So, what is it that I am trying to teach and why? Let's answer the latter question first; I have a few pet peeves, but I don't like to constantly correct people and come off as arrogant when they usually have good intentions. Now, what is it that gets to me? The easiest way to get this point across is to list the aforementioned 'peeves' in a list. It is as follows:
1. 'Marine' is a proper noun, and therefore should ALWAYS be capitalized. I see it in newspaper articles, online, in books, and occasionally catch people writing it without using capitalization, and I honestly can't stand it.
2. I am NOT a Marine, and will not be a Marine until I complete recruit training. I don't like being referred to as a Marine, ever. Why? Because I haven't earned that title yet; I do not deserve to be called "Marine". Until I complete "The Crucible" event in boot camp, no one in the Marine Corps will ever refer to me as a Marine, so you shouldn't either.
3. Since I am not a Marine, I also do not rate the phrases "Semper Fi" or "Oorah". If you're not a Marine, Marine parent, Marine spouse, or Marine sibling, you probably shouldn't say it either; you'll just sound stupid and pretentious. Sorry.
4. Don't try to "school" me on the Marine Corps if you do not have a firsthand account of it yourself. Occasionally I'll get an off comment like "You'll regret joining", "Marines are stupid compared to service members of the other branches", or the one person who has any idea of what Marine Corps boot camp is like because they had a cousin, whom had an uncle, whom had a best friend that joined, thinks they can try to intimidate me with stories and hearsay as if they went through it themselves. There is a quote that sums this up perfectly: "There are only two kinds of people that understand Marines: Marines and the enemy. Everyone else has a second-hand opinion."
Now that that's clear, I hope we all learned a little something today.
