Join the army, fight for democracy (extreme Capitalism)
Join the army., defend a nation that refuses any form of public support (socialism will cost millionaires and trillionaires a tiny tiny tiny proportion of their wealth)
Yep. I hate to say it, but the system is rigged to push people into serving.
I grew up in a relatively rural part of the south. Among the people I went to high school with, most of the ones who managed to get their lives in order by their 30’s either:
Came from money, or married into money.
Had a degree, no student debt, and a nice VA loan to buy a house.
The idea that one can just work hard and opportunities will come is a myth. A lot of brilliant people I knew from high school deserved better than they were offered. I was at least able to go to college and suffer through the process of earning an advanced degree, and now at my age am just barely beginning to pick myself up out of literal decades of struggle. But there are amazing people I know who deserve that shitty overpriced piece of paper way more than I do, yet never even had the option.
But then when you hear that Kevin, the D student who used to sell weed beneath the bleachers, now has a degree, a good job, and a nice house because he enlisted and spent 4 years deployed in Korea just monitoring radio equipment…it’s a bit demoralizing.
I’d like to say that my decision not to enlist at least puts me on some sort of moral high ground, but we’re all basically complicit in the violence of capitalism at this point just by doing whatever we do that keeps the machine running. I never had to worry about the guilt of killing brown people in the desert, but my taxes still bought the guns.
I don’t think the mere avoidance of military service inherently makes someone a good person, though. It’s not as though we uphold Donald Trump’s draft avoidance as a virtue, for example.
I try to be a good person where I can. However, the mere circumstances of my life and the social system I grew up in, and which I remain complicit in, will certainly disqualify me from being considered a good person under someone else’s standards. I regret that, but I also accept it.
I’m just trying to eke out a sufficiently stable life for myself in the remaining time I have on Earth, during a moment in time where that is becoming less and less viable or ethical to do.
Join the army, fight for democracy (extreme Capitalism)
Join the army., defend a nation that refuses any form of public support (socialism will cost millionaires and trillionaires a tiny tiny tiny proportion of their wealth)
The tragedy is: join the military and get 3 square meals a day and have your education paid for. You just need to risk everything.
Yep. I hate to say it, but the system is rigged to push people into serving.
I grew up in a relatively rural part of the south. Among the people I went to high school with, most of the ones who managed to get their lives in order by their 30’s either:
Came from money, or married into money.
Had a degree, no student debt, and a nice VA loan to buy a house.
The idea that one can just work hard and opportunities will come is a myth. A lot of brilliant people I knew from high school deserved better than they were offered. I was at least able to go to college and suffer through the process of earning an advanced degree, and now at my age am just barely beginning to pick myself up out of literal decades of struggle. But there are amazing people I know who deserve that shitty overpriced piece of paper way more than I do, yet never even had the option.
But then when you hear that Kevin, the D student who used to sell weed beneath the bleachers, now has a degree, a good job, and a nice house because he enlisted and spent 4 years deployed in Korea just monitoring radio equipment…it’s a bit demoralizing.
I’d like to say that my decision not to enlist at least puts me on some sort of moral high ground, but we’re all basically complicit in the violence of capitalism at this point just by doing whatever we do that keeps the machine running. I never had to worry about the guilt of killing brown people in the desert, but my taxes still bought the guns.
think about all the ptsd and moral injury you’ve avoided. When you meet new people you can present yourself as a good person without it being a lie.
I don’t think the mere avoidance of military service inherently makes someone a good person, though. It’s not as though we uphold Donald Trump’s draft avoidance as a virtue, for example.
I try to be a good person where I can. However, the mere circumstances of my life and the social system I grew up in, and which I remain complicit in, will certainly disqualify me from being considered a good person under someone else’s standards. I regret that, but I also accept it.
I’m just trying to eke out a sufficiently stable life for myself in the remaining time I have on Earth, during a moment in time where that is becoming less and less viable or ethical to do.