By registering with our site you will have full instant access to:
268,000 posts on every subject imaginable contributed by 1000's of members worldwide.
25000 photos and videos mainly relating to the British Merchant Navy.
Members experienced in research to help you find out about friends and relatives who served.
The camaraderie of 1000's of ex Merchant Seamen who use the site for recreation & nostalgia.
Here we are all equal whether ex Deck Boy or Commodore of the Fleet.
A wealth of experience and expertise from all departments spanning 70+ years.
It is simple to register and membership is absolutely free.
N.B. If you are going to be requesting help from one of the forums with finding historical details of a relative
please include as much information as possible to help members assist you. We certainly need full names,
date and place of birth / death where possible plus any other details you have such as discharge book numbers etc.
Please post all questions onto the appropriate forum
-
18th July 2020, 06:11 AM
#11
Re: It never ends.
WRNS - Or As They Prefer To Be Called, The Wrens,
what now ?
K.
-
Post Thanks / Like
-
22nd July 2020, 02:01 PM
#12
Re: It never ends.
So does this mean that ships can no longer be referred to as she and "tharr she blows" becomes "tharr them blows"
-
Post Thanks / Like
-
22nd July 2020, 02:57 PM
#13
Re: It never ends.
God created Man and then took a rib from Man to create Woman. Man and Woman created the others.
-
Post Thanks / Like
-
22nd July 2020, 03:07 PM
#14
Re: It never ends.
I read about this but have yet to find the link where to vote and I was prompted at the time to write this in a letter to a friend -
Our ‘beloved’ leaders in Ottawa have, in the middle of a pandemic crisis and the sudden outcry of using so called insulting references regarding skin colours and the use of derogatory terms like ‘Eskimo’ and ‘Redskins’, decided to make the Royal Canadian Navy more gender-neutral. The Canadian military's sailors and the public will have a chance to weigh in as the RCN moves to drop the term "seaman" when referring to its most junior sailors and replace it with something more gender-neutral. Navies around the world have described their junior sailors as "seamen" for decades if not centuries, with the Royal Canadian Navy using "ordinary seaman," "able seaman," "leading seaman" and "master seaman." But those terms are being replaced in Canada as the navy — which is short hundreds of sailors — charts new waters to become more diverse and inclusive. The move is also aimed at making sure the navy's most junior members feel safe and proud of their ranks and jobs, acknowledging the double entendre associated with the term "seaman." Members of the navy as well as the public at large will be able to vote online on two alternatives, with both variants substituting "sailor" in place of "seaman" in different ways. One simply replaces "seaman" with "sailor" in the existing ranks. The other would do away with adjectives such as "able" and "leading" in favour of labels such as "sailor first class" and "sailor second class." There will also be an option to suggest alternative terms.
The poll will be posted online and run until the end of July. The results will feed into a senior commanders' decision on which term to use. The suggested change will ultimately need to be approved by cabinet.
The plan to drop "seaman" has already prompted backlash on social media, with some criticizing what they see as an overabundance of political correctness and others decrying a loss of tradition. Others, however, say the move is long overdue. In my opinion all this stuff regarding so called derogatory terminology has gone on long enough, it started way back when Robertson Jams were forced to remove the “Goliwog” logo from their products; as children we all had enamel goliwog pins and stuffed goliwog “teddy bear” type cuddly toys. Never did us any harm! Now it’s all about colour, do the rules of chess have to be changed? (White always goes first). This neutral-gender argument, are we to change the English language? Do the words ’human’, ‘woman’ or manufactured and manicure have to be mandatorily removed from our vocabulary? Please make it stop before it goes beyond manageable stupidity!
-
Post Thanks / Like
-
22nd July 2020, 04:20 PM
#15
Re: It never ends.
Hi Malcolm,As I am a member of RCNA, I received this recently.
Shipmates,
As you will see via social media this week, the RCN is exploring options for rank “title” changes to find more inclusive terms than Ordinary Seaman, Able Seaman, Leading Seaman and Master Seaman. The RCN prides itself on instilling an inclusive, diverse, and gender-neutral workplace and we are an internationally respected navy known not only for WHAT relevant work we are doing, but equally for HOW we execute our tasks. We recently determined that an organization that has long-since had gender-neutral terms for its personnel (ie; sailor or shipmate) needs to reconsider some rank “titles” that are rich in history but perhaps not reflective of the modern, progressive Service that is the RCN today.
The opinion poll link below is one of our methods of receiving your input and ideas. The opinion poll should only take a minute of your time and, through it, you can influence the future of the RCN. Please take the time to have your say. The results of this poll will be considered in making the final decision to effect changes to these rank designations this fall, corresponding with the 110th Anniversary of the RCN and the 20th Anniversary of UNSCR 1325: Women, Peace and Security.
English: The Future Names of our RCN Junior Ranks – Opinion Poll
French: Futures désignations de grade de nos matelots de la MRC – Consultation
Diversity and inclusion are sources of our strength and flexibility and play a critical role in making the RCN a modern, forward-looking, organization. This initiative is another step in our continual review of practices and traditions to ensure they reflect the inclusive Service that we need to be.
Yours Aye,
Vice-Admiral Art McDonald
Commander Royal Canadian Navy
-
Post Thanks / Like
-
22nd July 2020, 04:31 PM
#16
Re: It never ends.
I think I would rather be an Able Seaman. Senior Ordinary Seaman, Junior ordinary Seaman, than with the latter two known as Second Class Seaman and third Class Seaman, or if you must just substitute Seaman with Sailor and keep the well known initials, I would never be proud to be second or third class, but then again I am an old F*rt
-
Post Thanks / Like
-
22nd July 2020, 06:08 PM
#17
Re: It never ends.
In response to "And God created man." I was going to propose "And God created us." But then I got to rethinking it and it could be interpreted as "and God created (the) US." and that would mess with history books and also upset the native Americans as they all know that the all-embracing spirit Manitou did it. "Kids ?" Nope that will upset the animal rights mob "Save a goat."
How about "Them?" that's gender neutral and leaves "Us" alone and lower case "s" doesn't mess with Manitou or "us" Yanks. Complicated innit?
Rodney
-
Post Thanks / Like
-
22nd July 2020, 06:18 PM
#18
Re: It never ends.
Thanks Dennis, I have just made my vote.
M
There are more airplanes in the ocean than submarines in the sky!
-
Post Thanks / Like
-
22nd July 2020, 08:54 PM
#19
Re: It never ends.
There is an advert on the TV for our armed forces, shows a coloured woman (no problem with that), shw walks through a galley of an RN ship, all women. She then watches an RAF VTOL aircraft, piloted by a woman.
There is not one man shown in the advert, brainwashing or what?
Vic
-
Post Thanks / Like
-
23rd July 2020, 12:39 AM
#20
Re: It never ends.
Tags for this Thread
Posting Permissions
- You may not post new threads
- You may not post replies
- You may not post attachments
- You may not edit your posts
-
Forum Rules