Does this make me a "douche"?

[Veronica The Miffvixen 232]

No, to be honest, nothing is wrong with what you're saying. You're speaking your mind against the violence of war and how people are fed into the machine of war, with no consideration made about their values as people.

 

In fact, I agree with your views.

[Pony Joe 583]

I understand where you're coming from, but being a soldier is a lot more than just following orders.  It takes so much more bravery than I have to participate in combat, to risk your life (and, at times, sacrifice it) for the service of your country.  Not all of the operations done by soldiers are completely innocent, but there's a huge difference between hearing about casualties on the news and seeing them firsthand.

 

So no, not all soldiers are heroes, but I think that they deserve a lot of respect.

[Fluttermena 1,223]

 

Soldiers messaging me saying that they will beat the shit out of me.

This is exactly the reason why I have conflicting views about the military. I have a lot of respect for the concept, the idea of heroes fighting for good and freedom. In practice, however, I remember that soldiers are just human beings, and as such, they can be complete assholes. Many soldiers want to be regarded as some noble heroes, revered by civilians, despite the fact that some of them are really just a bunch of violent, trigger-happy frat boys who are a disgrace to their uniforms. The military attracts all sorts of lowlifes who are in it just for the money, to get a position of power and prestige or to get a chance to shoot stuff. Remember that even the most menial worker can be a hero in their own way, and even the most decorated soldier can be a douche.

[Stalliongrad 982]

I think we are on the same page politically then. (mostly i guess) but those soldiers are dying so you can have an opinion. They are not dying to uphold an image of imperialism. They are dying because if they don't fight those terrorists will try to harm us. We fight to keep our right to freedom of expression and speech and protect that right for others. I don't agree that we need to protect the worlds right. I think they should have to fight for it like we did. But I have to say (with no offense intended) i guess it does make you one. You have a very distorted view of our military if you honestly believe it to be a tool for imperialism. Granted i don't agree with our foreign policy, most people don't. But the soldiers are the ones making sure we are even able to have this discussion. Blame the politicians not the soldier. People say "well they are in caves in Afghanistan they cant hurt us". I think 9/11 kinda put that to bed. A group of people living in caves in Afghanistan was able to carry out an attack in our largest city. There are a million conspiracy theories around it but i really could care less about them. I think your beef is more with the politicians who send them to fight wars no one wants to fight. But the people that are spending time away from their families in a desert to defend the freedom you have and the freedoms others are being denied should be revered. Once our foreign policy is changed we will be able to reduce our presence around the world. The image that America is the worlds defender of freedom is one that would have to also be changed. But again, a matter to be taken up with politicians who have the power to change it.

 

Its sort of like when people blame the police for laws being created. The police are not the ones creating the law they enforce the law. If you have a problem with the law take it up with the politicians who created it not the people who's job it is to enforce it.

 

To quote George McGovern: "I have had it up to the ears with old men dreaming up wars for young men to die in"

[FoxyCryptid 4,330]

This is exactly the reason why I have conflicting views about the military. I have a lot of respect for the concept, the idea of heroes fighting for good and freedom. In practice, however, I remember that soldiers are just human beings, and as such, they can be complete assholes. Many soldiers want to be regarded as some noble heroes, revered by civilians, despite the fact that some of them are really just a bunch of violent, trigger-happy frat boys who are a disgrace to their uniforms. The military attracts all sorts of lowlifes who are in it just for the money, to get a position of power and prestige or to get a chance to shoot stuff. Remember that even the most menial worker can be a hero in their own way, and even the most decorated soldier can be a douche.

 

And in the end there'd probably be three more soldiers lining up to kick HIS ass for disrespecting the freedom of speech they risked their lives to protect, and dishonoring the uniform. 

[AegisReflector 886]

Cupcake Ice Cream: Thanks for your input and I can accept your opinions fully. I understand that I can't actually know what goes on with orders from generals and everyday camp life, but its the mere fact of atrocities in war and the malice that it brings to the table.

 

I have read war stories like Tim O'Brien's "The Things They Carried" and I've noticed through every single one of them, it doesn't glorify war like our American media does. It shows the evils and emotional damages of war and how pointless it is to go through conflicts where we aren't even sure what the main objective is in the first place.

[Shanks 10,816]

While soldiers are indeed tools of war many of them unfortunately do not realize this and actually believe that they are serving their country by signing up for the military and getting involved in all these pointless wars. Fortunately many soldiers are starting to realize this and are waking up to the corrupt military industrial complex and are doing their part to try to change it but we need to do our part to educate the soldiers still trapped in this false paradigm and the public at large about the real purpose of these wars instead of the BS that the politicians and the mainstream media lapdogs have been feeding us.

 

So no I don't think you are a douche though you could word things a bit better as to lessen potential misunderstanding, the troops are victims of this system just as much as the civilians killed in these wars. This is not to say that there aren't any soldiers who are guilty of wrongdoing as several have been caught committing unspeakable atrocities such as torture for example and are even actively encouraged and ordered by their superiors to do so and they along with the higher ups giving the orders are war criminals and traitors to this republic and should be treated as such.

Edited March 6, 2013 by EarthbendingProdigy