Well, I took a lot of hits today on this thread at FR titled USO Troupe Braves Sand, Snow For GIs.
I took exception to the title. Maybe I came on too strong — I said:
The title of that makes me wanna barf — how about “Troops brave sand and snow to see a USO show.” And guess what? When the show’s over the USO Troupe goes home — the Troops stay.
I got called a Grinch and grouchy among other things. My point was this:
I just don’t think the entertainment industry folks deserve hero status for going to the sandbox and “braving” the snow to entertain our troops who live there and are undergoing true hardship to protect and defend our country. It is Enemedia Bias by placement –
Newspaper stories are usually written in a “pyramid” style — that is, the most important facts are supposed to appear early in the story, with each paragraph a little less important than the previous paragraph.*snip*
Studies have shown that, in the case of the average newspaper reader and the average news story, most people read only the headline.
The headline of this story points toward the entertainers as being somehow heroic for going, and neglects to say that the Troops are.
Oh well – I stand by my assertion that it’s the TROOPS who deserve to billed as heroes, not the ENTERTAINERS who decide to go see them for a few days.
Naw, you’re not picky. I think it’s great that the entertainers are over there. There’s a good line-up of stars. I wouldn’t give them hero status, though. Just a great big THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING OUR TROOPS, the actual heroes.
I guess I should have done that first — I really wasn’t slamming the folks that went, just the person who wrote the headline. Oh well!
Good to see ya here, Happy!
I’ve seen a few of these USO Shows. Compared to the prevailing standards in the American entertainment industry, anybody who will come out for the troops looks pretty heroic to me.
On the other hand, small FOB’s and Combat OutPosts and Joint Security Stations almost never get USO shows, so it is mostly FOBBITs being entertained on the safest real estate in the country. Probably the toughest things they have to endure is the weather, helicopter and C-130 rides, jet lag, Saddam’s Revenge (just like Montezuma’s) and lack of sleep. But that’s show biz.
A lot of the shows star nobody you’ve ever heard of and are put on after supper and not as well attended as you might think. I know I skipped a lot of them and went to bed.
small FOB’s and Combat OutPosts and Joint Security Stations almost never get USO shows
That was pretty much what I heard from my brother who was in the sandbox, but not in a big place while he was there.
Don’t get me wrong — I am GLAD for those that are going. It just irritates me that it’s an unusual thing. It should be what they ALL do as a matter of course — not something that only a few do and so the media (and others) think that they should be glorified for doing what I believe is their obligation. I personally love it when I see pics of Toby Keith and Sweaty Teddy and Joan Jett and others over there. So I’m not ragging on the entertainers that go at all. Just the ones that don’t.