I panicked, okay? Muscle memory is a cruel mistress.
Freshmen at VMI are not people. They are subhuman, the bottom of the food chain, barely better than bacteria. VMI freshmen are known as "Rats" and because they are not worthy of human or individual words such as "I," me," or "we," Rats are imprinted say "this Rat" or "these Rats" instead. Since this new vocabulary is deliberately introduced and reinforced under overwhelmingly stressful situations many VMI cadets find themselves instinctively trying to reply with "this Rat" when once again faced with an intense berating or stressful moment. Most, however, manage to suppress the knee-jerk reflex in time.
Most.
Freshmen at VMI are not people. They are subhuman, the bottom of the food chain, barely better than bacteria. VMI freshmen are known as "Rats" and because they are not worthy of human or individual words such as "I," me," or "we," Rats are imprinted say "this Rat" or "these Rats" instead. Since this new vocabulary is deliberately introduced and reinforced under overwhelmingly stressful situations many VMI cadets find themselves instinctively trying to reply with "this Rat" when once again faced with an intense berating or stressful moment. Most, however, manage to suppress the knee-jerk reflex in time.
Most.