>> It's not lessening the impact, which is perfect. <<
Awesome! I'm so happy to hear that.
>> You portray the Coast Guard doing their jobs professionally and ethically; <<
I wanted a positive portrayal that would remind people what the Coast Guard is really supposed to do. They're in a weird position, because alone of the armed forces, they have multiple roots and overlapping principles that sometimes conflict internally. The original conception was for a maritime police force. But then that merged with a lifesaving force, adding search-and-rescue. And somebody decided they should also be accessible in time of war for transfer to the Navy. So now we have an organization that is police, lifeguard, and military. Those are all useful things but when you try to mush them all together, it gives a very erratic picture to the public who are then understandably dubious about the force.
That's a problem here. People want to fob off other people's needs, but then they get uncomfortable if this results in ugly deaths and what amount to combat skirmishes within sight of beaches. They like to think of themselves as good people, and those events make them question that. Also dead children make everyone sad who is not a psychopath.
It is somewhat less of a problem in Terramagne where the immigration laws are saner. The rescue directive is more salient, the law enforcement and military ones less so, because a lot of people in danger asea have been moved from "fend them off at all costs" to "get them to a safe harbor." I figure, if I show what I think the Coast Guard should be then maybe it will inspire people to move in that direction.
>> I honestly don't think /they/ would call themselves heroes. But they are. <<
Sooth. It's a funny thing -- describing the traits of a hero is easy, there are lists that go like:
* running toward danger when everyone else is running away * putting oneself between danger and a weaker person * risking oneself in the process of helping others * doing what is right, regardless of the cost * saving lives
People have no trouble applying those parameters to others. But if they realize it applies to them, they twitch. If someone else calls them heroes, they twitch. "First responder," that's okay, or a specific organization they belong to. If you call the group heroic, they may be fine with that, because they think of their coworkers as heroes. But if they look down at themselves ... twitch.
There's a similar but lesser effect with the term "shaman" in traditional cultures. It's usually not something one chooses, but rather a title bestowed by the community. Even in Pagan circles there are a lot of people who will say "I do shamanic work" (as a description of known techniques) rather than "I'm a shaman" (as a role title). They usually don't shy away from other people saying "shaman" though.
>> I've saved a couple of your links for follow-up in other stories, so especially thank you for those. <<
I'm glad I could help. I found a lot of great references, and finally got around to making the lists of best and worst countries for soups ... which I think I forgot to mention, need to go back and fix that.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dancing_serpent
Re: Powerful, even at fifth reading.
Date: 2014-07-27 05:54 pm (UTC)Awesome! I'm so happy to hear that.
>> You portray the Coast Guard doing their jobs professionally and ethically; <<
I wanted a positive portrayal that would remind people what the Coast Guard is really supposed to do. They're in a weird position, because alone of the armed forces, they have multiple roots and overlapping principles that sometimes conflict internally. The original conception was for a maritime police force. But then that merged with a lifesaving force, adding search-and-rescue. And somebody decided they should also be accessible in time of war for transfer to the Navy. So now we have an organization that is police, lifeguard, and military. Those are all useful things but when you try to mush them all together, it gives a very erratic picture to the public who are then understandably dubious about the force.
That's a problem here. People want to fob off other people's needs, but then they get uncomfortable if this results in ugly deaths and what amount to combat skirmishes within sight of beaches. They like to think of themselves as good people, and those events make them question that. Also dead children make everyone sad who is not a psychopath.
It is somewhat less of a problem in Terramagne where the immigration laws are saner. The rescue directive is more salient, the law enforcement and military ones less so, because a lot of people in danger asea have been moved from "fend them off at all costs" to "get them to a safe harbor." I figure, if I show what I think the Coast Guard should be then maybe it will inspire people to move in that direction.
>> I honestly don't think /they/ would call themselves heroes. But they are. <<
Sooth. It's a funny thing -- describing the traits of a hero is easy, there are lists that go like:
* running toward danger when everyone else is running away
* putting oneself between danger and a weaker person
* risking oneself in the process of helping others
* doing what is right, regardless of the cost
* saving lives
People have no trouble applying those parameters to others. But if they realize it applies to them, they twitch. If someone else calls them heroes, they twitch. "First responder," that's okay, or a specific organization they belong to. If you call the group heroic, they may be fine with that, because they think of their coworkers as heroes. But if they look down at themselves ... twitch.
There's a similar but lesser effect with the term "shaman" in traditional cultures. It's usually not something one chooses, but rather a title bestowed by the community. Even in Pagan circles there are a lot of people who will say "I do shamanic work" (as a description of known techniques) rather than "I'm a shaman" (as a role title). They usually don't shy away from other people saying "shaman" though.
>> I've saved a couple of your links for follow-up in other stories, so especially thank you for those. <<
I'm glad I could help. I found a lot of great references, and finally got around to making the lists of best and worst countries for soups ... which I think I forgot to mention, need to go back and fix that.