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this post was submitted on 20 Feb 2024
1983 points (98.8% liked)
A Boring Dystopia
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Seeing the army recruitment at comic Con always skeeves me out. I see them talking to 16-17 year old socially awkward kids who don't know any better. Really predatory.
It's interesting that the US has not signed the international agreement against child (<18 yo) soldiers - solely so that the US armed forces can sign 17 yo recruits.
I just thought the Comic-Con would have been a terrible recruiting ground. The military want people that follow orders. They actively discourage intelligence.
Military brat here, half the soldiers I meet are massive nerds and the other half are goobers (meatheads, guys with no prospects, guys who always wanted to be in the army). Take that as you will.
Also a military brat, I find your 50/50 split suspicious.
My own observation is 80/20 giant nerds to goobers. Varies between service branches though - higher for air force, about this for navy, a little lower for army.
They don't though. Certain jobs don't need you to be a genius, but the military really wants all the smart people they can get.
And yeah, when you're in, it's about 50:50. You'll meet some of the smartest, generous, friendly people you'll ever know. And you'll meet some aggressive, angry, stupid knuckledraggers too.
The US military wants all the smart people that they can get because they don't have any working for them.
I can almost guarantee you wouldn't even score high enough on the Asvab to qualify for the most difficult jobs in the military.
Some of us are dumb enough to know that whatever IQ you have, joining the military industrial complex killing machine for our capitalists overlords is morally bankrupt and dumb.
And many of us grew up in such dire straits that despite our awareness of and disagreement with the military industrial complex, the system of desperate circumstances left us with few choices, and certainly none better. The military provides training and educational opportunities that will pull a person right out of hopeless poverty and give them half a chance in life. Everyone has their price.
For my part, I rationalized it by deciding that I would prefer people like me to join up rather than right-wing nutjobs, and if I did, then that was one slot that a nutjob wouldn't fill.
I’m amazed at how humans are able to rationalize the evil that we do. The reason you were in such dire straits is a byproduct of militarism and capitalism. You were aware enough to recognize this, and still chose to be an accomplice. There is no ethical military. None . From the janitors to the Generals, if you contribute to the machine you are part of it.
Yeah, I just said the system is why I was in dire straits. I'm fully aware of the problems. But I do not share your exact ethics. Funny how that works. Problems are solved from within as well as from outside. I did not have the power to change anything from the outside, but I did have the power to prevent one single bigot fascist from getting into the military.
I single-handedly stopped a sexual assault while I was in. You got a problem with that?
Tell you what. You fly to Ukraine. You go look at their slaughtered, r*ped, tortured, and mutilated people; adults and children! Then you look them in the eyes and tell them what amoral trash they are for fighting back. Then outline for them your pacifist plan for peace with Russia. Then make it work. Go convince Putin that he is very bad and get him to resign and plead guilty in the Hague. Then you'll have credibility to back you up when telling us all how serving in a military is always stupid and evil.
You chose to join the military. The entire structure is made of those who choose to participate in an organization that actively kills and maims, and inactively maintains the capitalist system that is fueling the climate crisis.
Congrats. You did a commendable act, while enabling the very structure that made the act possible. We are conditionally forced to exist under capitalism. You chose to perpetuate the police force that guards it.
Again, you offer a solution that was created by the problem. It is the ever incessant need for capitalism to grow markets and expand that necessitates the need for military bases and “defense orgs” to maintain those markets. There is a case to be made that Ukraine would never have happened if not for capitalist markets and NATO expansion .
If it makes you feel better, we’re all guilty to some degree for having to participate in capitalism. But making the choice to join the military is like handing the weapon to the climate change executioner that will kill the future of humanity.
Sorry for being so critical, but we as a species need to stop compartmentalizing and rationalizing the despicable shit that we perpetuate. >>>Climate Crisis May Cause 14.5 Million Deaths by 2050.
Time is running out. Make informed choices.
Oh HO! You think the genocide in Ukraine was caused by NATO expansion!
Das vedanya Russian troll.
The correct response: FTFY
Nope, you wanna push Putin's propaganda. That means I get to disregard everything you say. I owe you nothing.
Putin, (and Russia), is a capitalist imperialist just like the neoliberals in America. He wants his own capitalist hegemony. He rationalizes this by claiming America is worse.
You rationalize your decisions by thinking Trump supporters would do worse in your position.
You’re no better than Putin.
Edit: Since it was deleted. Your original rationalization is flawed. Joining the military does not take the place of a right-wing nut job. The military will recruit you both.
You did realize the military will take you, and the right-wing nut jobs? So, your original rationalization was flawed. But, I think you already knew that, judging from your lack of remorse.
I’m old and don’t have much time left in this world, so I’m doing what I can to make it a better place. I’m trying to plant trees under whose shade I’ll never sit, while you’re shitting in the river that waters it. Stop shitting in the river.
The military isn't all bad. Our role in WW2 was pretty righteous. What we do with Ukraine is helping to fight evil.
As much as we've screwed up Iraq, it's hard to say if they'd have been better off staying under Saddam.
Helping South Korea and defending NATO is pretty good.
I see some National Guard in here. Helping Ruby Bridges get to school was good work. The National Guard often swoops in to help in natural disasters.
Half our Navy is made up of giant, floating hospitals.
Serial killers aren’t all bad either. They keep the homeless population in check and Ted Bundy was a leader in his community. /s
The military is like the “orphan crushing machine.” No one asks why it exists. We’re just supposed to accept that it’s necessary. And in some ways it is. But shouldn’t we strive for a world without a need for military.
Some might say, “well, that’s what America is doing. It’s the strongest military to maintain peace.” But this logic is flawed. When your military becomes so big, it’s never going to dissolve itself when necessary for peace. It becomes a power unto itself.
Eisenhower warned us about the military industrial complex but we didn’t listen.
I don't know what kind of world you live in, but the US military is not the primary issue here.
The MIC and the military in general are two very different things. I'm glad in the current century and political climate to have a standing, volunteer military.
I guess that is WIS vs INT
Well, fuck me I just found out I'm stupid
Socrates would say that's a good first step.
LoL mkay
Right, cause fucking weebs are known for their superior intelligence and independence in the face of authority.
I knew two people with mechanical engineering degrees who couldn't even make it through nuclear engineering school to work on submarine and carrier reactors, the military isn't made up of 100% dumbass infantrymen.
Throw 'em into boot, they either get ground down to follow orders or beat/shamed out. They're terribly good at psychological manipulation.
As far as intelligence, they know how to play the room now. They'll put you wherever you're best. They have a hell of a lot of tech now and aren't as keen on putting contractors in harms way. If you're better off as a grunt, you're a grunt. If you're skilled labor, they'll find a way to make you useful.
Not to say you should or shouldn't join. Skilled labor makes a hell of a lot more money other places.