your comment perfectly illustrates a fundamental problem with political correctness of all types, namely if you are of the mind set where you are determined to interpret something in a way that proves bigotry then that is how you read it. I would never support gay bashing or “paki bashing" or any other form of "bashing" however it seems fundamentally wrong to me that any group can enjoy legal protection while another is seen as fair game!
Many years ago an old friend of mine summed up the state of the nations problems, 'we are now a country ran by puffs and pacifists'.
ReplyDeleteI personally could not care less if a person is black, brown, Islamic or takes it up the arse. However the law should be fair and equitable to all. I'm not homophobic nor am I a racist, all I want is a fair and just society were freedom of speech means just that and we realise that Politicians send our boys and girls to war, they just follow orders and we should be realize that simple fact.
Just following Orders didn't work at Nuremberg?
ReplyDeleteWe are now governed by a band of thieves and liars who are determined to eradicate all forms of freedom of action which do not agree with their self proclaimed politically correct rules.
ReplyDeleteSimply to voice an opinion contrary to the establishment rules brings instant condemnation and cries of homophobe, gay basher,racist etc etc. simply to frighten opposition into silence.
The fact is that our service people have been refused medical attention by hospital staff who are prejudiced against them because they have been fighting a war ordered by the Labour Party.
Anonymous will most likely be one of the people belonging to the party which is now eradicating free speech.