It’s not really a “little thing”.
These militants wanted to attend West Point. They evidently had the grades and extras to get nominated and accepted to West Point. So it was their CHOICE.
Next, there is a way to behave and become molded into an Army Officer. By this action, it appears that this group has decided NOT to become one with the Army. Somehow, they are SPECIAL now and aren’t being subjected to the same rigorous training and peer pressure that others are.
Military training is supposed to break the individual down and replace the sense of self with a motivation to accomplish the mission as a group, each following the prescribed plan.
These cadets seem to be failing that training since they think they are more important than the rest of the entire Army.
He said that this type of picture is a long-standing tradition at WP, albeit this is the first one he has seen where the raised fist was used. He found the pic cringe-worthy on it's face but it needs to be put into context. He also said this type of conversation needs to be had.
One thing I have learned over the years is that there are three sides to every story: yours, mine, and the truth. I will reserve judgment on this pic until I get the story.