#I came here to write military whump not get into military discourse :sob:

[straight-to-the-pain]

There is so much to unpack on the CRYPTID military post, such as whether someone with that name has legit experience. 1) Admitedly military has lots of past issues to be fixed and are being fixed. 2) Those in combat roles know they may need to give their life. This is not brainwashed. It is not disregard for safety. It is a job, and the understanding that the job has certain risks. 3) Many are college grads. They're military because of a reasoned decision.

Not all like the military. Online, it's easy to be disparaged by those who have no real understanding of the US govt, it's arms, or the military. But many of your followers may be military because despite the wrongs prior Presidents have done, we believe the military has a beneficial role in aide to disaster areas, intl relations to professionalize other countries' mils into civ-led institutions that won't cause coups, etc. Please don't attack us or post false/one-sided info about what we do.

A couple things to begin: I’m happy having a civil debate about things and you’re welcome to disagree and we can come away from this respecting each other, that’s fine, but if people send me anon hate I will simply delete it. I cannot know if the OP was in the military, and I am not personally in the military, but I have had family members who were and hated it and would never want to go back to that place and those circumstances and family members who liked it well enough as a job but couldn’t continue doing it due to disability, and their experiences all have things in common.

I’m also not trying to attack anyone who is in the military. I think that most people join the military out of desperation (for money, for education, to get away from a bad family situation) and idealism (serving their country, protecting their values, learning useful skills). And I think that both people who are currently serving and veterans deserve better from their government. Being aware of the flaws in your own organisation is a good thing; blind faith in your leaders isn’t.

This might be something you personally don’t agree with but I don’t actually like the government. I try vote for the lesser of two evils and whoever wins, even if I prefer them, I will still challenge them and hold them accountable, because I fundamentally do not think that most people in power are going to do good things unless we as people force them to. That’s how I see politics, and that obviously affects my view of the military. The military is a tool of the government, it fulfils the aims of its leaders and these aims are so often those of imperialism and control and even fascism.

I understand why people might want to join, I really do. If I wasn’t considered too disabled, maybe I would have done it too, for a stable job and good pay and if I’m honest, a bit of excitement. As a nursing student, I’m going into a job that I know may well be bad for my mental health and I’m putting myself at physical risk too in order to try to help people. And that’s worth it to me, I get that, but I also know that I work for an organisation that despite its flaws genuinely exists to help people and do good. I’m sure some people feel that way about the military, but I don’t.

I am also aware that some things are getting better with regards to discrimination and abuse, but the military still has incredibly high rates of sexual assault, racism and homophobia, and often these crimes are not properly investigated and people are not held accountable.

Obviously an organisation that is focused on the physical is going to have a big focus on physical health and ability, but that in itself means that it becomes an organisation that selects people who can be useful as tools and then uses them until they break. Even if people do sign up for it and willingly take on the risks it’s still an environment that dehumanises you and makes it easier to dehumanise others and hurt others.

I’m not saying that the military doesn’t fulfil a useful purpose sometimes, but I do think that certain goals can be achieved with a less militarised force (such as aid and disaster relief). I also just think that war is bad and I understand the need for defence, but that budget isn’t going towards actual soldiers to improve their salaries and their living conditions, it’s going towards equipment that can kill people.

I’ll admit that I’ve been listening a lot to the ‘what a hell of a way to die’ podcast which is hosted by veterans who used to think the way you do but got out when things became intolerable and are trying their best to save other people their experience. And I know that not everyone will agree with that perspective, but that’s my opinion based on things I’ve heard and read and you are welcome to disagree, respectfully.