"Good grief": Netizens slam Marines after they are told to stop using 'sir' and 'ma'am' to avoid misgendering seniors

New recruits in the United States Marines may be prohibited from addressing their seniors as "sir" or "ma'am" in order to avoid offending them by misgendering them. The recommendation was made based on an academic report from the University of Pittsburgh that was commissioned by the Corps in 2020. However, netizens are calling it ‘woke’ and slamming the U.S. Marines.

The report consisted of some 738 pages where it was said that traditional terms of salutation or addressing one’s superiors were not inclusive of all genders within the spectrum. The study said:

“Employing gender-neutral identifiers eliminates the possibility of misgendering drill instructors, which can unintentionally offend or cause discord. By teaching recruits to use gender-neutral identifiers for their drill instructors, Services underscore the importance of respecting authoritative figures regardless of gender.”

However, the public didn’t have a positive reaction to the announcement of the possible change. They called out the military and said these new terms of address would make a joke of the U.S. military. One person mocked the attempt and asked if they would be adding ‘pronoun patches’ on their uniforms as well.

---

Netizens troll the U.S. Marines as the implementation of banning misgendered pronouns is announced

The study was done at Pittsburg University’s Warrior Human Performance Research Center. It also added that the Navy, Army, and Coast Guard compellingly reduce the importance of gender in an amalgamated environment.

It has been suggested by the study that instead of calling drill instructors “sir” or “ma’am,” recruits in the U.S. armed forces should start addressing their superiors by their ranks, followed by their last names.

Marine Corps Training and Education Command’s chief of staff, Col. Howard Hall, said that, despite some pushback, leadership is giving thought to the radical shift. The proposal is among six more recommendations that the entry-level training advisory council in the Marines is considering.

In a December meeting with the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services, Col. Hall warned that this change in salutation wouldn’t be “a quick fix” and would need some effort to be smoothly carried out by everyone in the Marines.

Hall commented that they wanted to steer clear of any quick-fix solution to the situation that may later cause any perturbation among the recruits. He added:

“It’s not something we would change overnight. We’ve got a history of ‘sir, ma’am, sir, ma’am.’ If we change something at the root level, how do we make the corresponding change at the Fleet Marine Force? So it’s not ours to implement alone.”

When the news came out, netizens didn’t spare any time to mock the move. One user, who claimed to be a former Marine, wrote that when addressing a drill instructor, it was always about replying with “yes” or “no.” Sir and madam were only used to address officers.

Another former member said that this is one of the reasons why they quit the Marine Corps. They claimed that they are not politicians but warfighters. One person commented that a real Marine would not let such a thing happen.

Craig Chamberlain, a podcaster, wrote:

“If captured by the enemy, at least we know our troops will be prepared to use the right pronouns.”

The study highlighted several areas where the Marines quite often appear as being a male-dominated field of work. There are also instances of sexist behavior and jokes, as well as training equipment that only focus on men. There are also certain positions where a female is ranked but is addressed by male pronouns.