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I had a high school friend whose dad subscribed or collected issues. As a childhood fan of Rambo and Metal Gear Solid, I have to admit there was a certain allur

I had a high school friend whose dad subscribed or collected issues. As a childhood fan of Rambo and Metal Gear Solid, I have to admit there was a certain allure to the idea of a trade rag for mercenaries. I imagined there might actually be a mostly amoral gun for hire whose only peorgative is to get enough cash to pay for his disenfranchised daughters college fund as a way to find his way back into her good graces after a divorce. The guy can rebuild a sniper rifle from scratch but forgot his wife’s birthday. Etc. The movie writes itself. However the Persian Gulf war and Blackwater demonstrated that the reality of soldiers of fortune is likely more mercantile and corporate than it is mercenary and curmudgeon. And more recently the reality of so-called soldiers of fortune are Jan 6 Doughnut Militia LARPers. At least the 80a fictionalized version of the solider of fortune ideal was some kind of curmudgeoningly politic-neutral stasis, with short term cash as the only North Star, which made survivalism a more interesting and inviting idea. Nowaways engagement with the idea of survivalism is a quick red pill deep end dive into the rabbit hole of alt right wacko conspiracy theories. I don’t have a point except to say that the allure of the illusion of the solider of fortune magazine is way more interesting than the reality. Maybe that was always true, but it seems like getting back to that ideal, such as it was, is a hard turn from politics - and yet everything seems infused with politics these days.

rsynnott 2y ago
> At least the 80a fictionalized version of the solider of fortune ideal was some kind of curmudgeoningly politic-neutral stasis, with short term cash as the only North Star I mean, this magazine was never that. > Brown [founder] worked closely with the chief recruiting officer of the Rhodesian Army, Major Nick Lamprecht, on using Soldier of Fortune to recruit white American men for the Rhodesian Army. Lamprecht wrote in an article in Soldier of Fortune urging white American men to come to fight for Rhodesia, writing that: "Rhodesia has many things to offer. Good Rhodesian beer, a friendly populace, and what I would describe as a free and easy, unhurried way of life, lots of wide open spaces" Generally, back in the day, they seem to have taken a strong neo-colonial/anti-decolonisation line; no idea what they're at now. But, politically neutral, not so much.
- superultra 2y ago
  I didn’t capitalize or italicize the phrase so I can understand the confusion, but in that sentence I was referring to the ideal from which the magazine clearly benefited. And in that case, the ideal, not the magazine, I’d argue that the fictionalized ideal was definitely depicted as some kind of apolitical, down on his luck, “good guy.” Essentially an evolution of the lone range cowboy gun for hire. I haven’t read this yet but the abstract of this article at least seems to also suggest that characterization is correct, though of course totally fictional: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/358238712_Mercenaries_at_the_movies_representations_of_soldiers_of_fortune_in_Mexico_and_the_Congo_in_American_and_European_cinema https://www.researchgate.net/publication/358238712_Mercenari... It’s that ideal I’d suggest that made reading the magazine rather fun as a kid, the geopolitics lost on me.

rsynnott 2y ago

> At least the 80a fictionalized version of the solider of fortune ideal was some kind of curmudgeoningly politic-neutral stasis, with short term cash as the only North Star I mean, this magazine was never that. > Brown [founder] worked closely with the chief recruiting officer of the Rhodesian Army, Major Nick Lamprecht, on using Soldier of Fortune to recruit white American men for the Rhodesian Army. Lamprecht wrote in an article in Soldier of Fortune urging white American men to come to fight for Rhodesia, writing that: "Rhodesia has many things to offer. Good Rhodesian beer, a friendly populace, and what I would describe as a free and easy, unhurried way of life, lots of wide open spaces" Generally, back in the day, they seem to have taken a strong neo-colonial/anti-decolonisation line; no idea what they're at now. But, politically neutral, not so much.

superultra 2y ago
I didn’t capitalize or italicize the phrase so I can understand the confusion, but in that sentence I was referring to the ideal from which the magazine clearly benefited. And in that case, the ideal, not the magazine, I’d argue that the fictionalized ideal was definitely depicted as some kind of apolitical, down on his luck, “good guy.” Essentially an evolution of the lone range cowboy gun for hire. I haven’t read this yet but the abstract of this article at least seems to also suggest that characterization is correct, though of course totally fictional: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/358238712_Mercenaries_at_the_movies_representations_of_soldiers_of_fortune_in_Mexico_and_the_Congo_in_American_and_European_cinema https://www.researchgate.net/publication/358238712_Mercenari... It’s that ideal I’d suggest that made reading the magazine rather fun as a kid, the geopolitics lost on me.