Questions about Upcoming Visit

Christcorp
Fri, 09 Nov 2007 22:54:19 +0000

Fencermom; something you may want to understand and possibly try to explain to your son. By the way, this is in no way trying to justify or rationalize the language that your son heard.

1st; realize that while this is the Air Force Academy, and a bit more prestigious compared to other schools, there is one thing the academy and traditional schools have in common. 17-22 year olds going through a growing up period of their lives. Unlike enlisted troops of the same age who basically are going straight into “Work”, cadets are still primarily students. While enlisted troops do in fact also have their language and vulgarity problems, many of them are also now having to grow up fast. They are being assigned overseas to places like Iraq. They are now paying bills like car payments, rent, credit cards, etc… Cadets are still primarily students. As such, their maturing process is different. Not better and not worse, just different.

Part of the growing up process, once you are on your own, (Which the cadets are as close to that as they will be for a few more years), is to totally complain and *****. Part of that sometimes is their language. Of course they aren’t going to speak that way around professors and officers, but when on their own, it is their way sometimes of acting tough and venting. Especially venting against “The System”. This is all natural and part of growing up. It is just about the same at any university. Not all students obviously, but some. For many of these students, this is their first real independence. Then, give them responsibilities over other younger cadets, and so act this way.

For what it’s worth, they do in fact grow out of it. They realize that their language reflects their maturity. They do learn to curb their language. I’ve experienced it first hand and I too grew out of it. As I said, this is not unique to the academy. When I visit my daughter at the University of Wyoming, there is sometimes language in the dorms; “She is the RA at one of the dorms”. that even makes me blush sometimes. I can tell you that the language and vulgarity is NOT the norm. Meaning, it’s normal for it to be that way for some students, but not normal as in the majority of the cadets speak that way.

That is something your son is going to have to learn to deal with. Not just at the academy, but at EVERY COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY in the country. He needs to learn to let things like that role off his back and not be offended by it. We can’t be moral dictators and tell people how they have to act and behave. That is the primary goal of the military. Protecting the constitution. Even when people say things using freedom of speech that we don’t like to hear. All we can do, and your son, is to lead by example. Like I said, much of the vulgarity and language does mellow out over time. When others don’t want to hang around those who speak that way, they start to change. Again, it’s all part of growing up. Hopefully your son can see the philosophy in all this and that for some it is a natural growing experience. Hopefully he can realize that it doesn’t represent the entire academy of cadets. Hopefully he will realize that this behavior is not isolated to the academy and that it too is a part of life that he will have to learn to deal with.