The Army Ignored How Maxwell Klinger Proved His Case

I was thinking about Maxwell Klinger the other day. I’m sure you remember Klinger. He was the character on M*A*S*H*. who was always trying to get a section 8 discharge by dressing in drag. However, though the Army never bought the gambit, he kept trying the same scam.

I was thinking about that part of it actually, how Klinger kept trying to prove he was crazy by dressing as a woman even though no one was buying it.

After all, don’t people always say that the definition of insanity is repeatedly doing the same thing and expecting different results (I don’t think that’s really accurate, but let’s go with it)? What else would repeatedly dressing as a woman to try to get a section 8 when doing so in the past hasn’t resulted in a section 8 be? It’s repeatedly doing the same thing and expecting different results.

Klinger always held out hope.

Perhaps the Army should have been paying more attention. Klinger dressing as a woman might not have proved he was insane. However, the fact he kept doing so hoping for a section 8 when it was so clear that one wasn’t coming should have been concerning. A man dressing as a woman? Utterly unconcerning. A person who can’t apparently perceive when a result won’t come about from a series of actions? Possibly concerning.

Of course, this was just a show and a long ended one at that. Still, I think the Army should have thought a little deeper about this. Clearly, though the dressing in woman’s clothes thing wasn’t the actual problem, Klinger was obviously disturbed.