Thanks to the Veterans

Off Topic
161

[quote]pushharder wrote:

Tell you what…you play the “what if” game and pull the U.S. out of every corner of the globe and isolate it once again on the North American continent and…the world collapses. I mean it totally fucking implodes.

[/quote]

Push,

Would this hypothetical situation be the worst thing to happen to life? I’m not referring to the first part about the U.S. pulling out, because eventually the U.S. will no longer be able to fund such occupations anyhow (key word: eventually). But what I’m asking is that if civilization (‘the world’) were to finally collapse after 6,000 plus years, would this ultimately be a bad thing in the long run for life as a whole?

Note: I hope you don’t think I’m picking on you by asking you so many questions, I just find your (and a few others) answers much more open-ended and discussion-friendly. While you have a distinct point of view you are putting across, you also leave your posts open to others who wish to talk about the broader picture or finer points in more detail.

163

[quote]jasmincar wrote:
spyoptic wrote:
jasmincar wrote:
spyoptic wrote:
orion wrote:

It is NOT your fault things are this way. Genetics aside, our views and opinions are shaped by our environment. What did they teach us in school?

Elites use mass education to create privilege for themselves. The hidden or latent curriculum is central, with subordination at the core. Real education - growth of individual and civic power - systematically suppressed. Indoctrination, authoritarianism, interpersonal brutality, competition, stratification all central to modern education.

forcing students to recite the pledge of allegiance is a violation of its meaning and the idea of a free society,
the pledge was accompanied by a hands outstretched, Fascist salute. (changed in 1943 for obvious reasons.)

I dont know what to reply to that in relation to what I was trying to say.

Dont think I am some kind of illuminated freak cultist follower but my vision of this stuff pretty much goes on with the vision of Jiddu Krishnamurti. I know you wont but if you want to hear something that will really change the way you live go rent a book by him.

I had already read a couple of things in philosophy and I rented a book of his conversation pretty much by randomness (my library was allowing to rent 50 books for 6 months for construction, I was just picking random books for the lulz) and I am happy I read that one
[/quote]

It was a response to your claim that the individual is to blame for the way institutions create inequality.

I claim it is not the independent mind of the individual that is to blame, but the institution’s deliberate shaping of ideology through the education system, government, religions, economy and the military that create and reproduce class stratification and an unequal society.
i.e: Is it the blacks fault why they don’t go to college and have a higher percentage of people in poverty and in prisons? Is it their fault they have lower IQs? If the individual mind is to blame, then you would think this is true, correct?

164

[quote]jasmincar wrote:
spyoptic wrote:
jasmincar wrote:
spyoptic wrote:
orion wrote:

It is NOT your fault things are this way. Genetics aside, our views and opinions are shaped by our environment. What did they teach us in school?

Elites use mass education to create privilege for themselves. The hidden or latent curriculum is central, with subordination at the core. Real education - growth of individual and civic power - systematically suppressed. Indoctrination, authoritarianism, interpersonal brutality, competition, stratification all central to modern education.

forcing students to recite the pledge of allegiance is a violation of its meaning and the idea of a free society,
the pledge was accompanied by a hands outstretched, Fascist salute. (changed in 1943 for obvious reasons.)

I dont know what to reply to that in relation to what I was trying to say.

Dont think I am some kind of illuminated freak cultist follower but my vision of this stuff pretty much goes on with the vision of Jiddu Krishnamurti. I know you wont but if you want to hear something that will really change the way you live go rent a book by him.

I had already read a couple of things in philosophy and I rented a book of his conversation pretty much by randomness (my library was allowing to rent 50 books for 6 months for construction, I was just picking random books for the lulz) and I am happy I read that one
[/quote]

Is he Hindu?

165

[quote]pushharder wrote:

You have the Aussie and Kiwi screaming, “Get out!” but you sure as hell didn’t see their grandpappies hollerin’ that in 1942.

[/quote]

Things weren’t and aren’t so black and white. For example, Australian attitudes to American Soliers were quite complex during the early years of the war. Primariliy in Melbourne.
In 1942 large influxes of American soldiers were stationed throughout Melbourne and other cities. They had uniforms of a much higher quality, were often more sophisticated, more polite (especially to women), had more money to spend. It is often speculated that the American soldiers brought the habit of buying girls flowers to Australia in this period.
Most Australian soldiers didn’t like them. The common saying evolved regarding Americans being, “Overpaid, over sexed, and over here”.
When they first arrived of course, they were seen as the saviours of Australia. This quickly changed upon the discovery of three female bodies, girls who had been raped and murdered by US soldiers. About a year later, around 1000 people witnessed a brawl between US and Australian soldiers following the death of an another Australian by an American soldier.

Attitudes towards America were not as clear cut as you make out. Yes in many respects they were welcomed, but so was their return to America.

Yes the above is largely insignificant, but it illustrates that not anyone and everyone yerned for American military presence in their midst. The above situation could also be applied to nearly any country occupying another. There is bound to unfortunte happenings and rising tensions if a country occupies another for a long period of time.

167

[quote]pushharder wrote:
Grey Rainbow wrote:
pushharder wrote:

You have the Aussie and Kiwi screaming, “Get out!” but you sure as hell didn’t see their grandpappies hollerin’ that in 1942.

Things weren’t and aren’t so black and white. For example, Australian attitudes to American Soliers were quite complex during the early years of the war. Primariliy in Melbourne.
In 1942 large influxes of American soldiers were stationed throughout Melbourne and other cities.

They had uniforms of a much higher quality, were often more sophisticated, more polite (especially to women), had more money to spend. It is often speculated that the American soldiers brought the habit of buying girls flowers to Australia in this period.
Most Australian soldiers didn’t like them. The common saying evolved regarding Americans being, “Overpaid, over sexed, and over here”.
When they first arrived of course, they were seen as the saviours of Australia. This quickly changed upon the discovery of three female bodies, girls who had been raped and murdered by US soldiers. About a year later, around 1000 people witnessed a brawl between US and Australian soldiers following the death of an Australian by an American soldier.

Attitudes towards America were not as clear cut as you make out. Yes in many respects they were welcomed, but so was their return to America.

Yes the above is largely insignificant, but it illustrates that not anyone and everyone yerned for American military presence in their midst. The above situation could also be applied to nearly any country occupying another. There is bound to unfortunte happenings and rising tensions if a country occupies another for a long period of time.

Interesting but largely irrelevant. Without research I can’t go too far out on a limb but I can virtually guarantee the same thing happened in Vietnam between Aussie soldiers and South Vietnamese civilians.

The fact remains - no US Navy in the Coral Sea and no US Marines on New Guinea in the early 40s - your eyes today are shaped a little differently.[/quote]

Yes I’m sure the same thing would have happened between Australian soldiers and the South Vietnamese. But our history of occupying and influencing foreign countries doesn’t quite compare to the US…

The US is known to attack and defend in the name of the western beliefs and as history has shown, it usually dominates these conflicts and decisions.
However, this does not mean that international American influence is always welcomed to the extent that it is given.

168

[quote]Big_Boss wrote:
orion wrote:
BSC819 wrote:
orion wrote:
Dustin wrote:
and this one…

How dare you!

That is a mere Fr�??�??�?�¼hschwimmer whereas I have a Freischwimmer!

http://www.schwimmschule-fischer.at/Schwimmabzeichen/schwimmabzeichen.html

Why do you hate Austria?

I dont hate Austria, I just hate you and want to kick your face in.

You know how you know that you are wrong?

When all that you have left is an appeal to emotions and the urge to smash anything you disagree with.

Well,you did needlessly hijack his thread because of something you disagreed with…and turned it into an argument that is neither here or there in regards to Veteran’s day. Regardless of his hyper-patriotic original statement…I didn’t see it as anything that was treading on you.

There are numerous American’s who basically hate blind patriotism as much as you…YET still can see soldiers as people and respect the fact that they sacrifice themselves for serving their country.

Maybe you can’t really relate to this as you sit at your computer in Austria. You can read and soak up all information you want on “everything American”…but some things you will always be out of touch with that relate to us. [/quote]

That also works the other way though.

Being American and practically soaked in her culture you do not seem to have any idea how blatantly absurd some of this flag waving really looks like and there are some things about the rest of the world you will never get by just sitting behind your American computer.

Also not by bombing other countries.

169

[quote]spyoptic wrote:
orion wrote:

The problem is not religion, the problem is us.

You’re going to blame the individual mind for all of this?! Who tells the individual mind what to think? Why do you form loyalties to government, family, siblings, sports teams? who taught you those from the day you were born?

Who’s giving you your news and views of other nations, other ethnicities, the opposite gender? ARE THOSE YOUR PERSONAL VIEWS THAT WERE CONSTRUCTED IN YOUR OWN MIND? You were taught all of it through gasp THE MAJOR INSTITUTIONS THAT SUPPORT INEQUALITY AND SOCIAL STRATIFICATION

RELIGION, GOVERNMENT, ECONOMY, EDUCATION, THE MILITARY have molded us from infancy to BELIEVE WHATEVER THEY WANT US TO BELIEVE. good or bad, racism (schools, religion, television), blind loyaly (schools, religion), conformity (schools, religion), accepting your low position for promise of eternal bliss (religion)

[/quote]

In this day and age you have so many available options that that no longer holds true.

You can shed your indoctrination to some degree.

The major religion of Europe is also not Christian or America bashing but social democracy and I do not bow to the state, so maybe we are not as hopelessly programmed as you claim.

Plus, as far as government programming goes it is done in government schools. Need I say more?

170

[quote]pushharder wrote:

You have the Austrian screaming, “Get out!” but you didn’t see his pappy and grandpappy hollering that from 1946 - 1991.
[/quote]

Well they were occupied and they actually got rid of you 1955.

No need to holler.

171

[quote]spyoptic wrote:
jasmincar wrote:
spyoptic wrote:
jasmincar wrote:
spyoptic wrote:
orion wrote:

It is NOT your fault things are this way. Genetics aside, our views and opinions are shaped by our environment. What did they teach us in school?

Elites use mass education to create privilege for themselves. The hidden or latent curriculum is central, with subordination at the core. Real education - growth of individual and civic power - systematically suppressed. Indoctrination, authoritarianism, interpersonal brutality, competition, stratification all central to modern education.

forcing students to recite the pledge of allegiance is a violation of its meaning and the idea of a free society,
the pledge was accompanied by a hands outstretched, Fascist salute. (changed in 1943 for obvious reasons.)

I dont know what to reply to that in relation to what I was trying to say.

Dont think I am some kind of illuminated freak cultist follower but my vision of this stuff pretty much goes on with the vision of Jiddu Krishnamurti. I know you wont but if you want to hear something that will really change the way you live go rent a book by him.

I had already read a couple of things in philosophy and I rented a book of his conversation pretty much by randomness (my library was allowing to rent 50 books for 6 months for construction, I was just picking random books for the lulz) and I am happy I read that one

It was a response to your claim that the individual is to blame for the way institutions create inequality.

I claim it is not the independent mind of the individual that is to blame, but the institution’s deliberate shaping of ideology through the education system, government, religions, economy and the military that create and reproduce class stratification and an unequal society.

i.e: Is it the blacks fault why they don’t go to college and have a higher percentage of people in poverty and in prisons? Is it their fault they have lower IQs? If the individual mind is to blame, then you would think this is true, correct?[/quote]

I think you give some institutions far too much credit.

They simply use what is already there. Now the shape of what is there is always pretty similar, but the exact reasons to feel superior and have some collectivist illusions differ.

Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by the rulers as useful.
Lucius Annaeus Seneca

The same is true for nationalism, militarism, communism, you name it.

172

[quote]pushharder wrote:
Grey Rainbow wrote:
pushharder wrote:

You have the Aussie and Kiwi screaming, “Get out!” but you sure as hell didn’t see their grandpappies hollerin’ that in 1942.

Things weren’t and aren’t so black and white. For example, Australian attitudes to American Soliers were quite complex during the early years of the war. Primariliy in Melbourne.
In 1942 large influxes of American soldiers were stationed throughout Melbourne and other cities.

They had uniforms of a much higher quality, were often more sophisticated, more polite (especially to women), had more money to spend. It is often speculated that the American soldiers brought the habit of buying girls flowers to Australia in this period.

Most Australian soldiers didn’t like them. The common saying evolved regarding Americans being, “Overpaid, over sexed, and over here”.
When they first arrived of course, they were seen as the saviours of Australia. This quickly changed upon the discovery of three female bodies, girls who had been raped and murdered by US soldiers. About a year later, around 1000 people witnessed a brawl between US and Australian soldiers following the death of an Australian by an American soldier.

Attitudes towards America were not as clear cut as you make out. Yes in many respects they were welcomed, but so was their return to America.

Yes the above is largely insignificant, but it illustrates that not anyone and everyone yerned for American military presence in their midst. The above situation could also be applied to nearly any country occupying another. There is bound to unfortunte happenings and rising tensions if a country occupies another for a long period of time.

Interesting but largely irrelevant. Without research I can’t go too far out on a limb but I can virtually guarantee the same thing happened in Vietnam between Aussie soldiers and South Vietnamese civilians.

The fact remains - no US Navy in the Coral Sea and no US Marines on New Guinea and the Solomons in the early 40s - your eyes today are shaped a little differently.

[Edit] My great uncle spent some time in the Solomons in '42 - '43. Had buddies die all around him. Senor Rainbow, for your information, there’s nothing but a few hundred miles of beautiful Pacific water between the Solomon Islands and Queensland. Count your blessings my kin and others were there, buddy. Better yet, join this thread in the spirit of its original intent and thank the veterans who are still alive now who were there sixty six years ago instead of whipping out your wanker and taking a piss on this thread.[/quote]

I never said anything like all American military operations are bad. Most ACTUAL OPERATIONS I respect and thank. I never pissed on ACTUAL OPERATIONS. I respect the soldiers in WWII and all others who left their homes to fight for what their country deemed neccessary. I said this before. Numerous times.

The only thing I contested was America being “the greatest Nation in the history of civilization”. It also does not have “the greatest force for freedom and human rights ever gathered”. I also said America’s influence is not always welcomed to the extent that it is given. (In cruder terms which I apoligised for.) That is all.

Granted this was probably the worst thread for a disscussion like this, but it was already well developed when I entered.

173

[quote]orion wrote:
spyoptic wrote:
orion wrote:

The problem is not religion, the problem is us.

You’re going to blame the individual mind for all of this?! Who tells the individual mind what to think? Why do you form loyalties to government, family, siblings, sports teams? who taught you those from the day you were born?

Who’s giving you your news and views of other nations, other ethnicities, the opposite gender? ARE THOSE YOUR PERSONAL VIEWS THAT WERE CONSTRUCTED IN YOUR OWN MIND? You were taught all of it through gasp THE MAJOR INSTITUTIONS THAT SUPPORT INEQUALITY AND SOCIAL STRATIFICATION

RELIGION, GOVERNMENT, ECONOMY, EDUCATION, THE MILITARY have molded us from infancy to BELIEVE WHATEVER THEY WANT US TO BELIEVE. good or bad, racism (schools, religion, television), blind loyaly (schools, religion), conformity (schools, religion), accepting your low position for promise of eternal bliss (religion)

In this day and age you have so many available options that that no longer holds true.

You can shed your indoctrination to some degree.

The major religion of Europe is also not Christian or America bashing but social democracy and I do not bow to the state, so maybe we are not as hopelessly programmed as you claim.

Plus, as far as government programming goes it is done in government schools. Need I say more?

[/quote]

First off, Theres is NO purely socialist democracy.

LOOK AT THE BIGGER PICTURE

You are getting caught up in specifics. It doesn’t matter WHAT religion is practiced, ANY religion is a form of social control - it can be used positively or negatively; but more often than not, it is used to further the ends of the few on top and control the other 99%.

The U.S is an anamoly in modernity because it has an incline in religion while the rest of the industrial world has seen a decline.

HISTORY OF RELIGION - Why Religion formed social control and why it has been replaced in industrial Europe.

Traditional society - Social control is RELIGION
Traditional societies are bonded together by mechanical solidarity, literall a sacred worldview that is shared throughout the entire society. One mechanism of creating this “collective consciousness” is through imitation of a “collective type”, a cultural hero that serves as a model of right conduct (GOD).

Children are socialized to honor, worship and imitate one or more heroes. Religious figues like Buddha, Moses, Jesus or Mohammed. As members of the group conform to the beliefs and actions of the hero; THE MEMBERS LOOK, ACT AND THINK ALIKE. Dramatic (and public) punishments of sacrilege is critical to keep collective type clear and mechanical solidarity strong.

fast forward now to today - Modern Society - Social control are Institutions (IE. Government)
The government has its own laws, hires police, controls the media, controls education, economy - everything that was once the collective consciousness (the rules of one village through the belief of something greater than themselves) is now the ideology of institutions.

The status quo is not upheld by everyone’s same ideal of a God but by the laws and law enforcers of the government and the ideals it puts in your mind through education, economy, religion, the military and MASS MEDIA. The new form of social control are all these institutions.

SCHOOLS - why Schools reproduce inequality, no matter WHO runs them -
Your claim is that public owned schools will not reproduce inequality.
Lets look first at segregation. Today’s world is still more segregated than ever - no one wants to live near someone of different ethnicity so over the last 50 years or so neighborhoods have turned to all black neighborhoods or all white neighborhoods, on a grander scale major cities are so segregated that they are all either prodominently white or prodominently black.

So who runs publicly funded schools? The parents of prodinently white and predominently black schoolchildren… WILL WHITE PARENTS ALLOW BLACK CHILDREN (WHO DON’T EVEN LIVE NEARBY) GO TO PUBLICLY FUNDED SCHOOLS? NO, THEY JACK UP THE PRICES SO THAT BLACKS CAN’T AFFORD IT. The system of inequality is not intentional - no one wants to live in a non-segregated neighborhood, The rich whites and Elites have moved out of the large cities in America. Public schools here reinforce and segregate.

174

I think this entire Veterans thing is over publicized B.S. I’m sure I read somewhere on these forums an exchange between a couple of people actually serving right now who were basically expressing their annoyance at people who keep “thanking” them for their service. The particular reason that stood out was that their own motivation for joining the Army, Navy or what have be was for their own self serving reasons.

Even if a soldier enlisted because he was enraged and awakened by 9/11 or because he really wanted to fight for a higher purpose over seas they still wouldn’t necessarily be humbled or want the “thank yous.” This is because these kinds of soldiers wonder what they are being thanked for.

Their war hasn’t been won, they probably haven’t accomplished what they set out to do and more importantly they already know that people genuinely CARE for them and what they are doing. Its so obvious that any populous already heavily appreciates the dedication, bravery and commitment their Army and Navy shows.

We have to understand that Veterans rarely feel like they have anything to be thanked for. Those who have served and those who are serving know the first hand accounts of war: the pain, the suffering and all the other nice poetic adverbs and adjectives correlated with war. Frankly they don’t give a shit, nor should they when we pay our “respect.” They already know we got their backs and that we respect them and they’ve heard in a B zillion times.

I don’t have a problem with veterans day. I have a problem with the romantics.

175

[quote]pushharder wrote:
You have the Middle East screaming, “Please protect us from each other!..forever!”
[/quote]

That entire list had problems… but this is the only one I cared about. Might want to look up your middle eastern history sense roughly 1912 starting with British oil.

176

[quote]Gettnitdone wrote:
I think this entire Veterans thing is over publicized B.S. I’m sure I read somewhere on these forums an exchange between a couple of people actually serving right now who were basically expressing their annoyance at people who keep “thanking” them for their service. The particular reason that stood out was that their own motivation for joining the Army, Navy or what have be was for their own self serving reasons.

Even if a soldier enlisted because he was enraged and awakened by 9/11 or because he really wanted to fight for a higher purpose over seas they still wouldn’t necessarily be humbled or want the “thank yous.” This is because these kinds of soldiers wonder what they are being thanked for. Their war hasn’t been won, they probably haven’t accomplished what they set out to do and more importantly they already know that people genuinely CARE for them and what they are doing. Its so obvious that any populous already heavily appreciates the dedication, bravery and commitment their Army and Navy shows.

We have to understand that Veterans rarely feel like they have anything to be thanked for. Those who have served and those who are serving know the first hand accounts of war: the pain, the suffering and all the other nice poetic adverbs and adjectives correlated with war. Frankly they don’t give a shit, nor should they when we pay our “respect.” They already know we got their backs and that we respect them and they’ve heard in a B zillion times.
I don’t have a problem with veterans day. I have a problem with the romantics.[/quote]

I’m a veteran, I don’t expect the accolades but I do appreciate them. As far as romanticizing (sp?) honor, duty etc. I think it is necesary in order to win over the hearts and minds of the people. We learned this lesson during Vietnam. Winning the war of propaganda (too bad the word propaganda has a negative stigma) is one of the most important elements stopping aggression by winning the war.

177

[quote]NvrTooLate wrote:
Gettnitdone wrote:
I think this entire Veterans thing is over publicized B.S. I’m sure I read somewhere on these forums an exchange between a couple of people actually serving right now who were basically expressing their annoyance at people who keep “thanking” them for their service. The particular reason that stood out was that their own motivation for joining the Army, Navy or what have be was for their own self serving reasons.

Even if a soldier enlisted because he was enraged and awakened by 9/11 or because he really wanted to fight for a higher purpose over seas they still wouldn’t necessarily be humbled or want the “thank yous.” This is because these kinds of soldiers wonder what they are being thanked for. Their war hasn’t been won, they probably haven’t accomplished what they set out to do and more importantly they already know that people genuinely CARE for them and what they are doing. Its so obvious that any populous already heavily appreciates the dedication, bravery and commitment their Army and Navy shows.

We have to understand that Veterans rarely feel like they have anything to be thanked for. Those who have served and those who are serving know the first hand accounts of war: the pain, the suffering and all the other nice poetic adverbs and adjectives correlated with war. Frankly they don’t give a shit, nor should they when we pay our “respect.” They already know we got their backs and that we respect them and they’ve heard in a B zillion times.
I don’t have a problem with veterans day. I have a problem with the romantics.

I’m a veteran, I don’t expect the accolades but I do appreciate them. As far as romanticizing (sp?) honor, duty etc. I think it is necesary in order to win over the hearts and minds of the people. We learned this lesson during Vietnam. Winning the war of propaganda (too bad the word propaganda has a negative stigma) is one of the most important elements stopping aggression by winning the war.[/quote]

It is also one of the most important elements of starting unnecessary wars.

178

[quote]Gettnitdone wrote:
I think this entire Veterans thing is over publicized B.S. I’m sure I read somewhere on these forums an exchange between a couple of people actually serving right now who were basically expressing their annoyance at people who keep “thanking” them for their service. The particular reason that stood out was that their own motivation for joining the Army, Navy or what have be was for their own self serving reasons.

Even if a soldier enlisted because he was enraged and awakened by 9/11 or because he really wanted to fight for a higher purpose over seas they still wouldn’t necessarily be humbled or want the “thank yous.” This is because these kinds of soldiers wonder what they are being thanked for.

Their war hasn’t been won, they probably haven’t accomplished what they set out to do and more importantly they already know that people genuinely CARE for them and what they are doing. Its so obvious that any populous already heavily appreciates the dedication, bravery and commitment their Army and Navy shows.

We have to understand that Veterans rarely feel like they have anything to be thanked for. Those who have served and those who are serving know the first hand accounts of war: the pain, the suffering and all the other nice poetic adverbs and adjectives correlated with war. Frankly they don’t give a shit, nor should they when we pay our “respect.” They already know we got their backs and that we respect them and they’ve heard in a B zillion times.

I don’t have a problem with veterans day. I have a problem with the romantics.[/quote]

This is a good post.

I didn’t sign up to fight for the just cause of the fictitious “war on terror”. I signed up for my own reasons; a steady job, experience, training. I have never looked at the Army as anything other than a job.

And while it is nice of people to tell me “thank you”, it always makes me uncomfortable. I didn’t do anything to deserve it and besides that, these people don’t know me. I could be the biggest pile of trash, but I guess it doesn’t matter as long as I have uniform on.

179

[quote]orion wrote:
Big_Boss wrote:
orion wrote:
BSC819 wrote:
orion wrote:
Dustin wrote:
and this one…

How dare you!

That is a mere Fr�??�??�??�?�¼hschwimmer whereas I have a Freischwimmer!

http://www.schwimmschule-fischer.at/Schwimmabzeichen/schwimmabzeichen.html

Why do you hate Austria?

I dont hate Austria, I just hate you and want to kick your face in.

You know how you know that you are wrong?

When all that you have left is an appeal to emotions and the urge to smash anything you disagree with.

Well,you did needlessly hijack his thread because of something you disagreed with…and turned it into an argument that is neither here or there in regards to Veteran’s day. Regardless of his hyper-patriotic original statement…I didn’t see it as anything that was treading on you.

There are numerous American’s who basically hate blind patriotism as much as you…YET still can see soldiers as people and respect the fact that they sacrifice themselves for serving their country.

Maybe you can’t really relate to this as you sit at your computer in Austria. You can read and soak up all information you want on “everything American”…but some things you will always be out of touch with that relate to us.

That also works the other way though.

Being American and practically soaked in her culture you do not seem to have any idea how blatantly absurd some of this flag waving really looks like and there are some things about the rest of the world you will never get by just sitting behind your American computer.

Also not by bombing other countries.

[/quote]

What a weak tit-for-tat and broad generalization of a response. I don’t arrogantly pretend to “know” the rest of the world…as you arrogantly pretend to “know” everything American. You have a long trail on these forums of obsession with our country.

I guess you missed the part where I said that some American’s(including myself) hate blind-patriotism…so it might evident that I do know how absurd it can look to the rest of the world. But so what? That doesn’t make us celebrating our veterans being as absurd. Like I said, you can’t relate to that on our level. No matter what you say…or how emotionally attached you are to what our military has done.

Hell,you can’t even relate to our soldiers…you keep this broad generalization of them as killers. I live amongst soldiers…not all have killed…not all are capable of it…not all are even good soldiers. But I still know how to relate to them and respect those who are worth the respect.

You can’t distinguish amongst them…instead you have to make assumptions based on current events…and your disgust with our government. Remember what this thread was about…and get out of your black and white line of thought.

180

[quote]Dustin wrote:

I didn’t sign up to fight for the just cause of the fictitious “war on terror”. I signed up for my own reasons; a steady job, experience, training. I have never looked at the Army as anything other than a job.

[/quote]

This is also what is missed when people make broad and misplaced generalizations of soldiers in the first place…especially with recent events.