Mate will never disappear from army life
Soviet propaganda poster of 1965
The problem of using profanity in Russia comes up regularly.
Almost every year, one or another initiative appears, new restrictions on the use of profanity are proposed, but the situation does not radically change. And in some areas of modern life, mat actually plays the role of a spoken language.
Why won't mate in the army disappear anywhere?
In fact, the answer to the question of whether mate will ever disappear from army life lies on the surface.
The army is always a part of society that does not exist separately from it. The Russian army consists of citizens of our country who do not study mat in the armed forces, they come to serve already prepared, no matter whether it is recruits, contract soldiers or former cadets of higher military schools.
The average resident of Russia is well acquainted with profanity even before the army. Mat is present in our daily life and even culture, it is part of a widespread speech practice. Almost none of us, hitting the finger with a hammer, does not say "pancake". In this regard, the country's armed forces always receive personnel prepared for the perception and reproduction of the mat.
We can say that tolerance for obscenities in society today has greatly increased. Many will blame modern pop culture, but if you dig deeper, then the mate was invented by a far from conditional Sergey Shnurov. The sun of our poetry Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin wrote poetry using profanity, and in this he was far from alone.
The global difference lies in the fact that there was no Internet during Pushkin's lifetime. Therefore, the poet's "piquant" poems had limited circulation. The second important difference was that the overwhelming majority of the inhabitants of the empire at that time simply could not read. Live Pushkin today, it is quite possible to imagine that the main Russian poet could make himself a career as the main Russian rapper with all that it implies.
Cadets take the military oath, photo: RF Ministry of Defense
In fact, swearing from the army can disappear only when society, for whatever reason, refuses to use such words in everyday life.
It is almost impossible to imagine such a thing. Therefore, the only option when there really will be no swearing in the armed forces is only the case when the military will be replaced Robots and robotic, unmanned vehicles. Emotions are alien to artificial intelligence and computers.
At the same time, there is a sufficient number of those who share the opinion that it is pointless to fight against obscenities, especially in the army. If in peacetime in the unit you can still restrain yourself, then in combat conditions the mat automatically comes out. Military psychologists believe that even those who normally restrain and control themselves begin to swear in battle.
Part of the military is convinced that orders given with obscenities reach their subordinates faster and more accurately, especially in a stressful situation. Sometimes the use of a mate in combat conditions allows you to shorten an order or command to literally a few words.
In a combat situation, the use of a mat is a kind of emotional relief, release of steam and an opportunity to relieve the monstrous tension. Modern research shows that swearing can increase pain threshold and endurance. For any army, these criteria are important.
How did the attitude towards mate in the Russian army change?
In Russia, in the army, at different times, the attitude to mate was different.
For example, during the existence of the nobility and class-estate orders, the situation was somewhat different than today. Even during the reign of Peter I, the "Military article" was introduced in the army. It was the military criminal code published in 1715, which already stipulated the use of abusive language.
A senior officer in the tsarist army could not swear at subordinate officers. At the same time, the rank of the authorities had no role. In this regard, in the army and in navy clear class orders were observed, between the noble officers such behavior and vocabulary were considered unacceptable.
At the same time, an obscene treatment could be used by an officer in relation to the lower ranks, here it increasingly depended on the level of upbringing and decency of a person. The non-commissioned officers were not particularly shy about using a swear word. The mat in relation to soldiers or sailors in the navy was used everywhere and was not unusual. This behavior, in fact, was not in any way condemned.
Phrase and frame from the Russian feature film DMB
After two revolutions in a row, the situation naturally changed.
After the October Revolution of 1917, all the old class and estate orders were finally eliminated. At the same time, the manner of communication that existed between the officers became a thing of the past.
At the same time, most of the future red commanders were promoted from the lowest ranks or from non-commissioned officers of the Russian Imperial Army. At the same time, the spread of mate at the highest command level became widespread. In the USSR, they periodically tried to somehow regulate this widespread use of mate in communication with subordinates, but no one has ever shown much zeal in this matter.
As a result, today the situation when an officer can swear not only subordinate soldiers, but also lower-ranking officers, is quite common.
Attempts are being made to remedy the situation from time to time, and various initiatives in this regard are voiced. So, in 2015, the All-Russian Parents' Council public movement proposed to eradicate obscenities in the army.
In the same year, the Russian Ministry of Defense talked about the preparation of a manual entitled "Polite People", which was supposed to include a whole section on the inadmissibility of using profanity. Actually, since then, practically nothing is known about the fate of the instruction, but it is definitely clear that the obscenity in the army has not disappeared anywhere.
How mate is treated in the American army
The use of profanity in the armed forces is not a subject of discussion in any one particular country.
Confirmation of this can be found in popular culture. The most vivid example, which today has sold out on memes and numerous humorous videos, is the monologue of Sergeant Hartman in the American film "Full Metal Jacket".
At the same time, the United States has a Unified Code of Military Justice, article 134 of which directly stipulates punishment for the use of profanity and insults in the armed forces. This article prohibits the use of "obscene language" or words that may offend a person or cause shock from language that is obscene, vulgar, obscene or disgusting. The use of lustful expressions is separately stipulated.
Shot with Sergeant Hartman from the American movie "Full Metal Jacket"
The scope of punishments under this article for obscene language is quite diverse. For example, servicemen for indecent behavior can be sent to a guardhouse, deprived of their pay for a certain period, and in case of repeated violation of discipline and undermining the moral character of the armed forces, they can be dismissed from the army.
At the same time, despite the presence in article 134 of a separate section on obscene language, this very manner of speech has not disappeared from the American army. The US military is still swearing.
On this score, there are many theories that explain that there is nothing wrong with such behavior. In this case, the mate can be useful in some cases.
For example, National Geographic magazine cited excerpts from a book by Emma Byrne, which examined profanity from a scientific point of view. The writer comes to the conclusion that swearing and harsh swearing can contribute to better teamwork in a team and increase the level of trust. Separately, the observation that profanity increases the threshold of pain tolerance is highlighted. This is especially difficult to argue with. A soldier wounded in battle usually does not speak the language of Byron or Pushkin.
Another study, which was prepared by experts from Cambridge and Stanford, was published in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science. It says that people who swear more are usually more honest with those around them. It is emphasized that swear words give more nuance to speech, allowing you to more accurately and truthfully express emotions.
In general, in the American armed forces, as in the Soviet army, and then in the Russian one, mate is officially prohibited. The limits of the use of profanity and punishment for this are spelled out in official documents.
But in reality, the mat is usually turned a blind eye. At the same time, in the scientific field and among ordinary people, there is a huge number of opinions that the prohibition or fight against obscenities in the army or in other areas of modern life is, in principle, unpromising and useless.
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