Do you find the term "butter bar" offensive or demeaning?

I was always taught to go with the flow, but I really have know problem with certain terms used in the Military. Suck it up Butter Cup!!

When I was a 2LT I was informed by my 1st Brigade CSM to listen and learn how to be an effective Officer. He told me that "... if you have to tell someone you are an Officer - you're not..." Accordingly, I never thought butter bar was a pejorative term.

Tell them to suck it the fuck up Butter-bar-cup

It is a thoroughly disrespectful term that should only be used between peers or first and second lieutenants. If it is used by a subordinate, it is disrespectful. If it is used by a superior, it is disrespectful. I spent my time as a butter bar, and only once did an subordinate call me butter bar when I first came into the platoon. I verbally jacked him up one side and down the other.

If 'butter bar" is disrespectful then so is "slick sleeve", "chief", "top" "full bird", etc. No offense is ever meant and none should be taken...it's a way of telling someone that they have a lot to learn or just might have achieved something significant in a life or career. More could be said, but, nah.

Butter Bar is a bit demeaning but, nobody in my unit (that I'm aware of) ever used the term and I'll tell you why. We had a 2nd Lt in our unit that was 20 years prior enlisted. Being former enlisted, he understood us better than any officer we had and didn't even want us to salute him unless there were other officers around. On the flip side, we had a freshly minted 1st Lt who was awarded his rank upon graduation because of his college ROTC. He showed up with a big head and immediately started barking orders to the enlisted folks. He also referred to our 2nd Lt as a butter bar. I think that offended us more than it did the Lt. It wasn't long though, before the 2 Lt had "Mr. Big Head" calmed down and treating us with respect and we in turn, treated him respectfully.

I never took offense to it and I thought it was a “right of passage” type thing as you knew you were guaranteed promotion and have yet to “pay your dues.” Then again I was in the aviation community where everyone is laid back and JO’s weren’t even required to salute one another. (I personally saluted Salty O-3’s just out of respect) The only thing I personally had a problem with were some of the Academy Grad’s (I was OCS) who would lock up and chew the ass of young Fresh Out of Boot enlisted members who would get so scared seeing us that they would react out of instinct and pop to attention and render the greeting of the day (uniform squared away and looking sharp) at which point I would render a salute, a compliment, and tell them to carry on. And at least 3 different times/Academy Grads would light them up with the whole “Oh! So I guess we don’t salute officers” bullshit and I’d stand there and let them rant as I’m not going to correct him in front of the enlisted member, but the moment they were done I would tear them a new asshole and make sure they KNEW they weren’t shit but a 22 year old entitled SOB who is only helping to perpetuate the disdain of Officers amongst Enlisted. I hated that shit. My father was a CW2 Helo Pilot from the Vietnam Era who engrained in my soul that you treat E-1’s and O-6’s the same as respect is earned and not demanded. And sadly it was only Academy Graduates that did that BS in my experience. That type/their behavior created a sometimes very serious disconnect in the O-1/O-2 community while I was in flight training. Just my experience of course but, that was the only thing I was ever offended by.

Earn it butter bar

Butter bar ONLY refers to the yellow color of the bar of the range of a 2nd LT or sometimes called LT. I never met a 2nd LT that hated that term. Not even West Point Graduates. All 2nd LTs know that in the real Army they are at the bottom of the Commissioned ranks and every NCO knows it. Yes the 2nd LT will get promoted to 1st LT as long as they do their assigned jobs well. The LT ranks are the lowest Commissioned rank there is and they are still learning. If they get offended that is on them. I spoke to a Medical Admin office the other day at a pizza place and found that she (the officer) being a Major if she had been a LT or a CPT after med school. She said 2nd LT. i then asked if the term 2nd LT or butter bar had been offensive to her and she told me no. That back then she was still in the learning mode. LTs are learning.

Not a big deal.
However, I have been called a “pecker-checker” and “penis-machinist” on a few occasions. Mostly by fleet sailors or former fleet sailors. BUT never by a Marine.
“Doc Stu” HM2/FMF 1986-1998