People here are so fucking weird about vets. They're not some breed of superhumans lording over us pleb civs. They're people with tinnitus and knee problems who also get very agitated over sudden loud noises and have nightmares at a higher rate than normal people. Vets aren't gonna be the vanguard of the revolution or the vanguard of anything really. Please stop putting them on a pedestal.
The fact that a struggle session has to always come up means some people here still refuse to see them for what they really are: a bunch of broken people who have nothing to show for it except the further advancement of US imperialism. They ruined their ears, their knees, their back, and their minds just so the talons of US empire could sink an inch deeper. Why should socialists cater to a group of people who by all accounts are going to contribute less to the revolution than your average worker?
"But veterans constantly get recruited into fascist paramilitaries." Anyone who has rubbed shoulders with enough vets would have met people who give spree killer vibes. I wouldn't trust any of those fuckers with a sharp object, let along a rifle. There's always room for them in some fascist death squad, but it should be clear to see why they have no place in any socialist formation, especially ones with members of marginalized communities.
But, "They are all unhealthy and injured" is not a very good argument for outright wishing them harm unconditionally. It just means they're not a political group we should be necessarily advertising to.
What we absolutely can do is support similarly disenfranchised people, while not refusing support for veterans while doing so. And then reaping all the clout that brings.
People here are so fucking weird about vets. They're not some breed of superhumans lording over us pleb civs. They're people with tinnitus and knee problems who also get very agitated over sudden loud noises and have nightmares at a higher rate than normal people. Vets aren't gonna be the vanguard of the revolution or the vanguard of anything really. Please stop putting them on a pedestal.
The fact that a struggle session has to always come up means some people here still refuse to see them for what they really are: a bunch of broken people who have nothing to show for it except the further advancement of US imperialism. They ruined their ears, their knees, their back, and their minds just so the talons of US empire could sink an inch deeper. Why should socialists cater to a group of people who by all accounts are going to contribute less to the revolution than your average worker?
"But veterans constantly get recruited into fascist paramilitaries." Anyone who has rubbed shoulders with enough vets would have met people who give spree killer vibes. I wouldn't trust any of those fuckers with a sharp object, let along a rifle. There's always room for them in some fascist death squad, but it should be clear to see why they have no place in any socialist formation, especially ones with members of marginalized communities.
But, "They are all unhealthy and injured" is not a very good argument for outright wishing them harm unconditionally. It just means they're not a political group we should be necessarily advertising to.
What we absolutely can do is support similarly disenfranchised people, while not refusing support for veterans while doing so. And then reaping all the clout that brings.