They say this stuff all the time to hype up the troops/scare him.
My friend told me during basic training that the drill sergeants claimed that China were going to nuke/destroy Guam in a few days and one recruit burst out into tears. He was actually from Guam and it being a small island he knew most of the people there. They immediately had to walk it back and reassure him that everything was fine. They were just trying to get everyone to take the training more seriously.
I imagine this kind of stuff goes all the way up. The future is a cold war with China and we should expect this kind of news and scaremongering more often.
sure, but it's a feature i've noticed of most troops and aspiring troops (and i suppose americans in general) that they are completely oblivious about world events. like why would china be attacking the US? how the fuck are you going to join the empire and you barely know anything about it?
Yes, Americans are the most propagandized people on the planet. All of our Media says China is bad and even on social media the hive mind keeps reiterating that.
We sensationalized an evil weather balloon. We admit that Taiwan is a Chinese territory yet openly call them evil for wanting to claim it.
If you live here and arent fortunate enough to be born to the right people and in the right areas, the propaganda is convincing enough to well meaning people. US media never calls the US an empire even though it is.
If you live here and arent fortunate enough to be born to the right people and in the right areas, the propaganda is convincing enough to well meaning people
Traveling to non-Western countries and living there for a period also helps; especially places that are maligned in the media or adjacent to them, the problem is far too many people are terrified of the non-Western world and think they're dicing with death even stepping foot in most non-Western countries.
Man, I was in Rome for like two days when I was a teenager and saw Communist/Che merch randomly and was so confused and taken back. It didn't do anything for my right wing attitude at the time.
the problem is far too many people are terrified of the non-Western world and think they're dicing with death even stepping foot in most non-Western countries.
Which is hilarious because when I visited the U.S., the only thing I could repeatedly think about was the multiple ways I could be fucked over there. Being stopped by a cop, gunned down by a chud, or hell, have a medical emergency. Maybe this is paranoia from constant exposure to the atrocities in the U.S. but like, there are hundreds of instances of it and the Empire doesn't even try to hide it, so why shouldn't I believe it? Meanwhile I don't have these fears visiting other countries.
Yes, the person question was a fresh high school graduate and was cut off from the world in a highly stressful and isolated environment. Part of why basic training "works" is that US military is a young persons first job and it will heavily shape their world view.
My favorite part of this is that most people from Guam join the military as a way out of Guam. The base literally takes up half of the island. What a fucking joke.
I visited a college friend there once. It's not a bad place to live if you have a stable job locked down or can do performances for tourists and soldiers. Not a lot of opportunities if you're just a laborer though.
They say this stuff all the time to hype up the troops/scare him.
My friend told me during basic training that the drill sergeants claimed that China were going to nuke/destroy Guam in a few days and one recruit burst out into tears. He was actually from Guam and it being a small island he knew most of the people there. They immediately had to walk it back and reassure him that everything was fine. They were just trying to get everyone to take the training more seriously.
I imagine this kind of stuff goes all the way up. The future is a cold war with China and we should expect this kind of news and scaremongering more often.
lmao jesus. we're sending actual infants to invade the global south.
Cmon thats kinda unfair,
I'd be in tears too if everyone I've ever known and loved were definitely going to be killed.
sure, but it's a feature i've noticed of most troops and aspiring troops (and i suppose americans in general) that they are completely oblivious about world events. like why would china be attacking the US? how the fuck are you going to join the empire and you barely know anything about it?
Yes, Americans are the most propagandized people on the planet. All of our Media says China is bad and even on social media the hive mind keeps reiterating that.
We sensationalized an evil weather balloon. We admit that Taiwan is a Chinese territory yet openly call them evil for wanting to claim it.
If you live here and arent fortunate enough to be born to the right people and in the right areas, the propaganda is convincing enough to well meaning people. US media never calls the US an empire even though it is.
Traveling to non-Western countries and living there for a period also helps; especially places that are maligned in the media or adjacent to them, the problem is far too many people are terrified of the non-Western world and think they're dicing with death even stepping foot in most non-Western countries.
Man, I was in Rome for like two days when I was a teenager and saw Communist/Che merch randomly and was so confused and taken back. It didn't do anything for my right wing attitude at the time.
Which is hilarious because when I visited the U.S., the only thing I could repeatedly think about was the multiple ways I could be fucked over there. Being stopped by a cop, gunned down by a chud, or hell, have a medical emergency. Maybe this is paranoia from constant exposure to the atrocities in the U.S. but like, there are hundreds of instances of it and the Empire doesn't even try to hide it, so why shouldn't I believe it? Meanwhile I don't have these fears visiting other countries.
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They've convinced you the poison is pedialyte?
I think it's kinda infantile to think that China is about to nuke your home and the first place you hear about it is your moron drill sergeant
Yes, the person question was a fresh high school graduate and was cut off from the world in a highly stressful and isolated environment. Part of why basic training "works" is that US military is a young persons first job and it will heavily shape their world view.
My favorite part of this is that most people from Guam join the military as a way out of Guam. The base literally takes up half of the island. What a fucking joke.
From my recollection he was national guard. Some people care about their family too much to leave.
I visited a college friend there once. It's not a bad place to live if you have a stable job locked down or can do performances for tourists and soldiers. Not a lot of opportunities if you're just a laborer though.
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