Is it really that bad?

This is all getting a bit public and we should do this via PM. However, you posted a photo to deliberately highlight incorrectly dressed staff and then to belittle someone for not doing anything about it. If you have a problem with that bring it to PM or explain to DJRice and he can decide.

At most 40 people across the country

I donā€™t see any belittling or bullying in the posting of the pictures - merely the exposure of entirely public hypocrisy/incompetence.

If it was a picture of an WWO in his vest and Speedos taken through his/her living room window youā€™d have a very good point - but if the stick-wielding untermensch canā€™t even get their own posed pictures right for their unvisited websites, then theyā€™ve no moral right to criticise other people in much less formal and prepared circumstances.

They could, of course, have declined the offer to take a post as W/RWOā€™s and used their time to contribute to the cadet experience instead. If you donā€™t like being heckled, donā€™t do stand up - particularly if youā€™re not very good at it.

Maybe people should contact people directly and ask them to remove the offending photo then? [/tongueincheek].

Weā€™ve been through this many times. We donā€™t allow the posting of photos merely to point out errors in uniform. This thread is related to, but different, because the picture was not posted to complain about the uniform but to highlight that a CFAV has resigned over being asked to remove it. It was for context more than anything.

There is then no need to put a photo of some WWOs up. Explain it as Turbo now has done.

Has he explained the specific violation?

WWOs and RWOs (and DIs etc.) are expected to be ā€œbeyond reproachā€ because you cannot justify trying to correct others if you are lacking yourself, but nobody is perfect and not every regulation is properly or evenly understood. He should expect to be called out on it though, and we will do it ourselves if we need to.

Then we get the grey(ish) areas. I have seen a couple of photos recently that were technical violations but where there was other context. Photo 1 was a shotgun team wearing the baseball caps they wear when shooting; the other was a group of cadets collecting for a cancer charity and wearing purple, polythene waistcoats with the charity logo (and Iā€™ve seen similar with the RBL).

Iā€™m not getting into the gamut of poorly-fitted ATC/VRT/RAFAC pins out thereā€¦

Clearly the guidance available to us is not fit for purpose and the expectations of the organisation are not well defined or published.

When selling a car, do you wash it first before taking the photos for Autotrader? Real life can be a bit messy, but when itā€™s an easily-avoidable thing like this then itā€™s not unreasonable to expect people to get it right.

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Depends on the car, not if itā€™s a Landrover

In a way though, perhaps thatā€™s the crux of this argument/issue/whatever - I think they did do it right: they captured a moment of real elation and pride for a bunch of cadets, something that is the whole purpose of the cadet experience and the ACO.

The rest is mehā€¦

Has anyone spoken to the Cadet in question and explained to them nicely why itā€™s happened and that itā€™s not a big deal and not to be embarrassed or upset?

I donā€™t think this drama has reached the Cadetā€¦and why would it?

Ok so they may have seen the comment on the twitter photo but there is more drama on here than I suspect at Squadron!

Iā€™ve been looking at home for pictures when I was a cadet as they would have todayā€™s uniform Gestapo jumping up and down.
Hair over the collar and ears, NCOs in peaks all in official photographs and or on camps and what would regarded as offensive wear were almost the norm, even a Scorpions ā€œVirgin Killerā€ one I had with the adjusted album sleeve cover, only raised one comment and that was from my mum. But of course then we didnā€™t have instant media and staff seemed to have fuller lives than they do now. Photographs had to go to the chemist or one of the many photo companies and took upto a week to come back.

The irony is that like me many of the Gestapo were cadets when things werenā€™t so anal and they seem to have taken to being in dire need of colonic irrigation.

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When said Cadet proudly goes to show their family/friends and sees the image taken down, might not understand or see the official side of it and it could cause some upset and embarrassment.

The cadets matter first. Not the RAF, not the Officers. And certainly not Waltā€™s who think the ATC is a miniature airforce to massage their egos.

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i donā€™t disagree but who is to say said photo wasnā€™t shared on the Unitā€™s closed FB page? who is to say it is not still very much ā€œout thereā€ for the Cadet/Squadron to see?

If it was on a closed FB I would having a direct chat with whoever made it public and removing them from the group. AFAIC closed means private and for that group only and not for onward transmission.
We have a closed FB and it is for staff, cadets, CWC and parents, as soon as one leaves or hasnā€™t been around for a few weeks, they are removed. Non squadron members have asked for access and not liked it when told no.

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It is still very much available publicly at the original locations.

here you go RAS:

seems its not been taken down

who is to say the twitter poster and the FB poster and the photographer are not the same person??

If i took photos of an event and posted to the closed FB page i might also post on the Twitter account

The person taking the photos 99% of the time is the person also sharing them. given the situation it would seem the poster sharing them has removed themself from the organisationā€¦
(looking at the links above, it would seem the individual posted this to a personal account, which was retweeted by the Sqn accountā€¦which could be the same CFAV )

Would they have been any less elated if heā€™d taken off the jumper first?

I saw the pic a few days ago and I must say Iā€™ve slept every night since :roll_eyes:

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He wouldnā€™t have been able to show off his wings though, would he?

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the wings were being shown off by being held upā€¦he could have been in No5s and still show off the badge with the same poseā€¦