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During the Vietnam war that is what happened. Soldiers were treated like baby killers upon returning to the US. There was a sort of rebranding of the American
by verylittlemeat 9y ago
During the Vietnam war that is what happened. Soldiers were treated like baby killers upon returning to the US.
There was a sort of rebranding of the American solider after that catastrophe. The American citizen is now supposed to see the American solider as a utilitarian third party cog in a system where soldiers don't make decisions they just execute them. So if you're unhappy with the war you take out your disapproval on the government not the lowly soldier who is "just doing their job/just following orders" etc.
Obviously this is very ethically questionable but I'd say it's the standard attitude towards the American soldier in my experience (in group social settings with ex-military people). The military is simply the hammer, the will of the people and politics. The hammer only acts when the hand picks it up hence we're supposed to hold the hand (government) accountable not the hammer (military).
- meowface 9y agoDon't know why people are downvoting you. Your description of the perception towards the government and soldiers is completely correct. You're just stating it as it is, not justifying it or saying you agree with it.
- deleted 9y ago[deleted]
- LifeLiverTransp 9y agoWait, so a attack on a soldier is wrong- and attacking the government (aka the people in a democracy) is right? So the whole of the people view themselves as a sort of warlord?
- angersock 9y agoWhen the solider is out on the sharp end, they're goin g to make whatever policy is most likely to keep them alive modulo broad mission objectives. This had been true somewhere have been humans fighting. The time to consider the impact of this is before you deploy the solider. Ergo, to affect change, we must look at the government and not the solider.
- LifeLiverTransp 9y agoBut didnt he/she volunteer. Shouldnt then there be some conditional clauses to service- aka, i m only a soldier to this democracy, as long as it is acting in my missions in true self-defense against a unprovoked attack. Else- in theory, couldnt your goverment just rent you out to the highest bidder as mercenary and you would still have to do whatever this entity demands of you. This cart blanche of action, combined with the chance to loose your life- that is strange.
- lostlogin 9y ago> But didnt he/she volunteer. The draft saw 2,215,000 conscripted. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conscription_in_the_United_States#Vietnam_War https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conscription_in_the_United_S...