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Forces sweethearts

If you have a family member in the Royal Navy, RAF or army, find support from other Mumsnetters here.

Original poster

Why do people think that the army is made up mostly of grunts who haven't got a GCSE between them

44 replies

Grabaspoon · 10/03/2011 21:54

Don't know if you've seen the current army bashing thread but this really made my blood boil Angry

"Offensive? So it's not true that the army is made up mostly of grunts who haven't got a GCSE between them because they're either not that bright, not that academic or from a background where the army seemed like a valid choice given the other options?"

Angry
OP posts:
GypsyMoth · 10/03/2011 21:56

i agree with you....i'm an ex army wife

i hid the other thread

Original poster
Grabaspoon · 10/03/2011 21:57

I'm an army brat and work with army families now in a proffessional capacity [argh] Angry

OP posts:
madwomanintheattic · 10/03/2011 21:58

two first degree, three masters and a phd between two of us doesn't count as too thick in my book. probably considerably more than the eejits posting.

bah.

but it was the causation link to autism that made me really ticked off.

PlasticLentilWeaver · 10/03/2011 21:59

Ignore, ignore, ignore. The poster is clearly an ignorant 'grunt' themselves.

Original poster
Grabaspoon · 10/03/2011 22:01

I don't get the autism - I can see attachment issues if both parents go away at the same time for a year but how is this akin to autism?

OP posts:
Sidge · 10/03/2011 22:01

They must be dim or they would have joined the Navy Wink

Seriously, I fucking HATE all these anti-military threads/posts lately.

I'm not saying that all Forces personnel are heroes. But I hate the perception that they're all idiots, thugs and killers.

BeerTricksPotter · 10/03/2011 22:01

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
Grabaspoon · 10/03/2011 22:05

Makes you wonder if they [military bashers] have ever thought what would happen if we didn't have the armed forces Hmm

OP posts:
colditz · 10/03/2011 22:08

My point has been entirely missed. At no point did I say "This will cause autism"

Iam very well aware, as the parent of an autistic child, that parenting does not cause autism.

What I said was (in effect) "This will cause an attachment disorder, which in my opinion is as disabling as High Funtioning Autism"

I am very sorry (and slightly baffled) that you read that as "Being in the army causes Autism."

GilbertsGrapes · 10/03/2011 22:10

I agree with you I'm an ex soldier. I didn't have GCSEs no as I had a tough time with school, but that is another thread. I certainly wasn't a "Grunt"!

MavisEnderby · 10/03/2011 22:10

Respect to anyone who is in the forces here.

I have no military ties but my Da was a civvie in Assie and the Falklands,met a lot of military bods when visiting,

Work with a guy who was army,recently left and he is fab,our patients love him!!Very organised,team player,great guy.

remember flying from Brize Norton and seeing all of the young uns about to be posted.So young!!!

I am currently reading a very good book "Junior officers reading club" about one guys experience going through training and active service in Afghanistan.Interesting.

I get greatly wound up by anti nhs/public sector threads.Best to hide,I think!!

I get terribly wound up by

MavisEnderby · 10/03/2011 22:12

Oh all of my posts are going doolally tonight!Sorry

Original poster
Grabaspoon · 10/03/2011 22:12

Hey Colditz - no worries - I am currently worrying about attachment disorder regarding a family with a serving soldier in Afghan :)

OP posts:
Original poster
Grabaspoon · 10/03/2011 22:13
  • oops

and wondered if this could cause HFA traits or issues for the child. I work in the early years and couldn't see the link :)

OP posts:
colditz · 10/03/2011 22:15

I'll hunt down some research, back in a bit - but as far as has been proven (and as far as I have heard that proof), NOTHING causes autism but genetic predisposition, certain types of brain damage and Romanian Orphanage levels of neglect.

And i know, because when Ds1's diagnosis was given to me, I asked what I could have done to prevent this happening. And the Paed Psych said "maybe a different genetic structure, but nothing else as far as we know"

CaveMum · 10/03/2011 22:17

Glad to see this thread, I was about to post about "that" thread. I confess I caved (pardon the pun Wink) and responded Blush

Where's Scary? She's the official Forces spokesperson around here!

colditz · 10/03/2011 22:20

attachment disorder

High funtioning autism

hf128219 · 10/03/2011 22:24

I would like to see the evidence regarding the 'attachment disorder'.

In theory the time that a service woman/man spends aways from home can sometimes be akin to someone working nightshifts/weekends etc.

hf128219 · 10/03/2011 22:29

Thanks Colditz However (although I have only briefly skimmed) it appears that any form of parenting (or lack/absence of) may cause this.

colditz · 10/03/2011 22:30

evidence regarding the attachment disorder

colditz · 10/03/2011 22:31

Being shifted between care givers might also cause this, so why risk it?

And effective, loving, attantive parenting quite specifically doesn't cause it.

thisisyesterday · 10/03/2011 22:33

I wonder if it is because a lot of young people with little/no education choose an army life because it's a good career despite not being academic

people then confuse the "lots of uneducated people join the army" with "the army is made up of lots of uneducated people"

a bit like um, all trees have leaves. but not everything with leaves is a tree?

anyway, i can see why it would upset you! my dad was in the army, and was, in fact, an ignorant grunt when he joined but he used the army to his advantage and came out knowing a lot more than he did when he went in

colditz · 10/03/2011 22:34

A lot of uneducated people do join the army BUT they generally don't stay uneducated for long.

madwomanintheattic · 10/03/2011 22:35

that is basically suggesting that attachment disorder is likely to present in situations where basic care and emotional needs are not met. military families spend an inordinant amount of time and effort making sure that emotional needs are met during periods of absence, using extended family or close informal support networks (usually other people in the same boat) and formal support networks as necessary.

i'm not sure the mayo clinic research compares with this situation at all tbh.

thisisyesterday · 10/03/2011 22:36

oh and regarding the separation/attachment issues., I think this is vastly different to a parent being in hospital or doing shift work

having BOTH parents away for a YEAR. being brought up for a year by someone else and then going back to parents you barely remember, is very, very different to staying in your own home with one of your parents while the other one is away for a while. you would still see them now and then and nothing much else would change

it isn't the same at all.

imagine how much a child changes from 2 to 3... it's immense! he'll be a different child when his parents come back and take him home again