You Can’t Strip The Army

What is the difference between an army man and a civilian? Personally, I feel every man and woman of any country should be part of defense and army of their country. The civilian knows how to what? And the army man knows how to when?

Dealing with dirt , blood and tears DOES elevate them. They see a side of life which you fail to even acknowledge exists. In the end my dear, its power that enables you to protect and run, not just sweet talk. UNIFORM defines the look of the nation, Medals show the variety of risks taken and the man in it is someone we should all be proud of.

Lets face reality - power comes out from the barrel of a gun. The most democratic country in the world - the one we all follow as the role model, proves that everyday in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Be real.

``Besides, men in uniform represent the nasty face of society. ``
A strong statement i would say, However i would agree that it is more for professional reasons rather than patriotic reasons. But then is it wrong??????
Choosing a profession suited to your personality, is by no means a wrong thing, i guess. As far as falling for these men in uniform is concerned..... well thats not our fault is it?????

Enlightening Discussion, Never Thought There are people in both India and pakistan that think over and above Religion and Kashmir.

My Quest for finding such a group has finally been laid to rest.

Ref syke #29

[Do you seriously think Musharraf taking off his uniform would make any difference to the public..think again.]

It is said that no man is a hero to his valet or his wife, for they have seen him naked.

So, it might actually make a difference to the public if Musharraf takes his clothes off!

I dont think we can blame the uniform for any wrong doing! In the West, Business Suits by Armani ooze power and money..what shall we ask them to change into bermuda shorts?
I dont think the uniform can be blamed for anything a person wearing it does..are u sayin the politicians in our country who do not wear uniform dont abuse power??
yeah it may be true that as they have never even been to school so they can agree with you and say..Uniform has not corrupted us!!
As for women having fantasies of men in uniform...PUUUlease!!!!!
I think this is not a place to discuss what type of men women are attracted to..because the list is too long!!! And i dont find any relevance of Women bieng attracted to uniform having anything to do with abusing power.
Do you seriously think Musharraf taking off his uniform would make any difference to the public..think again.

I dont think we can blame the uniform for any wrong doing! In the West, Business Suits by Armani ooze power and money..what shall we ask them to change into bermuda shorts?
I dont think the uniform can be blamed for anything a person wearing it does..are u sayin the politicians in our country who do not wear uniform dont abuse power??
yeah it may be true that as they have never even been to school so they can agree with you and say..Uniform has not corrupted us!!
As for women having fantasies of men in uniform...PUUUlease!!!!!
I think this is not a place to discuss what type of men women are attracted to..because the list is too long!!! And i dont find any relevance of Women bieng attracted to uniform having anything to do with abusing power.
Do you seriously think Musharraf taking off his uniform would make any difference to the public..think again.

Having seen both sides, I will have to say that eligible women (at least in Pakistan) follow the following hierarchy:

- The first choice seems to be an educated guy, settled abroad
- An educated son of a rich businessman in Pakistan
- Someone with a high-paying govt. job, like PIA etc.
- Educated guy, doing well in private enterprise in Pakistan, like Citibank, IBM etc.
- Someone in the Civil Services, like Police, Customs etc.
- An officer in the military

The reasons have more to do with financial independence than anything else. People in the military, live hand to mouth until they become Brigadiers. That is about the age of 45. And then they become rich, when they become Generals. However, barely 2-3% reach that stage. Very few eligible girls are willing to put up with that kind of a struggle, over such a long time.

Mostof the other groups are relatively well-off from day one.

How about this one!

At New York`s Kennedy airport today, an individual later discovered to be a public school teacher was arrested trying to board a flight while in possession of a ruler, a protractor, a set square, a slide rule, and a calculator.


At a press conference this morning, Attorney General John Ashcroft said he believes the man is a member of the notorious al-gebra movement. He is being charged by the FBI under the Patriot Act with carrying weapons of math instruction.


``Al-gebra is a fearsome cult,`` Ashcroft said. ``They desire average solutions by means and extremes, and sometimes go off on tangents in a search of absolute value. They use secret code names like `x`and `y` and refer to themselves as `unknowns`, but we have determined they belong to a common denominator of the axis of medieval with coordinates in every country,`` Ashcroft told reporters, adding, ``As the Greek philanderer Isosceles used to say, `there are three sides to every triangle`.``


When asked to comment on the arrest, President Bush said, ``If God had wanted us to have better weapons of math instruction, He would have given us more fingers and toes.``

harimau:

Surely, you can do better with the `jokes` you choose to hear...

Besides, make up your mind whether people in this profession suffer from constipation or diarrhoea...

For the info of the Chowk interactor research team posted at Sea Lounge, the coffee costs more than Rs. 80 now!

And yes, those who live in glass houses should not mess with crystal :)

I just heard this joke.

There was this man who went to the doctor complaining about constipation. The doctor wrote out a prescription for him.

Three days later, the man was back again complaining that his problem hadn`t gone away. After asking a few questions, the doctored ordered him new medicines.

The man was back again in another few days with the same complaint. The doctor was puzzled and decided it may have something to do with the man`s occupation. So the doctor asked him what kind of work the man did.

He replied that he was a free-lance journalist. At which point, the doctor handed him Rs. 100 and asked him to get himself a square meal!

PS. This obviously doesn`t apply to those who sip Rs. 80 cups of coffee at the Sea Lounge!

``There is more to men in uniform that you will never get to know.``
Subroto: Your account was touching and this article in no way renders all this in a facetious light. This is what I had clarified: ``This is not a reflection on the role of the Armed Forces in protecting a country. We are talking about gender and power dynamics of a certain type of clothing.`` I do know of a few things beyond this and have written about them, but this time there was a limited purpose…

Thanks to all who have taken time out for interacting here…despite Dr. Pervez Hoodbhoy being around :) Nazarsaab, ssaleemi and malik, Nadia…thanks for enlightening; mshergill, kaurasach…interesting personal anecdotes; umer…it`s enough to dream and not to wake up to reality!

There is meant to be only one dimension to this article…no other purpose was implied, Ashutosh.

Many women, as men, are attracted not only to economic power but to power of any kind, romair.

``I think it is best for women to lower their gaze when they see a man in uniform.``
(urstruly)
Some women do have a shoe fetish…

``Or is it the male ego with special reference to the armed forces that upsets you so much?`` (succubus)
Yes. And no, not had any ugly experiences with men from the forces. Not everything I write is about me.

``What we need to understand is that its not the uniform that is at fault, its the man wearing that uniform.`` (tintingem)
People often `become` what they wear; that is what symbols are. Anyway, this was not a generalisation, merely an opinion based on observation.

``an article about her hero mushy...why a hero for her?....because he killed hindus in kargil....viva Musharraf``.

Yeah, twist and turn...I had written, ``How can you discuss diplomatic ties with a man who has medals pinned on his lapel for doing undiplomatic things?``

Let me end with this posted by Beena Sarwar on my writer interact page: ``Farzana, thought I`d share this joke I heard: Overheard - Qazi Hussain Ahmed is suggesting that they get Aishwarya Rai to come to Pakistan & meet Mush - she may the only one who`ll get him to take his uniform off!!``

Subroto:

Thank you for sharing.

Hmmm... I couldnt go past the second paragraph as i was reading this ludicrous article. I really thought i`m going to have to read her own sexual fantasies. Dont get me wrong, i am all about free speech but articles like these and authors like Mrs. Farzana Versey make me think that everyone enjoying free speech needs to have a thorough mental check-up before they`re allowed to exercise freedom of speech, just as a pre-req.

I`ve been surrounded by men in uniform since I was a child. Be it that of army or navy, (father:army, uncles:navy) uniform was not something alien to me.

And uniform did not carry a very deep meaning for my innocent mind. I used to wear a uniform to school so the fact that my father donned one when he went to office was no surprise.

What we need to understand is that its not the uniform that is at fault, its the man wearing that uniform. There are all sorts of officers in the army, just like there are all sorts of people in this world. But an officer in uniform carries a huge responsibility as his actions are not just representative of his individual being but of an institution. And there have been some men in the past who have done deeds that have scarred the institution of the army.

I agree with Subroto, there is much more to men in uniform then what FV writes here. All men in the army should not be generalized for the actions of a few bad men. Men in uniform are husbands, fathers, sons and brothers of many women. And most of these women love their men for many reasons besides the uniform they wear.

My father is to retire this month. Infact, today is his last day in uniform. He has had a good career in the army and we are all very proud of him...and I don`t think I would view him any differently without his uniform.

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Had a really weird Dream Farzana,

Musharraf was walking towards someone when he tripped and fell. His hair, combed from one end to the other, flipped, and a wig hidden underneath the long combed-over hair fell out. He looked embarrassed. My dreams have sometimes forecasted the future. Just thought I`d let you know.

Umer M.