Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Talk about 'bad publicity' the public erroneously has an image of our military as 'anti-homosexual'.
To continue recruiting, we must change that image.
This kind of an Ad begins to tell the public that we do not if your family were lesbians, which is true.
After this message has penetrated into the image that civilians hold in their minds of our military, then maybe the Ads will shift to expressing that the military does accept homosexuals into our ranks, as we have always done.
But the propaganda must be done in incremental steps.
I would guess that if you asked a group of 20-somethings they would all think erroneously that homosexuals are not allowed to enlist. If that thinking causes recruitment to be down, then that thinking must be addressed.
I grew up in an era when these things were considered immoral. But times have changed.
There are tonnes of stories about servicemembers being kicked out because they were homosexual. Every service member was taught each of the punitive articles of the UCMJ, so every one of them full well knows that there is no punitive article addressing being homosexual. The military cannot charge you with a crime for being homosexual. What you can be charged with is 'sodomy'.
During my 20 year career, I served with a number of homosexuals. Do what you want with consenting adults behind locked doors and your good. But get caught performing sodomy on-base or at-sea and you get charged with a crime. Even when I worked as an MP, we had homosexuals working among us. They did not decide to be busted so they kept their sexual activity off-base and in their bedrooms.
But the public perception remains that being homosexual is a crime. And our culture has changed to be accepting of homosexuals. It is no longer seen as immoral.
Today homosexuals have 'pride parades' and they feel free to display their sexuality.
Clinton's "Don't ask, Don't tell" policy did not change the UCMJ. Sodomy is still illegal, and you can be busted for sodomy if you are caught doing it.
But the public perception remains, civilians still think that we bust all homosexuals.
This false perception needs to be addressed
The recruitment ad presented by the OP, is an attempt to address that public perception.
It makes sense to me.
You don’t think singling sodomy out as the one sex act to be considered a crime has anything to do with punishing homosexuality? Why else would sodomy be a criminal act but intercourse between a man and a woman not be a crime?
30 years ago, brands needed to have their name around so any talking about your brand was good. Today with the internet, brands need good feedback and good communication. A bad publicity is too damaging.
If a company ( for lack of a better word) is savvy enough to turn a mistake into their advantage - that's great. But bad publicity is bad publicity, to be avoided when possible.
There is genuinely bad publicity, which accurately exposes you for what you really are, and when people hear it, they don't like it. Certainly, there is a amount of damage limitation that can be done, but it is never "good."
This ad is so bad to a point, they have to turn off the comment section. "shut down free speech" is even worse.
All these said, I get why the Army had this type of ad, but when you push for the .01% you tend to turn off the rest. It is really common sense stuff and human nature.
Maybe. I mean, all publicity isn't good publicity, I agree with that.
But you have to remember that organizationally, recruiting (in the mass-communications sense) is a lot like any other marketing campaign. The .Mil has a recruiting base that will be drawn to it no matter what, with minimal or at least very cliche recruiting efforts (The Few, The Proud; Join the Navy, See the World.)
Depending what they need, they might need to reach outside of what that brings.
I watched that commercial and I saw a commercial designed to appeal to bright and educated women. I didn't see a commercial designed to appeal to the few children of same-sex marriages, I saw a commercial designed to dispel a negative value judgement/image about who makes up the military.
Think of it this way...when Lincoln put out a commercial showing a Mom-of-3 taking her kid's surfing, their intent wasn't to capture the market of Mom's that surf. Their intent was to work their way into consideration of a market segment that previously might have considered a Lincoln to be a car their parents/grandparents drove.
Maybe. I mean, all publicity isn't good publicity, I agree with that.
But you have to remember that organizationally, recruiting (in the mass-communications sense) is a lot like any other marketing campaign. The .Mil has a recruiting base that will be drawn to it no matter what, with minimal or at least very cliche recruiting efforts (The Few, The Proud; Join the Navy, See the World.)
Depending what they need, they might need to reach outside of what that brings.
I watched that commercial and I saw a commercial designed to appeal to bright and educated women. I didn't see a commercial designed to appeal to the few children of same-sex marriages, I saw a commercial designed to dispel a negative value judgement/image about who makes up the military.
Think of it this way...when Lincoln put out a commercial showing a Mom-of-3 taking her kid's surfing, their intent wasn't to capture the market of Mom's that surf. Their intent was to work their way into consideration of a market segment that previously might have considered a Lincoln to be a car their parents/grandparents drove.
You don’t think singling sodomy out as the one sex act to be considered a crime has anything to do with punishing homosexuality?
Congress established the UCMJ in 1951.
When I went through bootcamp, I was made to sit through lectures on each punitive article in the UCMJ [as was every other US service member].
What was the drive behind making sodomy illegal? I have no idea. It is my understanding that here in the US every state had its own sodomy laws. It was firmly in place as a feature of our society.
Quote:
... Why else would sodomy be a criminal act but intercourse between a man and a woman not be a crime?
There are sexual acts between a male and a female that are criminal in the UCMJ. If the female is under 16, or if the female is married to another US service member. These are often called the 'penetration however slight' laws because that twist of phrase usually strikes recruits as funny the first time they hear it.
I have heard many stories that on surface-ships [that have females serving on board] couples do get caught in the act and they do get busted. I do not have any first-hand knowledge of that happening, as I never served on any vessel with females on board.
I am not sure if this law has made any fewer homosexuals serve in the US military.
The current generation of teenagers are liberal, they're touchy-feely, they're anti-war, they don't want to be the world's police, they want to hold hands and fight for gay rights, they want to sing kumbaya, they want to love and be accepting. They don't want to kill people in Syria or Iraq. They don't want the Israel/Palestine conflict to continue. They want to make a positive difference in the world; they don't want to make war.
When I went through bootcamp, I was made to sit through lectures on each punitive article in the UCMJ [as was every other US service member].
What was the drive behind making sodomy illegal? I have no idea. It is my understanding that here in the US every state had its own sodomy laws. It was firmly in place as a feature of our society.
There are sexual acts between a male and a female that are criminal in the UCMJ. If the female is under 16, or if the female is married to another US service member. These are often called the 'penetration however slight' laws because that twist of phrase usually strikes recruits as funny the first time they hear it.
I have heard many stories that on surface-ships [that have females serving on board] couples do get caught in the act and they do get busted. I do not have any first-hand knowledge of that happening, as I never served on any vessel with females on board.
I am not sure if this law has made any fewer homosexuals serve in the US military.
The ones in states were also meant to punish/discourage homosexuality. I understand couples are going to get together despite consequences but it isn’t right for sex Beria make and a female to not be considered a crime (even if it is punishable by the military) and sex between two men to be considered a crime. It’s absolutely a moral judgement.
After this message has penetrated into the image that civilians hold in their minds of our military, then maybe the Ads will shift to expressing that the military does accept homosexuals into our ranks, as we have always done.
What? Where you when Don't ask Don't tell exited only 1 decade ago? We have absolutely not "always" accepted homosexuals. Ten years ago, if you were a homosexual, you had to hide it and closely guard it, or you'd face a discharge.
The ones in states were also meant to punish/discourage homosexuality. I understand couples are going to get together despite consequences but it isn’t right for sex Beria make and a female to not be considered a crime (even if it is punishable by the military) and sex between two men to be considered a crime. It’s absolutely a moral judgement.
Service members who get caught violating the UCMJ get prosecuted.
This happens regardless of their genital plumbing.
We have no input on what the UCMJ crimes are, Congress decided on these issues many decades ago.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
