Stephen King should be ashamed of himself and apologize!!!
By Guardian208
@Guardian208 (1095)
United States
May 6, 2008 11:43am CST
Stephen King in a typical elitist and liberal moment put his big foot in his mouth and nobody seems to care. I for one am offended and you should be too.
Remember not so long ago in another heated election, John Kerry (D-MA) said that if you don't get a good education "you get stuck in Iraq." Now Stephen King has made a very similar remark. While speaking to a group of high school students in the Library of Congress, he said,"I don't want to sound like an ad, a public service ad on TV, but the fact is if you can read, you can walk into a job later on. If you don't, then you've got, the Army, Iraq, I don't know, something like that."There are two problems with that comment.
1. Some of our military personnel are the best and the brightest this country has to offer. They operate worldwide computer networks, work with leading edge encryption technology, drive/fly/navigate multi-billion dollar craft, provide cutting edge in-field medical treatment, provide life-saving efforts during floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes and fires, etc. They are not stupid people. They are brave citizens of this country who understand that someone has to work to keep our country free. They live and die and work and sweat so that idiots like King can run their mouths.
2. Being able to read does not allow you to "walk in and get a job". That is the wrong message to tell out young people. They have to work hard, build experience and contribute to get a job. Even then it is not easy.
It is comments like this that tear this nation apart. It erroneously cuts down the part of our nation that makes us strong and free and at the same time sets unrealistic expectations on our young people who will then look more for excuses when things don't go as expected than work towards solutions.
1. What do you think of his comments?
2. Should he apologize?
3. Are the military people in your life illiterate?
3 people like this
7 responses
@drannhh (15219)
• United States
6 May 08
Illiterate? Hardly, a my hubby is the very definition of literate. I am also offended about the insensitivity those guys make about people of other cultures. People who were born and raised in Iraq and love their country as we love ours might not consider themselves "stuck in Iraq"--but, these guys really think they are being politically correct when they blurt out stuff like that.
As we used to say, when you point a finger of blame you are pointing three fingers back at yourself. Oh, and the other one was "Think before you speak"--lol.
4 people like this
@Guardian208 (1095)
• United States
6 May 08
It reminds me of the quiet kids back in junior high school that would join in when the "cool" kids made fun of someone other than them. They were only too eager to participate in the "fun". I heard the comments and it sounded that way. "Hey look! I can bash our country too!" It's pathetic.
2 people like this
@schilds (410)
• United States
7 May 08
It's been a while since anyone I know has enlisted, but as I recall there is a mandatory high school diploma and an aptitude test that is right up there with the SATs (I've been told it is even harder). I think he is ignorant of the facts, the military wants quality employees as much as anyone else. And I agree that it contributes to the entitlement mentality of young people today (my generation included). Too many believe that they are owed a paycheck, whether they do the job or not. Maybe he has been living through fiction for too long, it doesn't seem that he has a very good grasp of reality.
3 people like this
@schilds (410)
• United States
7 May 08
I forgot -- joining the military isn't exactly the last possible resort either. The last person I knew to join the military left a $50,000/year job to join the ARMY and make around $18,000/year. He didn't enlist because he was unemployable, or unintelligent - he thought it was the right thing to do. Not everyone is selfish enough to believe that joining the military is a sign of personal failure.
3 people like this
@Guardian208 (1095)
• United States
8 May 08
You are right on both counts. The people that I know in the military are there because they feel it is their duty to serve their country. They are proud to do so. One of my best friends gave up his personal business to re-enlist, in his late 30's. He was a ranger years ago and went back to re-up because he heard that they needed medical personnel and he was a medic.
You are also right about Mr. King getting lost in his fiction. I read a book he wrote a while back that was non-fiction and he shared much of his life story in it. It has been DECADES since he had a job other than writing. Now I don't begrudge him that, but it is aggravating to have him or other "artists" talk about real life when they have not lived in the real world for most of their lives. They have no idea.
@bobmnu (8157)
• United States
6 May 08
News Flash!!!
US troops are above average in terms of Education and acheivement scores. They are better trained than any Army in the world. They have more practical skills for Leadership, Job training and performance and are better workers than most college graduates.
Give me a military person for most jobs and they will get the job done.
3 people like this
@Guardian208 (1095)
• United States
6 May 08
I totally agree. I have hired hundreds of people over the years. And if there is one group of people that are consistently more industrious and hardworking it is former military people.
2 people like this
@ladyluna (7004)
• United States
6 May 08
Hello Guardian,
Unbelievable! When are the famous going to learn that they are that way only because we have made them so!
While I defend Mr. King's right to believe and say as he wishes, he must be at least minimally aware of the now infamous verb "dixie-chick"!!!
To Mr. King: You want to insult our military men and women ... you effort yourself to consciously deride the real qualities that define 'American grit', then so be it. You've drawn a line in the sand!
Should he apologize? No, as it would be disingenuous. Those skin-saving apologies are highly insulting to the recipient. Hmmm, like we don't know why they 'apologize' after the fact? Instead, I believe that he ought to slink in to a cave, and hide out until tempers cease to flair. Many have short memories, and will soon forget about this transgression. Of course, I am not one of them! I keep a running list of actors/actresses and musicians who I will not financially support. It would seem that my list now includes authors. Hubby is going to be seriously bummed, as he's a much bigger King fan than I am.
Are the military personnel in my life illiterate? No, they were/are anything but!!! Without any exaggeration, four of the most brilliant minds that I have ever known were all U.S. Military personnel. Not only were/are they brilliant intellectually, each also had great spacial perception, as well as admirable common sense.
OK, so I've spoken my peace, and have added this author to my blacklist. So, ... Stephen who???
2 people like this
@Guardian208 (1095)
• United States
6 May 08
I have to laugh. I have the same list of singers, actors etc that I will not support financially either. My poor wife can not enjoy some of her favorites with me. Not only do I want to "protest with my wallet" but I can not enjoy any of their movies because all I can think of is their socialist views. Arrrgh!
I am not sure I have a problem with disingenuous apologies. It is a sign that they really don't have a backbone nor are they prepared to defend their beliefs. I kind of like watching them squirm and backtrack. I reminds me not to take anything they say that seriously.
So, he has been "dixie-chicked"!
2 people like this
@ladyluna (7004)
• United States
7 May 08
Hello Guardian,
Yup, I'll bet that we do have a very similar "black list". And, it really is a shame, as many on my list are terrifically talented. One of the most distressing for me is an actor who played one of my childhood t.v. heroes: David Carradine from "Kung Fu" fame. He came to town for a charity event back in the early 90s, and what a sleazy, slimeball, piece of trash he was. I won't say "is", because some leopards can change their spots, though it is the exception, rather than the rule. After a couple of hours, it was clear as daylight that as a human being, he was simply wasting valuable oxygen.
Also, upon reading your reply I find myself gleefully conceding to your point about them squirming.
I forgot to mention it in my first response, but you get an A+ for this post. Your righteous indignation was downright 'righteous'! And, I couldn't agree more!
2 people like this
@Guardian208 (1095)
• United States
6 May 08
One more thought. It really is a shame about him too. He wrote a book about writing that I thought was very insightful and really gave you a good look into the process and the mechanics of writing. (I am not sharing the title because I do not want to promote it.) I had actually gained quite a bit of respect for him since I read that book.
sighhhhhhh.....
2 people like this
@AnimeMom (516)
• United States
7 May 08
Wow, that makes me super furious! When i joined the Air Force I had to take a test called the ASVAB. And that was the defining factor in if you got into the military or not and what sort of job you qualify for. As it turns out I sored very high on the mechanical aspect of the test and became a Crew Chief. Now that means i was in charge of the general maintenance , inspections, launch and recovery of the F-15, a 50 million dollar jet. I don't think they would let any illiterate person do that. And just because your an infantry man doesnt mean you don't have intelligence and the ability to read. Our troops are out there giving their lives so idiots like him can say things like that in a free country! Makes me want to smack him...
@golgotha1779 (5)
•
7 May 08
No, He should not have to apologize for his comments because this is suppose to be a country of free thought and opinion. Furthermore it is not a new concept that those who are not acedemically inclined can have a career in the armmed forces as enlisted infantry, the muscle of our military. That is what he is referring to, if students don't choose education they might limit their options to perhaps fighting an unpopular war if they want to scratch out a living. Do not mix or confuse King's words to refer to the military in general. He knows I'm sure, as well as you should, that their are plenty of educated persons in the military, they are called officers and they have gone to military college or earned degrees and King is downing them. You did not make some critical distinctions before you got all hot, bothered, and shooting off at the mouth. The critical distinction is with an education you can do whatever you want including a military career with some level of security. With only a high school diploma or lack there of, in this day and age, careers are limited to physical labor or military which can look lucrative except for the fact we are mired in a futile conflict and the general enlistees who can barely read go to the frontline. It is a simple fact, insensitive whatever, it the truth. And for those who think he was talking about Iraqi people reread the original statement. He's talking about our infantry stuck in Iraq not the indiginous people.
@AnimeMom (516)
• United States
8 May 08
There are plenty of intelligent and literate enlisted infantry men and women as well. Have you ever considered the possibility that maybe, just maybe, some of those enlisted people have chosen to do what they do because they want to serve their country? That they know they can get a better job but want to fulfil a civic duty to protect us from foreign invaders and to help other countries in need? Although, I'm not sure you have been informed of the ASVAB? The test you need to take to get into any military branch? And if i'm not mistaken you do need to read quite well to pass that one. But thanks for your support!
2 people like this
