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This was a very interesting post and I liked a lot of it so I won't talk about that part. You mention "This subject pains me the most, especially when I hear c

This was a very interesting post and I liked a lot of it so I won't talk about that part. You mention "This subject pains me the most, especially when I hear civilians talking about service people in a negative light when they see violence in particular". At least in the US, it is taboo in most circles to criticize soldiers. All the people I have met who have served in the military, including my brother in law, are extremely kind, selfless people. But there are also soldiers who commit war crimes. We need to be more open talking about the military and the use of violence, not less.

jariel 6y ago
Yes, the people in the forces vary as much as any group no doubt. The thing that 'pains me' - is that some groups of people simply cannot comprehend the notion of 'duty'. They have an inner cynicism that is so deep, that they cannot believe the notion of 'True Boy Scout'. It's not possible in their worldview. I'm not referring to civilians legitimately concerned about 'war crimes', I mean to say, civilians who think that 'soldering = murdering' and that's it, i.e. the 'only people who sign up must just want to be killers' or something along those lines. The 'excessive violence' problem - which will happen - this is altogether another thorny issue. There, it's much more understandable that civilians have a hard time grasping how 'someone was killed' and that it's not outright murder, that the situation is more nuanced when you put 19-year olds with guns 1/2 across the planet and ask them to do hard things. I respect Michael Jordan's style and am willing to give him the benefit of the doubt from what I saw. He was a hyper-exceptional pushing hyper-exceptionals, who probably saw himself as the center of the universe ... but I don't see arbitrary or demeaning behavior, rather, a hyper-competitive attitude. It takes a different worldview I think to see how his behavior is within the range of normal.

jariel 6y ago

Yes, the people in the forces vary as much as any group no doubt. The thing that 'pains me' - is that some groups of people simply cannot comprehend the notion of 'duty'. They have an inner cynicism that is so deep, that they cannot believe the notion of 'True Boy Scout'. It's not possible in their worldview. I'm not referring to civilians legitimately concerned about 'war crimes', I mean to say, civilians who think that 'soldering = murdering' and that's it, i.e. the 'only people who sign up must just want to be killers' or something along those lines. The 'excessive violence' problem - which will happen - this is altogether another thorny issue. There, it's much more understandable that civilians have a hard time grasping how 'someone was killed' and that it's not outright murder, that the situation is more nuanced when you put 19-year olds with guns 1/2 across the planet and ask them to do hard things. I respect Michael Jordan's style and am willing to give him the benefit of the doubt from what I saw. He was a hyper-exceptional pushing hyper-exceptionals, who probably saw himself as the center of the universe ... but I don't see arbitrary or demeaning behavior, rather, a hyper-competitive attitude. It takes a different worldview I think to see how his behavior is within the range of normal.