So what’s in a name anyway? What does the the term Veteran mean to you? I know there’s a Motorcycle Club by that name. And then there’s folks like you and me who served in our Armed Forces. When I use the word that way, it’s kind of a reverent thing for me.
But now I understand that there’s a new meaning of veteran, one with a little “v” because it’s one of the pettiest things I’ve ever run across. Apparently, you can be a veteran of dance. That’s right, dance. I don’t know, maybe those movies about those hardcore street dance competitions are true. I never realized that taking tap lessons would make you a veteran.
So now to the point of this. A San Diego-based company has formed that makes street-wear and urban apparel, whatever the hell that is. They have chosen the name Veteran Clothing. They aren’t Veterans in any traditional sense of the word but rather veterans (with a small v) of being opportunists (and dance).
Not only did they decide to name their company after some of the most respected members of society but also such imagery as salutes and the Purple Heart. I guess putting it into context, you could always salute them for those sweet moves on the dance floor and I suppose it’s possible to twist an ankle out there as well. That would call for a purple heart right?
Read the full details here, including the latest update which includes the screw you letter issued by Veteran Clothing to all of us “old vets.” http://guardianofvalor.com/new-clothing-line-veteran-clothing-using-the-term-veteran-for-personal-profit/ Guardian of Valor has been all over this issue for the past few days and my hat’s off to them for fighting the good fight.
The ‘Letter of Apology’ from veteran clothing. www.facebook.com
So what do you guys think about this? Is it ok, or should they close shop?
On a final note, I want to mention that I don’t want anyone threatening these kids with bodily harm. Hit them edonomically all day long. But, while I abhorr anyone sending death threats to these guys, at least they are getting a taste of being a real Veteran who has had to live with the possibility that they might die in their service. I always like a little irony.
Tags: Veterans
Douchebags – with a capital D.
Last time I checked this was America. The rights of these guys to name their company whatever the hell the choose to is a fundamental part of what our Veterans fought for.
Just curious, are you a Veteran or a veteran?
Free speech doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It’s their business, they’re free to call it whatever they want. That said, any choice as a label for a public company has the potential to get backlash. That is as it should be.
I wouldn’t consider using the term “veteran”, in either “v”, for a company name these days. That’s dumb and shows a very definite misunderstanding of where America is right now. In the 80’s or 90’s, maybe that would fly. It surely will not today.
I see you’re being a bit too sensitive ’bout that. As for me I see no problem in someone calling himself a veteran of any sport. Sport also requires some sacrifices, that maybe are not such big deal as risking your life on duty but not everyone’s got to be mil to do something good. Veteran Clothing as a name of a company is a bit harder to justify. Making clothing with “salute me” sign is something strange though – I would consider person wearing such thing as a prick. T’s with purple heart – should never happen. Exception could be some mil members among whom it wouldn’t be anything bad (though I personally wouldn’t do that – it’s your business what you’ve done and theres no need to show off).
One of the awesome benefits of living in America is our free market system. It allows a D-bag can start a company and post photos that IMO obviously imply his company somehow has military ties (to go along with the name). That same individual can turn around and then reap the benefits when he gets outed. This problem will self correct. Also, the apology gets a 0 out of 10 since they really didn’t apologize, but offered up excuses for their actions.
OK the english major in me can not help but scream at this article. First of all Veteran does not mean just former military service members or former LEO’s.
“Veteran: a person who has had long service or experience in an occupation, office, or the like”
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/veteran
on the issue of the use of the Purple Heart and terms like salute me, well congratulations the more you make a big deal out of the military and our armed men and women the more people want to associate with group of people.
Good reasonable point you’ve got.
Would just like to add that a lot of dictionaries have it different. And under Federal Terms it is this:
DEFINITION OF “VETERAN”
FEDERAL DEFINITION: under Federal Law a VETERAN is any person, who served honorably on active duty in the armed forces of the United States. (Discharges marked GENERAL AND UNDER HONORABLE CONDITIONS also qualify.)
Most states also have laws that classify Veterans into this category.
and those laws that define Veterans do so because there are laws as to what benefits and laws apply to Veterans not to define the word for general use.
In english words tend to have multiple meanings you have veteran reporters, congressmen, engineers, school teachers as examples all of whom have not served in the military. Veteran just denotes a long time in a field or distinguished career. if this “misuse” of the term veteran makes you so angry have you been raging about it all your life cause thats how long this general use of veteran has been used.
and more dictionary definitions to illustrate this is not that uncommon a deffiniton as you are trying to argue.
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/veteran
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/veteran
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_definition_of_a_veteran
simply put please calm down and understand that in the english language there is a vast quantity of words that have multiple meanings. Just because the word is not the used in the way you think of does not mean its incorrect or out of context to use it in that method.
Are you a Veteran or a veteran?
I am neither, and its irrelevant to the main complaint in your article. You are saying in the original article that the use of veteran only denotes military service when it does not and never has only denoted that.
I have never said not to be angry that the guy is using the purple heart but “veteran” has not and never will be used exclusively to denote military service because it has been and will continue to be used to describe anyone who has lots of experience in a specific field.
Actually, it is relevant as there is no way you can even begin to comprehend what it is to be a Veteran if ou haven’t made the commitment and sacrificed who you are for the greater good.
As for this silliness over words having multiple meanings, of course thy do and I’m fully aware of that. But in America, if you say you’re a Veteran no one says, “What kind?” They automatically assume you mean a Veteran of our Armed Forces. It’s never used any other way in conversation and when it’s used in its written form, it is used as a synonym by a writer.
Need an example of another word that has multiple meanings but everyone automatically assumes one over another? Gay. It can mean happy or homosexual, but if you tell someone that you’re gay, they are going to assume you mean homosexual. Language is living, it adapts.
Other “veterans” don’t really matter now do they? I mean seriously, you’re going to refer to yourself as a veteran when you’ve done what? Played basketball? Football? Followed the Greatful Dead? When you say Veteran (with a capital V) you mean one thing; a military Vet.
According to the Laws of the Game (of soccer), a “veteran footballer” is one over the age of
The word doesn’t just apply to military vets. Doesn’t mean I have any admiration for the company’s choice, but the name alone doesn’t seen much to get excited about.
Sorry – the missing age in the previous comment is thirty-five.
The clothing is targeted at the same crowd who wear our uniforms all jacked up as some sort of fashion statement. It really was only a matter of time before they made this leap. Personally, I find this to be the Armed Forces veterans getting their panties in a wad because being outraged on the internet is in vogue. And grammatically speaking, “veteran” should only have a capital “V” when it is part of the proper title, such as this company.
For some perspective, I also find all the ranting about military posers to be pretty annoying too. I do, however, think a law similar to Stolen Valor should enacted within the scope of the illegality of “impersonating an officer” such as “impersonating a sworn member” or some-such.
…also, I’d rather the targeted demographic (rap video stars and wannabes) wear this clothing line than continue to wear my Dress Blues all fucked up.
The name, maybe not so smart.
The “Salute Me”, pretty silly.
The purpleheart shirt… Wrong time, wrong place.
Do they also do any of those shirts like ‘Hadji Dont Fly’ or ‘They’re gonna need more virgins’ – case those are all in pretty good taste as well.
Meh. Some people will try to cash in on anything, and trying to hop onto the military bandwagon is nothing new. But freedom of speech covers not just what I like, but also that which I find contemptible. As much as this outfit is composed of douchebags, there isn’t much of a point in getting worked up about it. Take the purple heart shirt example: if there is no market for it, then they wind up making themselves look bad for nothing, and if there is a market for it, that’s more of an issue with the buyers than the seller.
Frankly, as much as I appreciate outfits like Guardian of Valor, sometimes outing the posers can cross over into just yelling “respect us, dammit!”
To head off the V/v “you don’t understand” discussion, I ETS’ed last June.
dan is right. The word veteran is used in many ways, and I have used it myself to describe myself as a veteran of certain things, without coming close to implying that I am a military veteran.
What I really don’t understand is SSD’s reaction. When someone posts here that using the veteran name might be OK, SSD’s first post is to ask if they are a Veteran or a veteran? Isn’t that attacking the person, not the idea? That’s the opposite of what I’ve been taught at all the military and business meetings I’ve been to, and is a bit low class IMHO.
Believe it or not, I want some difference of opinion on SSD. If you notice, I’m not going to follow the crowd with pitchforks and torches over many issues. In this case, I side with the angry mob.
I’m asking about background because I want to see if and how this is perceived differently by military vets and non-vets. I believe that it is. And for the most part the reactions here prove that. Non-vets could give two shits about military veterans. It’s much like when I talk about IP theft. Those that have neve created anything think its a-ok to steal. It’s all about point of view.
Veterans, as a group are the single highest unemployed segment of the US population. It’s really a kick in the teeth when we have so many of our brothers and sisters unemployed yet this company that I am so upset about, is making commerce on their good deeds. Fuck Veteran Clothing. They are thieves.
You said:
“Non-vets could give two shits about military veterans.”
and in an earlier post you said:
“…there is no way you can even begin to comprehend what it is to be a Veteran if ou haven’t made the commitment and sacrificed who you are for the greater good.”
These are pretty insulting.
I am not a vet. However, my dad served over 20 years in the military, so I have a pretty good feel for military life. I tried to join the service, but I have a (minor) disability that barred me. After I graduated college, I have worked in the defense industry ever since, and I am now proud to work with active duty and many retired military people. I realize that I have an extremely important customer (the warfighter, and the United States), and I am very proud of that. Many, many of my friends have been or are in the military. Besides that, I am a student of military history, which I fully acknowledge is not the same as actually being on the battlefield, but I have read and absorbed many accounts from veterans.
For you to say that someone like me can not comprehend what it’s like be a veteran is just insulting to my intelligence. If you have such an elitist attitude, why don’t you simply limit your website to veterans only? Surely, nobody else is worthy of you.
Thanks for your industry service. Youve served in your own way. But, being a dependant isn’t the same as serving, by a long shot. Both my wife and I know from personal experience as does one of my kids who now serves.
Just as much as you accuse me of being insulted, you too are insulted. Welcome to the club.
If you support Veterans, it wasn’t aimed at you now was it? There are plenty of folks who do, but it’s pretty obvious that the average civilian doesn’t get it and can’t relate to what it means to have served.
Hmm…i really don’t see the fuss over this issue.
I too think of the term veteran with multiple uses and imo yes, you can be a veteran football coach for example.
If they use military themes in marketing (camo decor for example, military themed ads and so forth) then it is not in very good taste.
But to fuss over the word veteran is needless imo.
And no I am not a veteran or a Veteran, nor am I a VETERAN. And I respect all of the above…
I found out about a year ago that the Military DOES NOT Copyright their artwork (patches, medals, etc) I was a little shocked, but that explains why so many people and businesses make money off of federal images, t shirts, coffee mugs, stickers, the list goes on. In one way I can understand its a USA thing open to all of the citizens, but on the other hand look at all of the money lost or being made.
I too am not in the Military or LE but work for and know many. I’m not happy with the clothing line but it’s nothing new.
It’s a heated argument for both sides but I for one would be very happy to see the Government take control of their images and possibly replace some of the funds for life saving equipment that some people don’t think they need.
Pros and cons to that. I am glad they don’t. On the other hand, I think it’s good for consumers to help correct the market when business owners make bonehead moves.
Yeah, I’m going with the opposite side on this. I don’t often comment on silliness I guess, but I want to here. SSD is way over-blowing this. Yes, a person can be a veteran of any damn thing they want. We use the Veteran, and it has laws applied to it because it suits the government to do so. What about the word “commander?” According to the military, as a Commander (which, according to 25-50 and the Army Style Guide, actually is NOT capitalized–along with so many other words I see in caps on everything from OPORDs to evaluations), there are a metric ton of laws and regulations that define what I can and cannot do, and what I am responsible for. Those laws also define what a Commander is. Does that mean others are no longer able to say they have ever been in command of something? Shall my neighbor not command his kids to do something? That’s just asinine. Maybe Chrysler should give up the Jeep name as well? We had it first, right? That vehicle took us across Europe and beyond as we freed the huddled masses…no one else should use its name to make money…I hear ESPN types talk all the time about “veteran” players and coaches and the experience they bring to a team…better go ahead and write to them as well.
There has GOT to be a better battle to fight then this. Is the meaning of your status as a vet really so precarious that anyone else using the term threatens what it means to you? Really?
/rant
Yeah, when somebody uses the term to make people think they are military Veterans and make money off of it, it does piss me off. Especially considering the high unemployment rate of Veterans.
One guy on Facebook summed it up quite nicely. When used as a noun Veteran describes someone who served in the military. When it’s an adjective, it’s all of those other cats and dogs. if you meet some guy on the street and he says he’s a Veteran, what do you do? Do you ask him, ” a veteran of what?”
Maybe I don’t get out much, but I don’t hear people referring to themselves as Veterans except to describe military service.
You know what? Strike it all. Except for the guys at the VFW and this kid who is a dancer I don’t know anyone who calls himself a Veteran. We all identify by the service or units we were in depending on who we are talking to.
Billy Truong and his clothing company members have been tromping around in Purple Heart shirts, saluting, and posing in “vet” shirts at military monuments. Most of us former military combat arms members have friends or teammates who’ve earned that purple heart. Some are not here with us today. Veteran Clothing company seem to think it means nothing
http://doodiepants.com/2012/08/31/veteran-clothing-poser-company/