this post was submitted on 20 Feb 2024

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A Boring Dystopia

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1985

Schools in America apparently have their own army recruiter (lemmy.world)

submitted 8 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (8 children)

Army is a bunch of parasites on the face of the Earth. Parasites that set the rules, as any ruler turning against them will be overthrown.

Army doesn't make any productive labor; instead, it siphons trillions of dollars making the machines intentionally designed to kill people - and puts them to use.

Society loses literally nothing without armies. They don't "protect" you from anything but other armies, and without armies and wars and threats we could move way further as a humanity.

Don't let anyone brainwash you into accepting this monstrosity. Army is bullying their own countries, bullying and extorting each and every one of us. They are the real enemy. And they will do everything in their power to distract you from that.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 8 months ago (3 children)

I apologize in advance of the things I am about to say to you but this has to be one of the most naive and sophomoric statements I have ever read, so I'm going to address you as a teenager because I hope nobody gets to adulthood believing such bullshit.

To start with I hate to be the bearer of bad news but a substantial percent of humans are violent by nature, which means there is no amount of logical debate that will convince someone to not take your things or your life. This transcends to the national level which is why every peaceful nation in history has an army, for self-defense.

Army doesn't make any productive labor? My brother in Christ you are on the internet. Which means you are using a software that implements TCP/IP protocols specifically designed to build the . . . Drumroll . . . ARPANET! For the US military? Did you type that comment with your phone? Did you use GPS today? Hell the entire space race was funded for military reasons!

I have to envy you though. Thinking that you can simply argue your way out of any confrontation without the threat of violence, must be nice. Ask Palestinians or Ukranians what they think of that.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Internet person: "Army does nothing!"

Army corps of engineers building half of all critical infrastructure in the US: "Am I a joke to you?"

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago (3 children)

Full agreement. My heart is with OP, but it's a sad fact of life on this planet that peace without violence or threat of massive violence just is not usually possible.

The truth is there are fucked up people out there, and worse there are the real parasites that seem to love licking the boots of horrible people (staring at Trump and his ass lickers).

Honestly one just has to look at nature - everything from the bacteria to the plants to the birds and mammals are in a constant fight to the death over their next meal or territory - us primates have not been able to escape it, and I don't think we will (staring at water scarcity, food scarcity, upcoming energy crisis, upcoming climate change crisis, etc etc). Sprinkle a little bit of population explosion into the mix, along with wealth disparity - It's just gonna get fucking worse going forward I fear

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago

l don't think there has been a year without war, in the last 6000 years.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 8 months ago (2 children)

You lift the mask off the Military, and it's Imperialism. Lift the mask again and it's Capitalism.

"And I'm getting away with it too, despite you meddling kids!"

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Army is capitalism. Wat?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

Read about General Smedey Butler. Vet of multiple wars, the most highly decorated man in Marines history, two medals of honour, he had the opportunity to be the US's first dictator, but was ultimately an anti-war, anti-facist, anti-capitalist pacifist. He perfectly encapsulates how the army andvtge wars they have are just an extension of capitalist interests and act to further the capitalists desires.

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago

Hammers in search of nails.

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[–] [email protected] 29 points 8 months ago (3 children)

Wait till you learn about places with conscription.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 8 months ago (3 children)

That is hell. Living in a country with mandatory conscription, I do a lot of legal work never to get there.

I am civilian. Fuck everyone who thinks they can force me to be any else.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 8 months ago (1 children)

I get it for countries where their self-preservation is on the line (Taiwan) or where it's simply been national policy since the dawn of time (Switzerland), but it's definitely different when it's for a dictatorial, unpopular, or corrupt government.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 8 months ago

If people want a national defense they should pay for one. Not force 18 year old guys to be slave soldiers as a cheaper alternative.

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago

Taiwan is one of them, I am never going back again.

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (5 children)

You know, there's an aspect to the bond, the camaraderie, the discipline, the fitness that I really appreciate about soldiering. Growing up with films like Band of Brothers practically on repeat, having read pretty close to every book that came out from those guys — well, I have admiration. But at the same time as I grew up and became more leftist I of course had many issues with the volatility of our leadership.

If I could've joined Norway, Canada, or German armed forces under the NATO banner, I may very well have done that. After seeing everything transpiring in Ukraine, I often wonder if I'd have the courage to do what those brave people are doing every day. In the right context, under purely defensive conditions, I'd like to think I would've thrived, but who knows...

But second to volatile leadership is quite honestly the type of people the military tends to attract. The desperate, the jar-head conservative types. If life is on the line, I'd rather not be in a foxhole with them if I'm honest.

But there's a lot of talk that finally the culture may be shifting within the US Military — to attract smarter, better educated people. I know a lot of conservatives are retiring early and not joining up because they feel the "culture is changing," which is a good sign to me.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (2 children)

NATO was founded with Nazi leaders. source.

Edit: Downvote me all you want, some of NATO's senior commanders came from being senior military commanders of German Nazism and very close to Adolf Hitler. Source.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago (1 children)

I didn't downvote you. I'll have to delve into this as it seems interesting. Does this have any application to today, though?

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago

The only armed forces worth joining IMO are UN Peacekeepers.

NATO will always struggle with that very leadership issue, it is not representative of humanity and can be used in an offensive.

I just hope more power will go to forces that are actually aimed at curbing any sort of violence on Earth.

That's the only good use of the military.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 8 months ago (1 children)

The desperate, the jar-head conservative types. If life is on the line, I’d rather not be in a foxhole with them if I’m honest.

Conservatives are all about making small in-groups and large out-groups. If you're in the out-group, go fuck yourself. If you're in the small in-group, their life goal is to elevate their in-group above all the out-groups.

In a foxhole, conservatives and liberals are pretty much the same. Only the people in the foxhole matter at that moment.

It's when they come home and conservatives can't give a damn about more than a dozen people and can only see six months into their future that is the real problem.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

Fair point, and to that I admittedly use this as an explanation for why Ukrainians can fight side-by-side with the likes of more right-wing extremist groups in their military (e.g., Azov). It would be little different if the United States was attacked and I and some dude from the Proud Boys / Oathkeepers / The Base / 3%ers was with me and we were fighting to protect our family.

In that respect, sure. I just couldn't pursue it during domestic peacetime as a career given that and the volatility I mentioned.

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