Honor Unrequited
FTA. This acronym was very popular in the late modern US army (as opposed to the new modern army in place now.) I believe it was a response to the Defense (War) Department's ad campaign at the time. This was before "Be all you can be" and "An army of one." Fun, Travel and Adventure was the pitch of the new all-volunteer, post-Vietnam military. Wonderfulness abounded as the broken wreck of the US military regrouped from its bitter loss during its most recent "war of occupation." Honor must be restored.
Fuck The Army. The mumbled plea of a few disquieted soldiers. You know who you were. The sham of "duty and honor" as buzzwords for mindless obedience gripped your awareness soon after swearing your oath to defend the Constitution. Dissent in an army cannot be tolerated. There is no honor when respect is lost. That is, unless your world-view is dependent upon honor for honor's sake (a self-perpetuating, self-justifying circle-jerk played by little boys in funny costumes.)
A symptom of decay within this "honor society" is its single-minded support of a corrupt system and corrupt leaders. It can't do anything else. The "honorable" must serve. To diverge from this path would be dishonorable and ritual seppuku must ensue. The emperor wears no clothes and the emperor's honorable servants will defend to the death (preferably someone other then them) their perception of a fully robed emperor. The nail that stands out must be hammered.
A servant is still a servant no matter how decorative the costume. Some servants actually believe they are masters because their plumage is more elaborate and their title more noble. Honor, like faith, just IS and is therefore immune to criticism. Self analysis would shake the very foundations of belief. Self-absorption and elitism are signs of decay within ANY ideology. The betrayal of the "honorable" by their "masters" is not an option. Their relationship is intertwined by bonds of loyalty and preordination. "My tribe, right or wrong" and "Death to the other tribe" are the mantras created by this "crazy glue."
Thus, the servants (functionaries) of order (the masters) are truly powerless in spite of the quasi-power they wield. Their ambition tightens the bonds and renders their escape untenable and undesirable. The functionary must obey and insure compliance to order and discipline without remorse or regret. Honor forgives one for the most heinous of crimes done to preserve the master's will. Most systems and organizations (especially the military) cannot function capably without honor. Misplaced and misguided loyalty corrupts honor. HONOR becomes honor and its worth is diminished. It becomes nothing less than honor among thieves and killers. Where is the honor in that?
Fuck The Army. The mumbled plea of a few disquieted soldiers. You know who you were. The sham of "duty and honor" as buzzwords for mindless obedience gripped your awareness soon after swearing your oath to defend the Constitution. Dissent in an army cannot be tolerated. There is no honor when respect is lost. That is, unless your world-view is dependent upon honor for honor's sake (a self-perpetuating, self-justifying circle-jerk played by little boys in funny costumes.)
A symptom of decay within this "honor society" is its single-minded support of a corrupt system and corrupt leaders. It can't do anything else. The "honorable" must serve. To diverge from this path would be dishonorable and ritual seppuku must ensue. The emperor wears no clothes and the emperor's honorable servants will defend to the death (preferably someone other then them) their perception of a fully robed emperor. The nail that stands out must be hammered.
A servant is still a servant no matter how decorative the costume. Some servants actually believe they are masters because their plumage is more elaborate and their title more noble. Honor, like faith, just IS and is therefore immune to criticism. Self analysis would shake the very foundations of belief. Self-absorption and elitism are signs of decay within ANY ideology. The betrayal of the "honorable" by their "masters" is not an option. Their relationship is intertwined by bonds of loyalty and preordination. "My tribe, right or wrong" and "Death to the other tribe" are the mantras created by this "crazy glue."
Thus, the servants (functionaries) of order (the masters) are truly powerless in spite of the quasi-power they wield. Their ambition tightens the bonds and renders their escape untenable and undesirable. The functionary must obey and insure compliance to order and discipline without remorse or regret. Honor forgives one for the most heinous of crimes done to preserve the master's will. Most systems and organizations (especially the military) cannot function capably without honor. Misplaced and misguided loyalty corrupts honor. HONOR becomes honor and its worth is diminished. It becomes nothing less than honor among thieves and killers. Where is the honor in that?
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