Do you believe there are stereotypes in the American Navy?

Question

I do. I'm in the Navy. They drink a lot. They look for girls all the time. They smoke cigarettes a lot. Several guys I met said they joined because of the drinking. Do you think this is true or do you think I'm just crazy?

My opinion, I never met so many stereotypes in my life.

Anyone ever notice how much tv & movies make fun of the Navy in places where there is alcohol & prostitutes? Also, a lot of jokes are made to make fun of the Navy. Example: Charlie's Angels 2 - (this was said by Lucy Liu) "We just took on 12 sailors!" If you watched the movie, you would understand it.

QUICK NOTE: I never said "ALL" the people in Navy are stereotypes. I did say there is a lot of them. If I said "all", I would have to include myself & I'm nothing like them.

Answer 1

Yes, and there is one simple reason for it. The average age in the US Navy is 22. Take any normal group of 22 year old single men, take them away from drinking and women for months at a time and then pull into a port and what do you get? It's no mystery.

Answer 2

I remember my mom once told me her dad, who was a Chief in the Navy, always told her that he wouldn't allow her to date a Navy guy! He said they drink and they have a girl in every port! Instead, my mother married my father who was in the Army! But growing up, she would tell me the same-thing! Stay away from those sailors! They're trouble! My father swore there was no difference! He felt as long as a guy was in love, he wasn't going to cheat while he was away from his wife. (Or girlfriend) Well, I grew up and wouldn't you know it...I didn't take mom's advice and I married a sailor! But you know what? Mom was wrong! Like my Grandpa, my husband is also a Chief, and he's the greatest guy in the world and has never given me any reason to distrust him. (And my mother really approves of him! I think she likes him better then me!) He doesn't smoke, but that's certainly not the worse thing someone could do, and he might have a beer or two in certain ports, but he's really not a drinker anyway.
Actually, now we are stationed in Italy, and so we get to do all the fun stuff together. But he has told me that he has had to come down on a few of his guys who were caught cheating on their spouses while on deployment. He has also said that the majority of sailors HE has come in contact with have all been very faithful to their loved one back home. I think that a lot of it is that sailors that have just gone in, or are experiencing their first six month deployment in all these cool foreign ports, kind of go crazy! A lot of the countries they can drink in a 18, so that is a big deal to them. I know people think that all sailors are like this, but they're not! But I think it's okay for them to have fun while their in port, as long as they don't do anything stupid. the ones that aren't married or in a relationship, well, let them go crazy if the want! They're young and they should have fun.
And personally, I still just can't help but do a double take when I see a sailor in his dress whites....I don't care if they are an O6 or an E3, they look good in those whites! Sailors will always be my favorite in the Military!

Answer 3

There are stereotypes in the Navy. You left out the need to use a swear word in every sentence at least once. Thing is, the Navy's recognized the problem with the image the public has, based on these stereotypes. They do frown on them, and if you want to make rate, the more you distance yourself from them, the better off you'll be. One alcohol related blemish on your service record can set you back, two can sink you. Evals will look more stellar if you can carry out a conversation without having to swear constantly. Smoking, well, sooner or later it'll be completely banned, so you may as well not be hooked when it does. I started out wild and crazy, just like most of the other young guys I came in with. But I kept it in check. You have to think before you act, or life will catch up and the Navy will make it miserable. If you want to make it a career, get started with some college courses instead of bar hopping. You have to anymore, and this'll get you ahead of those party animals. Take it from a 20 year retiree of Uncle Sam's famous canoe club. Good luck.

Answer 4

I don't know anything about the American Navy. However, there is definitely a culture that develops around any team that works under specific, challenging circumstances. For example, the stereotype of police closing ranks around a fellow officer and being silent if he is under investigation comes from the need for them to be 100% at each other's backs under stress.

Another stereotype: All homeless people smoke. Not true but the culture of smoking is strong a)that's the only friend they've got b) staves off hunger c)they are the last group to be affected by political correctness.

Answer 5

Yep. I hear plenty of Navy sterotypes, and alot of them are oddly Contradicting.

There's these one that sailors are noisy, drunk, horny and agressive men always looking for a fight (which was in some way proven by the Zoot Suit Riots)

Then there's the whole... Village people thing. And being cooped up on a ship or a sub for months at a time is bound to make a few men... desperate.

But in humor there is always a shred of truth. Otherwise it wouldn't be funny...but it doesn't mean it has to define anyone if they don't want it to.

Answer 6

Yea theres crazy stereotypes in the navy man ! But when we get to those ports we do drink and we do get those whores yo! You forgot one big stereotype though , the Filipinos are taking over the navy, especially the Corpsman side of it , those damn Filipino chiefs , cant understand em !

Answer 7

I've always heard they were gay. They go out to sea with other men.

Especially the ones on submarines. (Stuck underwater with no women...)

Now, don't take that as an insult. It's just a funny joke people like to make. Most people are proud of our Navy and what it has done to protect our country.

Answer 8

i've got self assurance that some songs in that genra are very degrading, yet no longer purely to african american women folk yet to all women folk or maybe adult adult males. whilst a track talks approximately women folk like they're purely right here for intercourse or refers back to the paintings of the human physique in a deragatory way, then sure this is degrading (to all women folk). this is degrading to adult adult males although as nicely whilst it means that the only reason a guy could be with a women folk is in basic terms by the fact he desires some thing happy or that he's stupid sufficient to do a million/2 of the failings those songs in question are asserting. despite if, i does no longer lump each track with the aid of each artist in one genra right into a stereo form although with the aid of fact song is oftentimes catagorized with the aid of rythem, pace, instuments, and how this is sung and not purely with the aid of lyrics on my own. whilst there are an overpowering variety of hip hop songs that this holds genuine for there are additionally very a variety of of alternative songs in distinctive generas that the comparable could nicely be mentioned of.

Answer 9

Their everywhere, not just in school and in the military. Bars, churches, etc...
I guess you just have to learn to deal with it, you probably noticed it better now being in the navy since it's more of a closed environment.

Answer 10

All navy personnel are NOT like those you are speaking. The ones you are talking about have heard stories about how sailors behave, and they are doing their best to emulate what they heard in stories.