<p>Hi everyone, I've been reading the threads for a while. I have a question. I know that overall USNA tends to be pretty conservative politically. I am seriously considering applying next year (I'm a sophomore right now) because I am fairly sure I want to be a naval officer. Also, despite the mess in the middle east I love my country and the opportunities I have here. But politically I am pretty moderate to liberal. I am not picking a fight. I just want to know if this will present any additional problem for me if I'm lucky enough to go, or whether there is any room for debate and discussion there. To me there is not a conflict between wanting to serve my country in the Navy or Marines and disagreeing with the current course of things. Thanks for thoughtful replies everyone!</p>
<p>Read The Princeton Review's observations, over-generalized as they may be. No doubt you'd be a minority, but undoubtedly there's always room for genuine debate and discussion. You're on the $$ about love of country and room for disagreement. Lots of glorious illustrations in history. Conversely one would need to be wise in picking the battle ... and perhaps battlefield?</p>
<p>Any number of liberal learning alternatives, too, where USN officer commissioning. Even Harvard has an NROTC program ... albeit on a distant campus as I understand, keeping those military types @ arm's length? </p>
<p>Heck, look @ the lone-ranger USNA alum prexy! Reagan's antithesis in many regards. I wonder how much of his thinking was formulated @ Canoe U.?</p>
<p>Just remember that the military is not a democracy. When you're told to serve in a conflict/war, you must serve. The fact that you don't think the country should be in the war, the fact that you disagree with strategy or tactics, the fact that you don't agree with the politics of the elected leadership -- none of it matters. You still serve, you still go. </p>
<p>Just be sure you're ok with that.</p>
<p>As long as you have logic behind your views, it shouldn't present a problem. Don't instigate arguments and things will work just fine (good advice for both liberals and conservatives!)</p>
<p>My son, Class of 2010, is very liberal. He has found that there are more liberal students on the yard than any of the reports want you to believe. As he says there are a lot of closet liberals out there that are just afraid to say anything! This also was a question that he asked while making his decision to attend.</p>
<p>Most of the faculty that he has had so far - he has only had "Military" instructors for the military classes Seamanship and Leadership - the rest have all been civilian tenure track faculty - of which he preceived as being either moderate or liberal. He has not found that he cannot speak his mind, in fact in one class he was looked upon by the instructor to give the "opposing view." The nature of the Yard calls for respect of all opinions and my son has certainly found that to be the case.</p>
<p>Who was it that said, "not a liberal @ 20, no heart. Not a conservative @ 40, no brain." ?? :confused:</p>
<p>Lot's of smart kids there with lots of heart, I'm sure. :)</p>
<p>From what I hear, lately, the brigade has become substantially more liberal in the last twelve to eighteen months; or, at least, support for Bush has gone from what might be expected "Gung ho. . . .yeah, Bush, our President regardless of what he does, full steam ahead" to something more along the lines of: "Why hasn't he come to the Army/Navy game more than once?"</p>
<p>I guess the Brigade, although more conservative than your average group of 18 - 22 year olds from the beginning, does, in fact, represent the country to some degree. As they become older and more aware of the impact that questionable policies have on their lives, they start to question things a bit more.</p>
<p>It's like anything else: You have the grades, the ability, or the ranking to back you up, you can pretty much say what you want.</p>
<p>I think the whole purpose of any higher education is to teach you to think- not what to think-</p>
<p>so in the end, does it really matter? You may find yourself taking a liberal stand on one issue, while taking a conservative view of another.... </p>
<p>and I agree with Bill- as the kids increase their knowledge, they do start to question the rationale behind things- just as they offer their opinions and defend their arguements.... </p>
<p>not everything is an automatic "yes sir".... unless I am mistaken, I think one of their 5 responses includes "No Sir."</p>
<p>Great, thanks everyone. I think wherever I go I don't want a whole lot of animosity and intolerance. This bothers me even if it's people who's points I agree with. But I don't want to go to school with a bunch of carbon copies of me either. My parents are pretty liberal too but they always stress to me and my brothers and sister that we need to use logic and facts to justify our opinions even if we agree with them. And as for the military not being a democracy, I'm okay with that. No point complaining about it if it's something I chose because it's a purpose greater than me.</p>
<p>Be careful how you infer "intolerance". It's a very PC catchprhase to cover a multitude of perceived sins, a la conservatism. That could get a flame war started.</p>
<p>While at USNA, we all wear Blue and Gold. Don't sweat it.</p>
<p>^^^^^
Ditto Zaphod's post. Politics is not part of the curriculum at the Naval Academy.</p>
<p>What you need to remember is that no matter what your political views, you support your Commander in Chief (i.e. the President no matter which party that person belongs too). It used to be and it wasn't that long ago that military personel were not permitted to display bumper stickers, yard signs etc that supported a particular candidate. You can vote anyway you want to, but in the end it all comes down to the fact that you wear the uniform, you support the Commander in Chief and you're all on the same team.</p>
<p>The responses are: Yes sir, no sir, aye, aye sir, I'll find out sir and no excuse sir</p>
<p>Carrying out "commands" is not the same as supporting your Commander in Chief.</p>
<p>One carries out commands because there is authority behind the command to which one agreed to subserve themselves.
Thus, you obey the Commander in Chief because you agreed to obey them, not necessariy because you support that commander, i.e. I agree to obey the Constitution regardless of who may be in office at that particualr time. That person derives their authority from the position to which they have been appointed or elected.</p>
<p>SO, you will obey the Commander in Chief even when you don't support him or her. [Its just a matter of time.]<br>
Your question, however, seems to concern itself with day-to-day life of a "liberal" among a, generally, "conservative" brigade.</p>
<p>From what I undestand, there is room for a more liberal person in the Brigade [Did you see Abizaid's {{was it Abizaid?}} conclusion that perhaps there IS room for gays in the military after all] At the same time, however, [if you don't know already] the pack mentality of a bunch of 18 - 20 year old boys can get old to be around. In any event, I don't think this should be enough of a factor to discourage you from attending if you really want to go.</p>
<p>"Second Thoughts on Gays in the Military"
Gen. John M. Shalikashvili, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1993 to 1997 </p>
<p>New York Times
January 2, 2007</p>
<p>Los Angeles Times
Rosa Brooks
January 5, 2007 </p>
<p>"BURIED IN THE NEWS last week was one of the most potentially significant stories of recent years. The Military Times released its annual poll of active-duty service members, and the results showed something virtually unprecedented: a one-year decline of 10 percentage points in the number of military personnel identifying themselves as Republicans. In the 2004 poll, the percentage of military respondents who characterized themselves as Republicans stood at 60%. By the end of 2005, that had dropped to 56%. And by the end of 2006, the percentage of military Republicans plummeted to 46%. </p>
<p>The drop in Republican Party identification among active-duty personnel is a sharp reversal of a 30-year trend toward the "Republicanization" of the U.S. military, and it could mark a sea change in the nature of the military and the nature of public debates about national security issues..."</p>
<p>The wind blows, the pendulum swings. News yes. Monumental though?</p>
<p>Wondrin,</p>
<p>Trust me. You will find the folks at USNA to be far more tolerant of Liberal views than the folks at your average college are of Conservative views.</p>
<p>Either way, as Bill suggested, when you're 18-23, the last thing on your mind (unless you're a policy wonk, in which case you should be at Yale or Harvard) is politics. In my four years at USNA, I recall having two discussions of any kind regarding politics.</p>
<p>Your time will be taken up by real academics, sports, and then blowing off steam during down time. I was there when Bush Senior won the Presidency. Election day and the next morning was just like any other day.</p>
<p>Honestly, don't sweat it.</p>
<p>The class that you may talk politics in is American Government, a required class unless validated. Of course a lot of that may have been as this was an election semester. Son's class was given a chit and required to watch election results. </p>
<p>Sorry Zap Senior Bush election was pretty unmonumental although I was glad we were living out of the US for that election season given some of the tactics that were used! </p>
<p>Actually the 18-23 crowd is much more in tune with politics than you would think and it is a good thing. We let them vote at age 18 so I would hope that they would be developing minds of their own, not just mommy and daddy clones!</p>
<p>Wondrin, I'm glad you are being responsible and asking these types of questions. The more you know about USNA the more likely you are to suceed. Ask every question just like you would to every college you are considering. That is being a responsible young adult who is about to make the most important and difficult decision that will effect the rest of your life. Best of luck.</p>
<p>
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Great, thanks everyone. I think wherever I go I don't want a whole lot of animosity and intolerance.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>wonderin2010: I think the last thing you will find at USNA is animosity....as for intolerance, the only intolerance you will find is for mediocre performance, effort or attitude....any of which will bring you lots of unwanted attention to "straighten you out." </p>
<p>As for carbon copies.... what you will find is lots of steller kids that have excelled academically, physically and athletically.... and who continue to "push the envelope" every day they are there....highly competetive, highly motivated, and with a common mission. The challenge, IMO, is to find that at another institution.....</p>
<p>do visit, keep your eyes and ears open, and best of luck!</p>