Brett Waring

Displaced Pride: Attacking Cynicism at the United States Air Force Academy Brett Waring

Cynicism is neither a new nor unfamiliar attitudinal expression amongst cadets at the Air Force Academy. While its roots lie with a succinct society of satirists in Ancient Greece, the modern cynic conjures negative connotations amongst superiors and organizations alike. Although the attitude is quickly associated with, and attributed to, negative reflections, few definitions completely agree as to what cynicism actually is. The problems associated with defining cynicism manifest in an inability to curb its effects. Particularly troubling is the expression of derogatory attitudes in young officers attributed to a budding and rampant sense of cynicism. In 2008, the Commandant of the Aerospace Basic Course at Maxwell Air Force Base commented that the displays of unprofessional and troubling attitudes by graduates of the Air Force Academy led him to rank USAFA graduates professionally behind both ROTC and OTS graduates. In a statement that should shock all graduates of the Academy, he cornered a former USAFA administrator with the pointed barb, "Just what the hell are you producing up there?"