#IWasWrong
April 19, 2018 7:24 AM   Subscribe

He is the Warax, and he speaks for the troops. A retired U.S. Marine who started a joke account as a reaction to the idea that vets are a right-wing monolith, the Warax mostly drinks brake fluid and carps at the "mil-bro community", amassing thousands of followers on the left-leaning #natsec Twittersphere. But then he got serious, talking about how he had belittled and dismissed female Marines, ending with #IWasWrong.

Other veterans -- including many who are still serving on active duty -- took up the hashtag and told their own stories of being on the wrong side and pledging to be better in the future, including women admitting that they had bought into the toxic masculinity as well.
posted by Etrigan (19 comments total) 49 users marked this as a favorite
 
This is really amazing and I am glad it is happening.
posted by corb at 7:47 AM on April 19, 2018 [21 favorites]


hashtag woke. Thanks for posting.
posted by RolandOfEld at 7:54 AM on April 19, 2018


Chief of Army Lieutenant General David Morrison message about unacceptable behaviour, 2013
By now I assume you know my attitude to this type of conduct. I have stated categorically, many times, that the Army has to be a inclusive organisation, in which every soldier, man and woman, is able to reach their full potential and is encouraged to do so. Those who think that it is ok to behave in a way that demeans or exploits their colleagues, have no place in this army. Our service has been engaged in continuous operations since 1999, and in it’s longest war ever in Afghanistan. On all operations, female soldiers and officers have proven themselves worthy of the best traditions of the Australian Army. They are vital to us, maintaining our capability now, and in to the future.

If that does not suit you then get out.

You may find another employer where your attitude and behaviour is acceptable, but I doubt it. The same goes to those who think toughness is built on humiliating others.

Every one of us is responsible for the culture and reputation of our army and the environment in which we work. If you become aware of any individual degrading another, then show moral courage and take a stand against it. No one has ever explained to me how the exploitation or degradation of others, enhances capability, or honours the traditions of the Australian Army.

I will be ruthless in ridding the army of people who cannot live up to it’s values. And I need everyone of you to support me in achieving this. The standard you walk past is the standard you accept. That goes for all of us, but especially those, who by their rank, have a leadership role.

If we are a great national institution, if we care about the legacy left to us by those who have served before us, if we care about the legacy we leave to those who, in turn will protect and secure Australia, then it is up to us to make a difference. If you’re not up to it, find something else to do with your life. There is no place for you amongst this band of brothers and sisters.
The standard you walk past is the standard you accept. Every organization needs some form of this speech.
posted by adept256 at 8:00 AM on April 19, 2018 [54 favorites]


This is hilarious and new to me. I love the line "You are welcome for my service" at the end of the interview.

Jason Kander is a politician I look to frequently right now for inspiration and leadership. He served in Afghanistan and is happy to remind people of his own or other's veteran status when it helps make an argument. He's also pretty progressive and is fighting for issues that seem important to me, mostly the right to vote in the face of various GOP voter suppression campaigns. Mostly he's just kind of hilarious and I admire his mix of identities. Of course not all veterans think the same.
posted by Nelson at 8:06 AM on April 19, 2018 [1 favorite]


Of course not all veterans think the same.

True, but The Warax speaks for all vets.
posted by wotsac at 8:08 AM on April 19, 2018 [3 favorites]


The Warax isn't a hand-puppet ?
posted by k5.user at 8:28 AM on April 19, 2018


Yeah, this guy writes well, and pretty much perfectly summarizes my own feelings about the things I saw and things I did when I was an 18-year-old Marine in 1987 and the next few years past that. He definitely speaks for me. And he is a good example that people can change for the better as well.
posted by seasparrow at 8:36 AM on April 19, 2018 [9 favorites]


I remember watching The Invisible War just two years ago: The toxicity looked so entrenched and protected by the establishment that I would not have expected to see people speaking out. Makes you hope that something is actually different.
posted by little onion at 8:50 AM on April 19, 2018 [1 favorite]


I know a number of vets -- of various forces -- and none of them sound like those hard-ass Mil-Bros whose attitudes and Hard Truths demand to be heard in print and online and in person. I like this writer.
posted by wenestvedt at 8:55 AM on April 19, 2018 [8 favorites]


The Warax was on a few episodes of What A Hell Of A Way To Die, a very good Leftist military and veterans podcast. (Sample episode, What’s a standing army good for in a socialist utopia?)
posted by The Whelk at 9:03 AM on April 19, 2018 [4 favorites]


The Warax has an origin story, which is worth a look.

He's cranky, he's hilarious, and he basically exists to take the piss out of all the blowhards who puff themselves up over their service. He pushes things like #VetsforGunReform. The Warax is an excellent voice on Twitter to follow.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 9:11 AM on April 19, 2018


There's certainly a good many progressive-leaning veterans, and we tend to self-select to hang out with each other on Twitter as in real life. But it's still best to keep in mind that for every Jason Kander, there's a Tom Cotton. Progressive mil-Twitter is one reason why I haven't simply firewalled the site. (It overlaps a good bit with the #natsecgirlsquad crew, which is another one.)
posted by Zonker at 9:18 AM on April 19, 2018 [3 favorites]


Also, retired Colonel Bob Bateman has a thread addressing the same problem along slightly different lines this morning. It's also worth a read.
posted by Zonker at 9:29 AM on April 19, 2018 [2 favorites]


adept256, pair that video with this one: UK’s Top Sgt Major Rips Racist Soldiers A New One In Twitter Video (Task & Purpose)

"The bottom line is this: There is no place in the British army whatsoever for any form of racism. That’s why one of our core values is respect for others. What’s difficult to understand about that?

"If you’re a serving soldier or a would-be soldier, and you hold these intolerant and extremist views, as far as I’m concerned, there is no place for you in the British army. SO GET OUT."
posted by MonkeyToes at 9:29 AM on April 19, 2018 [3 favorites]


Not in My Marine Corps. Brings "to light stories of sexual assault and harassment among military service members, and expose the pervasive behaviors and attitudes that have been engrained by complacent and dismissive military leadership. We aim to provide resources for service women and men to report harassment or assault, take action to help themselves, and stand up for others."

The Marine Corps has tolerated and perpetuated an utterly toxic-to-women culture for decades. Reports of rampant misogyny, sexual assault, sexual harassment, revenge porn, slut shaming and worse abound.

Meanwhile, we've been hearing about attempts to change things (through Not in My Marine Corps above) and Actionable Change, by women Marines. The burden of stopping Marine Corps revenge porn rings has fallen to women veterans.

Last month Commandant Neller ordered a new investigation into allegations of sexual harassment brought by two civilian employees against a Marine officer at Quantico. They're doing something, but it feels like they're only addressing the tip of a very large iceberg.

It's nice to see a male former servicemember stepping forward to talk about this. Even anonymously. But considering how deeply ingrained the problem apparently is, I wonder if that will change anything.
posted by zarq at 9:53 AM on April 19, 2018 [8 favorites]


Great find; thanks for this post.
posted by ivanthenotsoterrible at 10:52 AM on April 19, 2018 [1 favorite]


I love this guy. He reminds me (quite a lot, actually) of the very few people I stay in touch with from my time in the service — cranky, introspective leftoids all.

The bottom line is this: There is no place in the British army whatsoever for any form of racism

The British Army is currently running glossy, superhigh-production-value ads featuring vignettes of inclusion like, e.g., a Muslim soldier taking time to pray during a patrol, as his non-Muslim buddies form a protective ring around him. There are times when I most definitely SMDH at what flies in British culture, but this is something the society can justly be proud of.

If you're going to accede to the notion of a standing armed force at all — and I know some folks don't, for good and sufficient reason, but bear with me here — it had better be one that's inclusive and invitational to every citizen who is physically and psychically able to serve. The British armed forces certainly seem to be taking concrete as well as symbolic steps toward this goal, but I simply cannot imagine a parallel recruitment ad for the US Army.
posted by adamgreenfield at 11:05 AM on April 19, 2018 [11 favorites]


(All that said, you know my soul's really with the YPJ.)
posted by adamgreenfield at 11:06 AM on April 19, 2018 [2 favorites]


I have not checked all of the comments, but for many years my orientation point on these issues has been Garry Trudeau and "Doonesbury".

Some of the most eloquent writing on service has been "The Sandbox" portion of the website. I match that to Patrick Cockburn's commentaries in the London Review of Books and I am stunned that anyone ever thought it could or will end well.
posted by Barbara Spitzer at 8:57 AM on April 24, 2018


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