I've got a number of "comrades" in my area that used to be soldiers too! They've been almost universally been domineering, used their past as a badge of expertise and victimhood, and unknowingly reproduce reactionary tendencies while being very hostile to any criticism. And since being a soldier can be a path to financial stability, esp if you're not queer like most military members, a few have had a charming tendency to overestimate everyone else's financial means, while always making organizing suggestions that would require capital that only they have access to. (leftist gun organizing, not even once)
It sounds like your friends have been very hurt by the military industrial complex, and I do believe in rehabilitation for former soldiers just like I believe it's fully possible for someone who was a cop to become a comrade. But, I also think there's a real problem with how low our standards have become on this. Soldiers get victimized sure, but like cops they are also inextricably victimizers.
From what I've heard, part of why cops are so violent is because they're essentially traumatized by their training into being afraid anyone might shoot them at any moment. Apparently the hypervigilance and paranoia can really stick with someone after they leave, but we don't start acting like that excuses what they were complicit in, or like being hurt by their time in policing grants them an automatic right to solidarity.
The only difference is that the military's victims aren't our neighbors. I assume we all know someone who's been victimized by police, but we're much less likely to know someone targeted by the military personally, which makes it really easy lose sight of who the MIC hurt the most. If a veteran's entire criticism centers them, how much they were hurt, treated unfairly, tricked, whatever, they're no comrade of mine.
Also soldiers are like walmart workers? seriously?
The fact that you don't see the difference between most soldiers who sign up for a 4 year contract so that they can escape a hole that society purposely put them in so that they sign up for that 4 year contract, and cops who choose to do that knowing it's a full career commitment speaks volumes about how you look at the world. That is to say, you apparently don't.
Your post betrays you here. You've genuinely never met a poor teenager before. Because that's who you're talking about here. You're talking about children and young adults in poverty who are being preyed on by the military industrial complex. Hope that makes you feel real proud of yourself.
lmao. most of those "poor teenagers" join the military because they are reactionary dogs. the only people I have known to be interested in enlisting at a young age do so because they see it as a place to buddy up with other racists, queer bashers, and misogynists. there is an ideology behind enlisting whether those who leave the military admit it or not, they joined because they believe in continuing imperialist oppression, not in spite of it.
I know people who will vociferously defend their own innocence in relation to the crimes of the country we live in, using precisely those terms. I've had local organizers insist to me that someones active membership in the military isn't a big deal because they needed the money and they're out as soon as the contract is up.
I've heard the excuses for joining straight out the mouth of someone right after talking about the third expensive rifle they bought with their national guard paycheck, and before dismissing queer comrade's concern over holding an event where the local fascists will find out their names.
I've known people born in a hole who used the military to get out, and I've known people born in a hole who manage to keep on living despite it. I trust one of those groups way more to be a good comrade.
I get wanting to defend your friends, and it's great you know some good people who made it out, but that's not universal, and the poverty draft is absolutely used as an excuse by vets in left organizing to avoid confronting certain things.
I've got a number of "comrades" in my area that used to be soldiers too! They've been almost universally been domineering, used their past as a badge of expertise and victimhood, and unknowingly reproduce reactionary tendencies while being very hostile to any criticism. And since being a soldier can be a path to financial stability, esp if you're not queer like most military members, a few have had a charming tendency to overestimate everyone else's financial means, while always making organizing suggestions that would require capital that only they have access to. (leftist gun organizing, not even once)
It sounds like your friends have been very hurt by the military industrial complex, and I do believe in rehabilitation for former soldiers just like I believe it's fully possible for someone who was a cop to become a comrade. But, I also think there's a real problem with how low our standards have become on this. Soldiers get victimized sure, but like cops they are also inextricably victimizers.
From what I've heard, part of why cops are so violent is because they're essentially traumatized by their training into being afraid anyone might shoot them at any moment. Apparently the hypervigilance and paranoia can really stick with someone after they leave, but we don't start acting like that excuses what they were complicit in, or like being hurt by their time in policing grants them an automatic right to solidarity.
The only difference is that the military's victims aren't our neighbors. I assume we all know someone who's been victimized by police, but we're much less likely to know someone targeted by the military personally, which makes it really easy lose sight of who the MIC hurt the most. If a veteran's entire criticism centers them, how much they were hurt, treated unfairly, tricked, whatever, they're no comrade of mine.
Also soldiers are like walmart workers? seriously?
Soldiers are like Walmart workers except we have to suck up to them more than Walmart workers apparently.
they also, you know, kill people
The fact that you don't see the difference between most soldiers who sign up for a 4 year contract so that they can escape a hole that society purposely put them in so that they sign up for that 4 year contract, and cops who choose to do that knowing it's a full career commitment speaks volumes about how you look at the world. That is to say, you apparently don't.
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"Sorry for crossing the picket line, but I got mouths to feed."
Your post betrays you here. You've genuinely never met a poor teenager before. Because that's who you're talking about here. You're talking about children and young adults in poverty who are being preyed on by the military industrial complex. Hope that makes you feel real proud of yourself.
Go back to your tech bro job in the burbs.
I've met plenty of poor teenagers as I was one. Your friends comfort is not worth the lives they helped destroy
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lmao. most of those "poor teenagers" join the military because they are reactionary dogs. the only people I have known to be interested in enlisting at a young age do so because they see it as a place to buddy up with other racists, queer bashers, and misogynists. there is an ideology behind enlisting whether those who leave the military admit it or not, they joined because they believe in continuing imperialist oppression, not in spite of it.
They wanted a piece of that imperialist pie.
it's weird but i know tons of people who grew up in poverty, my partner included, and none of them ever turned to murder for hire to make ends meet
I know people who will vociferously defend their own innocence in relation to the crimes of the country we live in, using precisely those terms. I've had local organizers insist to me that someones active membership in the military isn't a big deal because they needed the money and they're out as soon as the contract is up.
I've heard the excuses for joining straight out the mouth of someone right after talking about the third expensive rifle they bought with their national guard paycheck, and before dismissing queer comrade's concern over holding an event where the local fascists will find out their names.
I've known people born in a hole who used the military to get out, and I've known people born in a hole who manage to keep on living despite it. I trust one of those groups way more to be a good comrade.
I get wanting to defend your friends, and it's great you know some good people who made it out, but that's not universal, and the poverty draft is absolutely used as an excuse by vets in left organizing to avoid confronting certain things.