Blue Beret - Shame on You!

[Frank&Mike]

I just finished reading an article in the September 2011 issue of the Blue Beret and closed the publication with disgust! Typically, I enjoy reading the articles, but I was DISGUSTED with the poor judgement exercised in the September 2011 issue, "Airstream Women Want to Know..." section (page 12). What a "work of art" and perfect example of insinsitivity and ignorance that was conveyed with respect to the article entitled "Senior Citizens are the Nation's Leading Carriers of AIDS!".

WBCCI is trying to grow membership and bring the organization out of the dark ages??? Is the Blue Beret a component of WBCCI? I recall the answer is yes. Do my annual membership dues help fund the Blue Beret? I recall the answer is yes. If this is the kind of garbage my membership dues endorse then this encourages me, as it should many people, to not renew memberships. I'm not encouraging members to cancel. Quite the contrary, I try to promote and enourage joining WBCCI. But if this is what WBCCI stands for, NO THANKS!

Whoever found that article worthy of publication should donate some of their time in a clinic that treats those with AIDS (in particular innocent children suffering from the disease). Let's then see what humor they would find in publishing that article.

Shame on you Blue Beret!

[Skater]

Wow...you read the Blue Beret? I usually read the tech help columns but not much else...

I can see how that'd be offensive, though.

[ROBERT CROSS]

I question "leading"....possibly fastest growing.

Bob

[RonH]

Seems to me that there are bigger issues in the club than an attempt at politically incorrect humour. Blessed are they who seek to be offended for they shall not be disappointed.

[TBRich]

I too, was offended by this totally inappropriate and offensive attempt to play humor off the specter of HIV. It shows very poor form. Clearly the author has never lost anyone to this disease. If she had, she would surely never had submitted this bit foolery. Interestingly the joked is addressed at those who are in their 50s and 60s. Had the author thought a moment, she would have realized that members of the generation that suffered the heaviest losses from HIV/AIDs are now in their 50s and 60s. I am 62 and I know what the disease has done.

I am a member of WBCCI and my unit, the 4CU, is built on camaraderie, diversity and inclusiveness and the simple joy of camping with fellow Airstreamers. That's why we are members.

As a member, I have written to the leadership of WBCCI and the Editor of the Blue Beret, and if you are a WBCCI member and also find this to be an appalling lack of judgement, I urge you to do the same.

People need to hear that this was wrong, insensitive and unacceptable.

[TBRich]

Originally Posted by RonH

Seems to me that there are bigger issues in the club than an attempt at politically incorrect humour. Blessed are they who seek to be offended for they shall not be disappointed.

Yes, there are other issues, to be sure. But that does not make it OK to let issues like this go by without objection.

[eubank]

What very, very poor taste.

Lynn

[JStanley]

Oh Dear- - is this another PC issue? Isn’t that like looking for trouble, finding it, misinterpreting it, and then misapplying a remedy? At the end of the day these misunderstandings give us Airforums members a voice and sense of purpose.

Can attempts at humor in the BB survive for very long? Most are open minded about such humor, until others want to fill it with their ideas. Can people be reasoned out of their PC ideas if they haven’t reasoned themselves into recognizing and enjoying humor when they see it?

Disagrees with me, your opinion might be right and I will appreciate your astuteness. But sometimes for support I do in fact carefully consider both sides of the same side.

Acronyms cause misunderstanding. I recall when the late 70’s when the FBI use the term A.I.D.S. to mean Automated Identification System. They surrendered and changed it.

Quoting Oscar Wilde: “Seriousness is the only refuge of the shallow.”

[wheel interested]

I thought the same thing. The last time there was a blond joke I wrote Cindy Reed at headquarters. This time I just cringed and gasped and thought what's the use bothering with the WBCCI any more? It appears the old order never did get the memo about what is sensitive or biased now adays. But then are you really surprised? Geriatric jokes at best are horrible for recruiting new members at worst being insensitive to others is always a poor choice of humor. It rates right up there with other jokes at the expense of those that have suffered or died, holocaust and dead baby jokes come to mind.

[DKB_SATX]

Originally Posted by JStanley

Oh Dear- - is this another PC issue? Isn’t that like looking for trouble, finding it, misinterpreting it, and then misapplying a remedy? At the end of the day these misunderstandings give us Airforums members a voice and sense of purpose.

Can attempts at humor in the BB survive for very long? Most are open minded about such humor, until others want to fill it with their ideas. Can people be reasoned out of their PC ideas if they haven’t reasoned themselves into recognizing and enjoying humor when they see it?

Disagrees with me, your opinion might be right and I will appreciate your astuteness. But sometimes for support I do in fact carefully consider both sides of the same side.

Acronyms cause misunderstanding. I recall when the late 70’s when the FBI use the term A.I.D.S. to mean Automated Identification System. They surrendered and changed it.

Quoting Oscar Wilde: “Seriousness is the only refuge of the shallow.”

I am sure that her repetition of this shallow, vapid attempt at humor was simply thoughtless and not evil. That said, I would think that an editor might look at this and say "Hey, that's in poor taste, perhaps we shouldn't run it."

It wouldn't be funny if they were riffing on breast cancer or Down's Syndrome or MS, it's not funny about AIDS either. We have as much right to be offended as she does to be thoughtless and callous.

[Disneysue925]

While I found this months "Airstream Women Want to Know...." in poor taste I am actually MORE offended by what it's contained in other months. We are new WBCCI members and I've only read 3 months of Blue Beret, but the column seems to have a focus on "nostalgic" poems and recipes. If that's really what the leadership of WBCCI thinks women are interested in today our membership may be brief.

I am more interested in the "Tech Help" and "Safety Notes" and resent being relegated to the cooking/decorating/ poetry section of the club. Perhaps they should consider rethinking the focus of the column or maybe discontinue it altogether. If WBCCI is interested in having younger members the current magazine is not a good recruitment tool.

Just my opinion,
Sue

[Denis4x4]

One of the reasons I didn't renew my WBCCI membership several years ago was the Blue Beret. What a worthless publication. A step in the right direction would be to outsource the publishing operation to a company that can not only publish a truly professional magazine, but it would increase ad revenue with a product advertisers would be proud to be in.

[scarylarry]

Another reason for me not to join. I'll stick with Airstream Life for my related reading. Does anyone from the organization ever comment on these posts?

[RickDavis]

While I have to agree that perhaps that joke wasn't the best thing to put in there, Overall I like the column because I do find useful information in it from time to time.

If I was making decisions on what is in the BB there are several columns that I would dump before that one.

[wkerfoot]

I don't know why anyone would join for the Blue Beret. I joined for the opportunity to be with other Airstream owners and to meet new friends. I spend very little time reading the Blue Beret. If you find it so worthless, sign up for the internet edition and delete the notification email when you receive it.

Bill

Originally Posted by scarylarry

Another reason for me not to join. I'll stick with Airstream Life for my related reading. Does anyone from the organization ever comment on these posts?

[Bill M.]

Well, here goes the plunge in the deep end..

I though it was funny.

I do not see a problem with the joke. A lot less crude than the Tin Hut column in another Airstream publication.

[JStanley]

Right on Bill M.
Airstream Life Magazine is in favor no matter who Mr. Tin Hut makes fun of- - - -well for now at least.
Whereas a lot about the club is now out of favor, and a few don’t want to miss an opportunity to criticize or pile-on.

People have attacked every aspect of the club, starting at the top and now attacks are aimed lowered down to the Women’s section of the BB.
Fair and reasonable? Yea Right.

Some have let criticism define the club and determine their membership status.
While others focus on their Unit rallies, understand that it is what it is, and go out and enjoy the benefits.

[gaylejoe]

That joke has been passed around for several months over the internet. I did find it offensive. It's getting to the point that nothing can be published anymore without offending someone.

[wheel interested]

Originally Posted by gaylejoe

It's getting to the point that nothing can be published anymore without offending someone.

Fortunately! I think it's a good thing that people are becoming more tolerant of diversity and aware of sensitivity towards others and their feelings. It really is only funny if everyone laughs and that adage isn't anything new but at least as old as my mother's admonition. She taught me it's OK to laugh with someone but never OK to laugh at someone or their their impediment or infirmity, or difference.

Just exactly what part of the joke is the funny part anyway, just the use of a homonym?

Perhaps it is a good opportunity to dispell the myths and stereotypes about aids rather than make a joke about the occurrance of aids in seniors.

When we think of HIV we have certain populations in mind. We hear about its ravages on young men and women; on the gay and transgender populations; on the homeless and the intravenous drug user. We seldom think about hiv and senior citizens. What no one talks about is HIV and the older adult. It's no wonder that when you talk to our senior citizens, they feel HIV is not a risk to them. Is HIV a risk to older adults. Is HIV over 50 a problem?
The truth of the matter is that HIV surveillance shows that 11 percent of all new AIDS cases are in people over the age of 50. Statistics also show that new AIDS cases rose faster in the over 50 population than in people under 40. The following information sheds light on HIV and the older adult population and what can be done to raise awareness, slow the infection rate, and sustain a high quality of life for our seniors.

http://aids.about.com/cs/aidsfactsheets/a/seniors.htm

[Air Apparent]

Originally Posted by Bill M.

Well, here goes the plunge in the deep end..

A lot less crude than the Tin Hut column in another Airstream publication.

Hey - don't pick on Mr. Tin Hut; That's a great column.

We never read "What Airstream Women Want to Know" because it seems sexist plus it's for the June Cleavers of the "Leave It To Beaver" women crowd - essentially the majority of WBCCI women.

I find very little of value in the Blue Beret. I read it to see what propaganda the IBT is spewing.