Mandloff joined Phi Kappa Psi a year after I did. We would frequently have lunch together in the student center with a group of mutual friends while he was pledging. I would make a point of threatening to haze him, and he would promise to haze me right back. Since I still have no idea how to haze, and since he'd graduated from a military boarding school, there was no way I was going to actually follow through on my threats.
During one such lunch, we noticed that a small group had set up a table in the student center to advertise their opinion about the sacrilege and evils of homosexuality. Being snide, holier-than-thou bastards, Mandloff and I responded the only way we knew how: we walked up to the table hand in hand, and satirized their homophobia until they made us leave.
Manloff and I are still in regular contact, thanks to the wonders of the interweb. The best part about our conversations is that they are both cerebral and immature. It's perfectly legitimate to make jokes about genitalia, provided that the jokes have SAT vocabulary, obscure pop culture references, and at least four hundred words.
Truly an innovator, Mandloff is the source of such great terminology as "ass-hat", "MEGAPIXELS!!!", and of course "Big Money Poker! 20 Dollar Buy-in!". I'll go so far as to say that he's the most-plagiarized Phi Psi, as his jokes and catch-phrases are blatantly stolen by the less-funny (I readily confess to this crime... and I'm a repeat offender).
Having graduated, Mandloff has decided to join the army. This act alone is enough to earn the mancrush, and here's why: Knowing the risks and the cost, he is standing up for what he believes in.
Warning: any comments that go up about the legitimacy or merits of the war in Iraq will be promptly deleted. The only thing that matters is that Mandloff believes he will be fighting for America's interests, and for that he has earned my respect.
I think we live in a generally soft society. It seems there was a threshold-crossing sometime between WWII and the Korean war, after which the idea of a military became a bad idea. That a soldier is someone to be pitied, that there is always a diplomatic answer to a martial conflict.
The stress of a soldier's life must surely have increased since the 40s. It used to be that no matter how much was at stake, all parties recognized the rules of war. Civilians are off limits, soldiers must be uniformed, the rights of a POW, etc. The Western World seems to recognize that war is inevitable, but that boundaries can be imposed; our enemies don't seem to recognize those boundaries (although they will scream bloody murder if the West responds in kind... but that's another diatribe entirely). It has become acceptable, even popular, to poo-poo someone who volunteers for the service.
Is Mandloff committing suicide by joining the Army? No, and I'm sure he'll thank you to stop treating him as such.
His preparations for his military career have impressed me. He's gone from a Maru-like sedentary lifestyle to a Dietz-like commitment to fitness (by Dietz-like, I mean that he exercises, but not at the expense of frequent visits to Rally's). He's expressed a great deal of curiosity in exercise physiology, and he retains technical information like a sponge. His political rants are no less ranty than they have been, but they've taken on a more practical hue. I think Mandloff is growing up.
He's going to be a great leader... he's led in the past, but I sincerely doubt that frat presidency will be nearly as trying as the life of a combat officer (then again, I don't think the Iraqis have anyone as obnoxious as Mark Starr on their side. If they do, we don't stand a chance).
Most of us talk the talk. We can speculate about how we'd handle ourselves in extreme circumstances. We can debate the merits of this policy or that. We're intelligent people, for the most part.
Mandloff is one of the few who walks the walk.
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5 comments:
I'm starting to think you hate me. When do I get my man-crush post. Please! Raise my self esteem!!
Jay
You're entirely correct. Despite the seemingly stupid move of joining the Army, I'm extremely proud of him and to say I know him.
In other news, Ass-hat is a Handyhoff classic.
Thankfully, when war breaks out, we don't poll the soldiers: "Okay, who believes in this one and wants to fight?"
I don't think about the country's needs in terms of the President, the MidEast, or Abu Ghraib. I think that I'm not going to say that I sat on the sidelines when my country needed smart, fit, capable leaders.
Unfortunately, the attitude pervasive today is self centered such that "I can serve my country best at a hedge fund or derivatives firm" is a reasonable alternative...
"at a hedge fund or derivatives firm or cushy academic career"... sigh
well, ok, but he's not as hot as spikey-haired-singer-guy.
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