Hey! It's Friday. I have a good idea for a debate question so this is a special edition of Debate Question Monday! I had an idea for this question in my social studies class.
Should gays be allowed to serve in the military? How do you feel about the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Policy?
There you are! Sorry I have to cut it short!
God Bless,
Zoe
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23 comments:
I think that gays should be allowed to be in the military, same as everyone else. I don't really see any problems with the "Don't ask, Don't tell" policy. Gays aren't expected to lie about their sexuality. It would just be better if they didn't tell others about it. There isn't really a need to share this information with anyone else, anyway. And it might make other soldiers uncomfortable. Do we want our soldiers to be spending their time worrying about the homosexuality of their co-soldier, when they should be only concerning themselves with protecting people? I'm not saying that they have the right to worry, I'm just saying that some soldiers will. This has nothing to do with having pride about being gay; this has to do with keeping the soldiers focused on what's really important.
I personally think that the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell Policy" is kind of pointless. First of all, how are they going to find out if a soilder has announced their sexuality so they can discharge them? Are the other soilders going to be "tattle tales"? I think they have more important things to do in the military than worry about who came out of the closet.
Also, in the magazine we read in Social Studies, it said that 75% of soilders were perfectly comfortable having a gay/lesbian co-soilder. I think majority should rule in this case.
The magazine also said that many gay soilders who were being discharged could speak arabic, a language the military desperatley needs linguists from.
By loosing these homosexual soilders, we could be loosing good men and woman that we ned to fight. Why shouldn't people be able to defend their country, no matter what their sexual preference?
I do agree that soldiers shouldn't be fired for telling other people that they are homosexuals. I think that is ridiculous. My agreement with the "Don't ask, Don't tell" policy is that I think that it should be followed, but that if it isn't there shouldn't be punishment. People have rights and choices, and if they want to tell others about their sexuality, they should be allowed to. I think that the policy should be highly recommended however.
And for that 25% of soldiers that aren't comfortable...well, that is a problem. With all the other things soldiers need to focus on, having 25% be bothered about their homosexual co-soldiers is a problem.
Steph! Stop spelling soldiers wrong/incorrectly! It's soooo annoying!
Sorry...geez...you don't correct anyone ELSE'S spelling mistakes...
Just sayin...
What's your opinion Zoe?
Well I think that gays should have the right to be in the military even if they come out! I just think that they should have different living quarters from straight members of the military. They can be in the same group, just different living places. Alexa, you said that you think that they should keep the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy but not punish anyone if they tell. That would make no sense. It would be better if there was no Don't Ask Don't Tell policy.
I don't see any point in making gays/lesbians live in seperate quarters from the straight soldiers because we don't make soldiers of different religions or origins live seperately, so why should the gays and lesbians have to?
Am I the only one that believes in the "Don't Ask, Don't tell" policy? I think that it is a violation of Americans rights (freedom of speech) to enforce this rule, however, I do think it should be HIGHLY recommended. As I've said, there are people (25% of soldiers, apparently) who are uncomfortable with living with gays and lesbians. I believe that this uncomfortableness will lower their performance as soldiers. We need to keep soldiers minds on what's important. If they're busy being bothered, and maybe even doing wrong, discriminatory things, then they won't do their soldier abilities as well. A homosexual would get nothing out of going around declaring his sexuality. It isn't important to a soldier's duties to know this. So, we can avoid the uncomfortableness and a lesser focused group of soldiers by following the "Don't ask, Don't tell" policy. Would you rather have our soldiers planning out how to protect our nation (or another nation), or thinking about how often a homosexual has looked at him/her?
Kartik, it's nice to see you joining us. why i said that gays and lesbians should live in seperate living quarters is because the 25% of people that aren't comfortable, should be comfortable, and i think that having seperate living quarters would help. I wouldn't want those 25% to be uncomfortable because it could lead to bad performance in the service or even them quitting the army or navy or whatever. And Alexa, what I have to say to your last question is that that is why I think that seperate living quarters are needed.
I think that the 25% who are uncomfortable should just deal with it. The army has more important things to be worrying about than seperating the gays and lesbians from the straight people. I think it's a very discrimintory thing to do. It's as bad as seperating all the whites from the colored people just because some whites are predjudce against colored people.
Seperating homosexuals from heterosexuals is very discriminatory. That would require an intrusion on the soldiers' rights, because it would require them to say what their sexual preference is. That isn't right, because many people don't want to share that information. Their sleeping arrangements should not reflect this. In order to avoid all this, homosexuals just shouldn't share their sexuality. Heterosexuals don't go around saying that they are heterosexuals (well, some do, but many do not). It is not necessary for the other soldiers to know their sexuality. That is why the "Don't ask, Don't tell" policy works. It keeps what's important, important and what isn't important, isn't important. You just don't ask, and you just don't tell. It's a simple and harmless policy. Those 25% of soldiers won't be performing to their max, and that is a problem.
What is the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy?
It states that gays and lesbians don't tell anyone their sexual orientation when they're serving in the army.
Zoe just so you know you can't "quit the army or the navy" once your in, your inuntill your servaice is up. My second statnent is that whoever is stupid enough to go and "serve our country"( which almost always means that they are going to get their heads blown off) shouldn't be worring about other peoples sexuality and Kartik is right, the 25% of poop heads can deal with it. Does anyone really think that anyone (whatever their personal orientation) is going to be flirting with anyone else (what ever their personal orientation) right before they go into battle? Common guys, thatis Hollywood.
very true gaylord, very true!
Gaylord, if you and Artie break up, give me a call :)
I agree Gaylord! Very well put.
"Thank you, thank you thank you very much! I'll be here all week! you've been great" (hip thrust and wink at the ladies)
(read the above with an Elvis imersrenator voice)
Who here would know what i was talking about if i brought up "Elvis Attwood"?
Okay, but twenty five percent is a lot of people! ONE out of every FOUR people is going to be bothered by living with homosexual co-soldiers. It doesn't matter that we think that's stupid or that we think they should deal with it. The fact is that they are bothered, and that their performance will undoubtedly show that. It doesn't matter if they're flirting with eachother or not. The ones who are bothered might interpret looks differently, or just don't feel comfortable around the homosexual co-soldier. There is absolutely no reason that they can't just not tell other people about their sexuality. It isn't important, and spares the uncomfortableness. One out of four is plenty to show a decrease in the lack of focus, commitment, and motivation. THAT is a problem.
I fully agree, Alexa! :)
Looks!?! Are you kidding me?!? They are in the heat of battle! They only sleep in their quarters for about 6 hours and they are unconcious the rest of the time everyone is integrated no matter who they are! The army is all about "working togeather to defeat national threats" (or what ever other crap-o slogan they have if they sepperate the gays from the straights that is compleatly defeating the pourpose! Another point, in the army everyone has to be in tune and working with everyone and if they are devided then that is defeating the porpose of a tight-knit platoon!
Sorry, but soldiers are not constantly "in the heat of battle." There are many times when they are not fighting, especially when they aren't even in a war.
I also don't think that they should be seperated. I think that goes against our rights as Americans. What I do believe is a high recommendation of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. Someone has yet to point out a real flaw to this policy. It avoids discrimination. It avoids uncomfortableness. It avoids seperate sleeping quarters. So, can anyone tell me a problem with it?
Also, the best way to keep the army "working together" is to have the "Don't ask, Don't tell" policy because it (AGAIN) avoids awkwardness betweeen soldiers.
Soilsers may not be in the heat of battle at all times but they are always in the heat of training! Second, the straight ass holes need to get over their obserd predjuse against homosexuals! Don't ask don't tell is a problem. It is a problem because it makes the homosexuals carry a huge weight around with them and it doesn't allow them to be themselves. Think about it this way, would you like it if you all had to go around with a ton of guys (straight males) and they were being themselves and you had to join in which included being A MAN! And also scratching your groin and being icky and talking about wemon and "banging them" along with a ton of other things that straight guys talk about? I don't think you would very much because you would have to live like that 24\7 and no one would get to know the real you because they arnt really there! Btw kartik I mean no offense to you I used the straight men that I am aware of for that little example and you seem like the king of guy that doesnt scratch your balls. And for myexample to work you need to replace groin scratching with shopping malls and hot boy talk
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