Kittyfish
I was trying to get you to realise why forces families might react in a strong way to your very generalised statement. Something which you seem completely unable to visualise.
I apologise for my syntax error in typing my reply to you, how stupid of me. I'm not in the services, I'm an artist, so I'm afraid my error doesn't do anything to support your arguement that our armed forces are all a bit thick as you seem to think it does.
How nice that you know a Major-General, did he send you on a course which gives you such a vast knowledge of the responsibilites of servicemen. Below the level of NCO is a wide range of resposibilites and specialties. How do you think people get to be NCOs? You don't automaticaly become an NCO when you join up - its only as a commissioned officer that you leap to a rank immediately.
"Don't know anyone below nco level though - they're a bit thick arn't they?"
Your just showing yourself up as bigoted and are stereotyping. It doesn't show anything to me other than ignorance and self importance. That kind of attitude makes me sick.
Either way please show a bit of respect for the fact that tarring everyone with the same brush is going to upset some people. As I said before if people started sterotyping you then I'm sure you'd have something to say. While you might be a bit pissed off with someone sterotyping you, the situation with forces families tends to be more emotional. Often their loved ones who they feel are being slated are either deployed in a danger zone or about to be sent out to one. In a situation like that emotions run high when you hear them being slagged off, especially when the person doing the slagging thinks they're being terribly supportive of them. Many families find it frustrating thier loved ones are being sent in to a war many of them don't believe in, comments like yours make it much worse.
You can't expect to be patted on the back and told what a clever girl you are for saying nice things about the troops on one hand even though you also say they're a bit stupid. It might have been a tongue in cheek comment, but those are often the worst kind, the more of thoese the more the stereotype is strengthened.
I repeat that kind of "support" is something that our troops can do without!
I apologise for taking it seriously - which you seem to think is funny. If you were part of a forces family you might understand how comments like that aret aken seriously, and if you are part of a force family - shame on you.