Anonymous #6 12w

I know they do but as a person that grew up poor and was preyed on by them it’s really not an excuse anymore

9

Anonymous OP 12w

i mean good for you that you had the sense to know better, but kids from military families typically don’t, it to them is their only option for education. and it actually is a lot of people’s only option for education

16

Anonymous OP 12w

i just think it’s kind of senseless to demonize random people when the average low rank in the military is just some guy who wanted to go to college. be made at the higher ups in the military and the education system that makes college so unaffordable, and just the greater US system

19

Anonymous #3 12w

The south half of the globe

15

are we really gonna say that the legacy of american slavery isn't just domestic imperialism like bffr we have collectively shunted the environmental consequences of oil drilling and farming onto most of america's poorest communities while refusing to do anything to meet their needs... communities that disproportionately tend to be black and indigenous.

10

Anonymous #8 12w

if you can't see how the american system keeps its poorest people stuck in a state of self preservation to prevent them from seeing beyond their immediate future (the primary method of preventing collectivization is a feeling of instability that makes it hard to stick your neck out) and victimizes those sections of the population then you are not half of the progressive free thinker or wtv u think u are

8

Anonymous #8 12w

like just read one article about the imperial boomerang for example

7

My bad #2 I think I just assumed it was 1 because they were first

7

Anonymous #8 12w

downvoting but can't even muster up a reply is crazy work ngl

5

I don’t see a problem with pointing it out

19

i'm not exclusively talking about military enrollment, i'm talking about the concept of american civilians also being victims (even if to a lesser extent) of american imperialism.

7

Anonymous #6 12w

I can’t lie I do agree with this. Coming from a (Marine) military family, so much of how you view the military is so gung-ho and “America-First” it’s insane. Also, there is a reason a significant portion of the military are minorities, seeing as they don’t have near the economic privilege to ignore what the gvnt offers them. We can play the whole “moral dilemma” game, but at least acknowledge that there’s more to it that just military = every person within is abhorrent and evil

4

Anonymous #10 12w

especially when military recruitment efforts are more common at lower income high scholls and in low income areas

5

Anonymous #8 12w

Yeah they literally target places where people are in the MOST need. And a lot of people use their benefits for their extended families. Medical coverage is another big aspect, but keep downvoting and ignoring half the reality just bc it’s not as simple as “military bad :(“ 🤦🏻‍♂️

3

Anonymous #10 12w

ALSO (sorry for the rant), but this does make the gvnt doubly evil at the same time. Most of the time the gvnt led to these high-recruitment areas being impoverished in the first place, and go in acting like they offer an amazing boon to these ppl in need. BUT the concept of the military is meant to be apolitical, except gvnt clearly doesn’t treat it as such. A big misuse of the military is the gvnt which is absolutely necessary to admit

1

right.... okay so #6 says that our foot soldiers are victims of US imperialism. I didn't read that as a statement saying EVERY SINGLE PVT is an imperialist victim, but rather that the design of the army is part of the imperialist engine... and our soldiers are little more than fuel.

6

The point is to not group every person in the military into one group. I come from a family of immigrants that went to “serve” for the benefits and coverage offered. Literally wouldn’t have parents that were able to get educated without it. Yeah, a lot of knuckle-fucks join bc of the promise of “spreading American democracy,” but so much of the military is 100% NOT that demographic. And it’s important to recognize that, for some, the military is one of the only realistic ways to get by

1

Anonymous #8 12w

you said that that statement is tantamount to calling IDF victims of genocide, which I think is an insane comparison. I brought up specific statements about how the U.S. military is part of the imperialist engine, and that's evident in how recruitment efforts target minorities and underserved communities who also bear the brunt of economic damage

3

Anonymous #3 12w

Less developed nations not necessarily the south half of

8

Anonymous #8 12w

this is also in a system where as mentioned education and healthcare is insanely expensive. if my family didn't have access to education or healthcare i probably wouldn't feel bad at all about enlisting to secure those things for my loved ones, but i'm privileged enough to not have to make that choice (i couldn't anyways because i'm physically disabled but whatever lmao)

4

How are you going to say “set aside morality” and then say the most blanket statement ever about every individual in the military. US absolutely abuses its power through the use of the military, but the actual people getting shit done (foot soldiers, anyone without a Star or button on their uniform/suit) is little more than a pawn. These things are not black or white, and the entire discussion is very multilayered. Don’t be reductive

2

You’re comparing two entirely different things, in entirely different contexts. America is not Nazi Germany, and the US military is not Wehrmacht. This strawman bullshit doesn’t actually ask anything

2

That’s another insane comparison. Not entirely incorrect in the grand scheme of things, but also entirely irrelevant to the point that lots of people more or less end up turning to the military for basic necessities and support, which the gvnt refuses to guarantee. Military IS the spear, but the gvnt is the one throwing it dude. We should use the indignation to make our gvnt answer to us, not to bitch about those that go to the military to try and better their lives

1

Like, I definitely agree that the military is misused and should be kept in check and have its influence across the globe greatly decreased. But that’s in the hands of elected officials and the people they appoint. Not the impoverished kid from your HS that went to go to college and get healthcare

1

Anonymous #6 12w

We aren’t “demonizing” them, they are demonizing themselves through their actions

4

Anonymous #10 12w

Actually #10 I strongly suggest you reasd Frantz Fanon’s classic text, Wretched of the Earth. Basically, the sadistic and monstrous tactics used by the Nazis are actually commonplace by the Western empires, including America, against colonized peoples. The only difference is that the Nazis applied these practices against other Europeans

3

Anonymous #10 12w

For example, in Iraq, the US purposely bombed the healthcare, sewage, agricultural systems so the entire society collapsed. About a million civilians died of various causes. They did the same thing to Yemen and are doing it to Palestine now.

5

Anonymous #14 12w

We’ll all be experiancing it when we get drafted for Iraq 2

5

Anonymous #14 12w

Reality is when selling yourself to kill brown people because poverty

5

Anonymous OP 12w

Lmao not you vilifying poor people

-1

Anonymous #14 12w

Me when I’m illiterate

1

Anonymous #2 12w

This is such a stupid thing to get hung up on when I didn’t even make this

1