3 ms·

This is a Canadian publication, and as you might note in my other sibling comment, most every reputable American source I could find used "veteran" rather than

This is a Canadian publication, and as you might note in my other sibling comment, most every reputable American source I could find used "veteran" rather than "hero."

lotsofpulp 7y ago
Ignoring this specific article, there is still an excessive obsession with military in the US that I don’t see in any other developed “western” country.
- austincheney 7y ago
  To be fair other developed countries, with exception to China, do not spend what the US spends on its military as a percentage of their GDP. Many NATO members, for example, contribute less than their required percentage of GDP on national defense. https://time.com/4680885/nato-defense-spending-budget-trump/ https://time.com/4680885/nato-defense-spending-budget-trump/ There really does seem to be a correlation with the supposed excessive obsession of a nation's military praise to the percentage of funding allotted to that military. I don't consider praise to be excessive obsession though.
  - lotsofpulp 7y ago
    There’s praise, and then there is national anthems at every sports game, military jet flyovers, military personnel standing at the side of sports games or holding a huge flag, people caring about kneeling or what others do during national anthems, etc. All obviously recruitment tactics. Especially when many times, it’s been proven that your country is the aggressor working in the interest of profit for private entities. I’m as patriotic as anyone else, I don’t need to sing a song or display a piece of cloth with certain colors and designs on it. My problem is that if you don’t bend over for these meaningless gestures, then you get branded as unpatriotic or worse.
    - austincheney 7y ago
      The national anthem is not a military symbol or related to the military and neither is the national flag. Perhaps interpretation of symbols is the cause of this confusion. > My problem is that if you don’t bend over for these meaningless gestures, then you get branded as unpatriotic or worse. I suggest worrying less about what ignorant strangers think.
      - lotsofpulp 7y ago
        They are when they’re used as advertisements at the beginning of a sports game. And it’s necessary to worry about what ignorant strangers think if you want to win in politics, or end up in a situation like this: https://myfox8.com/2019/08/06/man-accused-of-fracturing-13-year-olds-skull-for-not-removing-hat-during-national-anthem/ https://myfox8.com/2019/08/06/man-accused-of-fracturing-13-y...
- neilv 7y ago
  I suspect there are a variety of reasons for respecting or promoting military (including some cynical ones), but I'd like to say a few you might agree are positive: * Especially in some areas, there's a positive idea of service and duty, and wanting to do good, and some people join up to the military for that reason, and others support it for that reason. (Even if you disagree with some military actions or practices, you can still understand that people might be motivated to join by admirable ideas.) * I've heard that, as US people returned from the Vietnam War, some were met with animosity and condemnation. I can't fully imagine what it was like to experience horrors of war, and then also be rejected when you come back home. Separate from all the other questions of wars, I think we realize that treatment of people returning home was very wrong, and don't want to do that to anyone. * The US generally values some kinds of heroism. For example, firefighters have been revered since before 9/11, and not for any cynical reasons I can think of. I don't know how this compares to other countries, but I speculate there might be some overlap of reasons between US respect for firefighters and warfighters.

This is a Canadian publication, and as you might note in my other sibling comment, most every reputable American source I could find used "veteran" rather than "hero."

lotsofpulp 7y ago

Ignoring this specific article, there is still an excessive obsession with military in the US that I don’t see in any other developed “western” country.

austincheney 7y ago
To be fair other developed countries, with exception to China, do not spend what the US spends on its military as a percentage of their GDP. Many NATO members, for example, contribute less than their required percentage of GDP on national defense. https://time.com/4680885/nato-defense-spending-budget-trump/ https://time.com/4680885/nato-defense-spending-budget-trump/ There really does seem to be a correlation with the supposed excessive obsession of a nation's military praise to the percentage of funding allotted to that military. I don't consider praise to be excessive obsession though.
- lotsofpulp 7y ago
  There’s praise, and then there is national anthems at every sports game, military jet flyovers, military personnel standing at the side of sports games or holding a huge flag, people caring about kneeling or what others do during national anthems, etc. All obviously recruitment tactics. Especially when many times, it’s been proven that your country is the aggressor working in the interest of profit for private entities. I’m as patriotic as anyone else, I don’t need to sing a song or display a piece of cloth with certain colors and designs on it. My problem is that if you don’t bend over for these meaningless gestures, then you get branded as unpatriotic or worse.
  - austincheney 7y ago
    The national anthem is not a military symbol or related to the military and neither is the national flag. Perhaps interpretation of symbols is the cause of this confusion. > My problem is that if you don’t bend over for these meaningless gestures, then you get branded as unpatriotic or worse. I suggest worrying less about what ignorant strangers think.
    - lotsofpulp 7y ago
      They are when they’re used as advertisements at the beginning of a sports game. And it’s necessary to worry about what ignorant strangers think if you want to win in politics, or end up in a situation like this: https://myfox8.com/2019/08/06/man-accused-of-fracturing-13-year-olds-skull-for-not-removing-hat-during-national-anthem/ https://myfox8.com/2019/08/06/man-accused-of-fracturing-13-y...
neilv 7y ago
I suspect there are a variety of reasons for respecting or promoting military (including some cynical ones), but I'd like to say a few you might agree are positive: * Especially in some areas, there's a positive idea of service and duty, and wanting to do good, and some people join up to the military for that reason, and others support it for that reason. (Even if you disagree with some military actions or practices, you can still understand that people might be motivated to join by admirable ideas.) * I've heard that, as US people returned from the Vietnam War, some were met with animosity and condemnation. I can't fully imagine what it was like to experience horrors of war, and then also be rejected when you come back home. Separate from all the other questions of wars, I think we realize that treatment of people returning home was very wrong, and don't want to do that to anyone. * The US generally values some kinds of heroism. For example, firefighters have been revered since before 9/11, and not for any cynical reasons I can think of. I don't know how this compares to other countries, but I speculate there might be some overlap of reasons between US respect for firefighters and warfighters.