A comparison of the Navy in the 1960s and the Navy today provides a great example of this continued sense of comfort and stability even with the disadvantages present. It was 1962 when my step-father, Thomas Jarboe, joined the military. Things were very different back then compared to today. The Vietnam War was going on and the Civil Rights Movement was taking place. Tom joined the military to get away from his home life. He explained “We didn’t have anything, dirt poor and living in a crime ridden community.” The Navy gave him the financial stability and the comfort that belonging to a community can bring. “The military gave me a chance to get a steady paycheck every two weeks. I was able to send some money home to help my family” said Tom when asked. There were definitely drawbacks to being in the military during the 1960s. Tom was not able to visit home while in the military and only received a letter once every 6 or so week because of the ongoing war. Keeping in touch with family was very difficult. The Navy today is different than the Navy in my step-father’s time but it does have problems as well. My reasons for joining the Navy were similar to Tom’s. The comfort that a steady job far away from home would offer and the added comfort of being with people of similar interests and dreams as me were the reasons that I joined the Navy. Though the Navy was a bright and shiny day after years of rain for me it was not without problems. Operation Iraqi Freedom and the War on Terrorism were taking place. There were frequent deployments for anybody in my career choice, the Hospital Corpsman. Though I myself was never deployed my husband was gone around 12 out of 15 months. This was very hard for my family. It was not as bad as my step-father’s time though because I received phone calls pretty regularly and he was home in between deployments. The benefits that being a member of the Navy provided far outweighed the negatives for my step-father and I, however, this is not always the case for any community, the Navy included.
When a community does not provide enough positives the individual members of that community may withdraw membership. Sometimes when something negative takes place in a community it can cause a split among the members of opposing beliefs as well. In John Hostetler’s essay The Amish Charter he discusses the principles and beliefs that hold the Amish community together. Hostetler also talks about punishment handed out for disobedience including the practice of Bann Und Meidung, which is also known as excommunication and shunning. Shunning is a very strict punishment and there is a split among members to its interpretation. “Among the Amish communities today there are numerous divisions as a result of differing opinions on shunning” (Hostetler 106).There is the ultra strict followers and the moderate followers. The moderate followers allow for removal of the Meidung if the person is restored to their church and goes back to the promises made by the act of baptism. A community that has such strong opposing beliefs among members may actually split into different communities just like the Amish did. No matter which side of the Amish community a person is a member of they will be shunned if they marry outside of the Amish community. This is one example of where a community does not provide comfort or stability for the individual. This type of community is focused on the community as a whole, not the individual members. The benefits of being in a community like this may be outweighed by the disadvantages depending on the circumstances.
Some communities do focus on the individual but do not encourage members in a positive way. Some potential examples of negative groups would be drug abusers, alcohol users, petty criminals, and eating disorder groups. In the essay A Secret Society of the Starving Mim Udovitch discusses an online community for pro-anorexia or Pro-Ana for short. Pro-Ana is an online community that supports members in their fight to stay anorexic. This community does not support people in a positive way. It is there to encourage people to starve themselves into thinness or to “help” a member in a time of weakness when they want to eat. This type of site is “a place where a group of for the most part very unhappy and in some part very angry girls and women come together to support each other in sickness rather than in health” (Udovitch 114). The community supports the individual but does so in a potentially detrimental way. If a community supports members in a negative way or supports a negative life style then the benefits of being in such a group are by far much less than the disadvantages.
Communities are supposed to support the individual in a healthy way that makes them comfortable and gives them a sense of stability. “When communities serve our needs, both the individual and the group benefit” (Latterell 90). Some communities do their job well while others fall short. The benefits of being a part of a community that does not support individual members may be minimal. In a situation such as that the person involved in that community may not be able to get the comfort that belonging to a group provides. For my step-father and I belonging to the Navy community was beneficial to us. For others, such as people who join in communities likes pro-ana or even the person born Amish that faces being shunned for loving an “outsider” the benefits may not be worth the advantages that membership brings.
The uniform radiates a sense of pride for the world to see. Crisp and white, the well-defined creases are ironed to perfection by the wearer of this uniform. Their shoes are shined to such magnificence that a reflection is visible upon them like a mirror. Donning this uniform automat
ically makes a person stand more erect, and act more dignified. Respect is usually shown to a man or woman in uniform, and he/she is thought of as honest, hardworking, and courageous. The community that wears this uniform is the United States Navy, and it is my community. This diverse, and unique, group is united under a sense of pride, and camaraderie. All communities have their beneficial side, as well as their down side. Being a member of a community, rather in the past or present, gives us a sense of comfort and stability; unless the disadvantages far outweigh the advantages of being a part of that community.A comparison of the Navy in the 1960s, and the Navy today, provides an excellent example of continued comfort, even with disadvantages present. My stepfather, Thomas Jarboe, joined the Navy in 1962. Things were very different back then compared to today. The Vietnam War, as well as the Civil Rights Movement, was going on. Tom joined the Navy to get away from his home life. He explained, "We didn't have anything, dirt poor and living in a crime-ridden community." The Navy gave him financial stability, and the comfort that this stability afforded him. As Tom stated," The military gave me a chance to get a steady paycheck every two weeks. I was able to send money home to help my family. It eased their financial burden." My own reasons for joining the military were similar to my stepfathers. Growing up money was tight. We relied pretty heavily on our church for donations in the form of food, clothing, and Christmas gifts. I wanted a future that was financially stable, and very different from my childhood. The military allowed me the sense of comfort that financial stability provides. Though the Navy supported both me and Tom, not all members are as fortunate. An example of the way the military fails to support members is the ongoing war in Iraq. The corpsman, attached to a marine unit, could be deployed multiple times in as many years. They are more interested in winning the "war" than they are in the needs of individual members. The "suck it up" mentality reins. My husband, Gabriel, was in Iraq for 12 out of 15 months. This was very hard on my husband, and our whole family. The Navy is a good example of both providing support, and failing to do so.
Some communities do not fail to support their members, but supports them in a negative way. Some groups that could be used as examples of negative support may be drug abusers, alcohol misuers, petty criminals, and eating disorder groups. In the essay, "A Secret Society of the Starving," Mim Udovitch discusses an online community for pro-anorexia, or pro-ana for short. Pro-ana is a community that supports members in their fight against eating food. Unlike the Navy, the pro-ana community does not support members in a positive way, nor does it fail in supporting them. The pro-ana community supports individuals in a potentially detrimental way. The site is "A place where a group of for the most part very unhappy and in some part very angry girls and women come together to support each other in sickness rather than in health" (Udovitch 114). When a community supports the members in a negative way, the benefits of being a member are severely limited, and may be largely outweighed by the negatives.
Membership in a community, for the most part, is sought out so we may feel comfort and support from that community. "When communities serve our needs, both the individual and the group benefit" (Latterell 90). Many communities do their job well, while others fall short. The good reasons for being in a community that has minimal benefits may be near non-existent. For my step-father and me, belonging to the Navy community was very beneficial. For others, some in the military, some that are in communities like pro-ana, the benefits are minimal in comparison to the disadvantages. When a situation such as that arises the point in being in that group is lost.
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