Ok - Prince Harry used some racially 'insensitive' language - overlords of correctness all in a snit about it, British PM felt compelled to publicly denounce etc etc - but this is what people don't get and why the world seems sometimes to be a ridiculous mash of meaningless sentiments - soldiers are different, they need to be different because what they do is not normal - they establish this difference in many ways, one being a form of bonding the crudities of which are designed to separate them from the niceties of 'normal' society which are of very little use on the battle field - racial epithets among many other 'put downs' are part of the process - hell, all male bonding is somewhat of this nature, but for obvious reasons soldiers take it to another level.
Now, I guess I understand why public officials need to make a show of outrage - but a show is all it can or should be: if you believe the military is a necessary attribute of any free society then you have to accept the realities of a military ethos - a particularly male ethos for that matter too - despite best efforts of enlightened types who would like to correct this coarseness...
