Veterans Support Group
This community is dedicated to all veterans of armed forces, and the health and life challenges they face. A veteran often refers to retired armed services personnel, one one who has served in the armed forces and has an honorable discharge. Join many others in sharing your experiences to find support.
just thought i'd bring up the subject here about people stereo typing others...
did i ever tell you about the time i joined anger managent class at the VA?? forgive me if my memory sucks so i may be repeating this one before (since i tend to do that).... but anyways....
i asked my pain psychologist if he could set me up with an anger management class at the VA. it was a long waiting list to get in but 3 months later i was finally on the roster and chekin in to it.
we sat down at tables all pushed into a giant square so we can all face each other. as i picked a seat and sat down, more people were filing in to the room.... everyone was holding small conversations with one another... by the time the door was closed i noticed that i was the only FEMALE in the class. oh well....nothing new from my experience in the Corps. nothing i can't handle, right?
then this guy comes up to me and asks "how did you get into this class? did your spouse serve?" i told him that it's 2007 now and there are PLENTY FEMALE VETS!!! i'm a former US Marine!!! "oh... " he said scooting back with a surprised look on his face. then not 30 secs later i get the same question from another man. i was getting pretty f&ckin pissed off about this time.
then the anger managemnt psychiatrist started and said we had to go around in a circle introducing our selves why we are here, what branch we served, yada yada...
i couldn't help but notice, not only was i the only female but the only MARINE. and i was getting glares of confusion form everyone. like "why is a female here" etc...
i got pissed and when it came to my turn to speak i said, "My name is yada yada.. and YES, I AM A FORMER MARINE! I DID serve! 5 good years and none of you "men" here have even been in the Corps! so needles to say, i got more BALLS than all of you and that makes me more of a man than all of you!! which is sad. so if even ONE of you asks me ONE MORE TIME if my SPOUSE served.... you will see the Marine in me come out! and besides i was never married and not married! i HATE the word "spouse" or "dependent".
the guy next to me said "i can see why YOU'RE in this class..."
sorry for the long story.... i just get so steamed when people always ask me if my spouse served and so on. i am a VETERAN!!! GET IT STRAIGHT!!! thanks for letting me vent here a bit.
what stereo types have you ever been labeled?
did i ever tell you about the time i joined anger managent class at the VA?? forgive me if my memory sucks so i may be repeating this one before (since i tend to do that).... but anyways....
i asked my pain psychologist if he could set me up with an anger management class at the VA. it was a long waiting list to get in but 3 months later i was finally on the roster and chekin in to it.
we sat down at tables all pushed into a giant square so we can all face each other. as i picked a seat and sat down, more people were filing in to the room.... everyone was holding small conversations with one another... by the time the door was closed i noticed that i was the only FEMALE in the class. oh well....nothing new from my experience in the Corps. nothing i can't handle, right?
then this guy comes up to me and asks "how did you get into this class? did your spouse serve?" i told him that it's 2007 now and there are PLENTY FEMALE VETS!!! i'm a former US Marine!!! "oh... " he said scooting back with a surprised look on his face. then not 30 secs later i get the same question from another man. i was getting pretty f&ckin pissed off about this time.
then the anger managemnt psychiatrist started and said we had to go around in a circle introducing our selves why we are here, what branch we served, yada yada...
i couldn't help but notice, not only was i the only female but the only MARINE. and i was getting glares of confusion form everyone. like "why is a female here" etc...
i got pissed and when it came to my turn to speak i said, "My name is yada yada.. and YES, I AM A FORMER MARINE! I DID serve! 5 good years and none of you "men" here have even been in the Corps! so needles to say, i got more BALLS than all of you and that makes me more of a man than all of you!! which is sad. so if even ONE of you asks me ONE MORE TIME if my SPOUSE served.... you will see the Marine in me come out! and besides i was never married and not married! i HATE the word "spouse" or "dependent".
the guy next to me said "i can see why YOU'RE in this class..."
sorry for the long story.... i just get so steamed when people always ask me if my spouse served and so on. i am a VETERAN!!! GET IT STRAIGHT!!! thanks for letting me vent here a bit.
what stereo types have you ever been labeled?
The biggest stereotype I face is people think because I came home from Iraq physically damaged, I must be retarded as well. They try to talk to me on the imbicile level and that really p*sses me off. I try to turn it around on them and use vocabulary that leaves them scratching their heads, letting them know in a nice way who the REAL idiot is! I do it with a vengeance, so an anger mgmt class would probably benefit me also. >grin
Glad to see you can hold your own Bluesun!
Every female I served with could easily hold their own, and some were much better soldiers than some of the males!!!
i know i learned a lot in that class....