NPR’s All Things Considered did a story two days ago on former Barclays CEO Bob Diamond’s gaffe of addressing British members of Parliament at a hearing by their first names. The story was introduced like this:
ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:
Think of situations where it’s expected for people of any rank and station to address one another by first name: a progressive school, an AA meeting, the Israeli Army. Well, now think of places where you wouldn’t be caught dead addressing or referring to authority figures with such informality. Etc.
Is that even true? Speak, veterans.
I heard this the other day and thought of posting about it here. My jaw dropped when I heard it. What the devil was going through Robert Siegel’s mind when he said that? And what are Americans supposed to think? It’s just weird and out of place. Actually, it comes across as a joke being played on NPR listeners. The subtext is: “You people are such suckers that we can push the most blatant propaganda upon you and there’s nothing you can do about it.”
Note the phrasing: “Think of situations…” As if this particular one comes naturally to mind. We’re supposed to sigh in agreement and recognition. Well, no, the overwhelming majority of listeners are not going to think of the IDF in this situation.
Gee, not only is the IDF the World’s Most Moral Military, but also the Most Egalitarian!
Who knew? Thanks, Bob Siegel, for paying such good attention back on your Birthright junket. Remind me never to play Trivial Pursuit: Eretz Yisrael Edition with this guy.
The fine distinction between “egalitarian” and “lacking all respect, in every possible way, internally and externally, to the point of full dehumanization of everyone it comes into contact with” is obviously lost on this commenter.
The handle, btw, is a form of mockery in its own right: soldiers who “shoot and cry” is a constant trope in Israel.
Expected? Hardly. Only if they serve together.
You won’t find Pvt. Tooshik, for example, addressing the Minister of [War], Ehud Barak, as “Udi”.
Well at NPR you’re required not only to use both names, but to pronounce them in a very specific way.
I’m RO-bert SEE-gull
That’s it, Robbie baby. Show the world the Zionist in you.
This first name thing reminds me of something the south was famous for: Southern Hospitality.
Nu? So what’s wrong with the South?
Bigotry against the region seems to be a commonplace. I’ve spent a lot of time down there, and people are a lot more friendly, a lot more helpful, a lot more reasonable, and a lot funnier than they are elsewhere. It can be like getting a bucket of cold water thrown in your face when you come back across the Mason-Dixie Line.
I’ll add something else. I have seen a lot less racism and lot more racial intermingling in the South than I ever saw in the Northeast. The Northeast is all segregation and racial hostility. Hopefully the poster is not from anywhere in the Northeast. If he is, he has no grounds for casting aspersions on the South.
Colin, I always thought it was the Mason-Dixon Line.
“One of these things is not like the others…”
Siegal’s attempt to shoe horn the Israeli Army into a benign analogy next to progressive schools and AA meetings won’t go unnoticed by his listners. Besides the fact that it’s an ill fitting non sequitur it’s immediately identifyable as a cheap and tawdry stab at selling Israel to Americans as an easy going, friendly kind of place. Does the old man know that his listners aren’t the easy marks they used to be?
Is that even true? Speak, veterans.
Up to a point. I (a private) addressed officers in my unit and other units I came in contact with – up to the rank of lt. col. – by their first names, without hesitation (with only one complaint, not about the first name, but about the fact that a private dared to address a col. in the first place: “what’s this Shmuel’s rank anyway, and why is he even talking to me?”). The head of my unit (a brigadier general) was a bit of a stickler for protocol (he once chewed me out for not saluting), but allowed the soldiers under his direct command to address him by his first name. Addressing the OC of our command (a major general), the chief of staff or the defence minister by their first names would have been an absolute no-no.
Somebody actually answers the question!
How do they address and cheer for the IDF singer?
Flip side of this opportunistic attempt of labelling something as rotten as IDF as being good, decent, and familial/collegial is the ardent , hypervigilant awareness not to miss any opportunity to deny humanity to the opponent and readiness to manufacture oppertunity to demonize any rival . Thats why the Chrsitmas wishes of Ahmednezad get slammed as obsecne and vile ,and poilitical discussion between him and the host at NY gets labelled as an exercise in chanelling hateful messages . The root goes back to two pronged attacks on Arabs struggle. Arabs are bad and Israeli are good. Hollywood perfected that art. This has permeated even the childrens book and even the churches. Govenrment agencies despite the brave efforts of some have sided with this trend
It may well be true that in the IDF, soldiers customarily address their superiors by their first names.
I wouldn’t read too much into that. The German army of the Third Reich was also marked by an extremely egalitarian social structure (for the times): the same food for officers and men, constant fraternization between officers and their men, promotion from the ranks, an expectation that the lower ranks could and would use their initiative.
It didn’t mean they were nice guys.
‘…a progressive school, an AA meeting, the Israeli Army…’
That really is pretty blatant. Now who could possibly be against anything that is in the same list as progressive schools and AA meetings?
I wonder if this works with other triads?
‘Think about situations where informal dress is acceptable: the beach, barbeques, death marchs…’
More than a plug for his beloved IDF, Siegel shows his lack of understanding of culture beyond his PBS bubble.
It is common in the entire Middle East to address people my their first name. It does not necessarily denote familiarity.
Well, some people on this site consider Zionism a cult, many more people consider AA a cult…maybe there is something to this first name thing. But how does the progressive school fit in?