Master and Commander
Posts: 2357
| Subject: and another one....
VALE 'JACK TAR'
The traditional male sailor was not defined by his looks. He was defined by his attitude. His name was Jack Tar.
He was a happy go lucky sort of bloke. He took the good times with the bad. He didn't cry victimisation, bastardisation, discrimination, or for his mum when things didn't go his way. He took responsibility for his own, sometimes self destructive, actions.
He loved a laugh. At anything or anybody. Rank, gender, race, creed or behaviour, it didn't matter to Jack, he would take the p**s out of anyone, including himself. If someone took it out of him he didn't get offended. It was a natural part of life. If he offended someone else, so be it. Free from many of the mores of polite society, Jack's language and manners were somewhat rough. His ability to swear is legendary.
He would stand up for his mates. Jack was extravagant with his support for those he thought needed it. He may have been either right or wrong but that didn't matter. Jack's mate was one of the luckiest people alive.
Jack loved women. He loved to chase them to the ends of the earth. Sometimes he even caught one, less often than he would have you believe though. His tales of the chase and its conclusion, win or lose, is the stuff of legends.
Jack's favourite was beer. He could drink like a fish. His actions when inebriated would, on occasion, land him in trouble. He took it on the chin, did his chooks and then went and did it all again.
Jack loved his job. He took an immense pride in what he did. His RADAR was always the best in the fleet. His engines always worked better than everyone else's. His eyes could spot a contact before anyone else's, and shoot it first. It was a matter of personal pride. Jack was the consummate professional when he was at work and sober.
He was a bit like a mischievous child. He had a gleam in his eye and a larger than life outlook. He was as rough as guts. You had to be pig headed and thick skinned to survive. He worked hard and played hard. His masters tut tutted at some of his more exuberant expressions of joie de vivre. The occasional bout of chooks let him know where the limits were.
The late 20th century has seen the demise of Jack. The workplace no longer echo's with ribald comment and bawdy tales. Someone is sure to take offence. Warries, those stories of derring-do and ingenuity in the face of adversity, usually whilst p***ed, lack the audacity of the past. A wicked sense of humour is now a liability, rather than a necessity. Jack has been socially engineered out of existence. What was once normal is now offensive. Denting someone's over inflated opinion of their own worth is now a crime. And so a culture dies.
Vale Jack Tar.
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Master and Commander
Posts: 1262
Location: Va.Beach,Va. | Subject: RE: seems like ...
Outstanding piece Blue.That certainly says it all.
The PC,touchy-feely,socially acceptable folks have
destroyed rhe traditional sailor worldwide.
Yeah Flap,thank God we were there when we were there.
It apears to be a whole new ball game today and I'm
afraid I don't understand the rules.(I was there from '63-'83)
Edited by MAD DOG 2008-10-23 1:43 PM
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and another one....
