Dont let em get you down Tez. Its always been my opinion that if you really look at the overall picture of the types who like to look down on soldiers you will find that they are 99.9% males who never served themselves. They will say that it was because they were too smart, or too wired into the reality of life...etc. etc. but I think theres more.
I think its an ego thing to justify some sort of repressed regret for never having stepped up themselves. Much like many guys seem to like to poke at cops. Guys have that "pecking order" thing hardwired and even if they can rationalize a denial of it the soldier, cop ...or anybody else in whats percieved as an "alpha male" role...there seems to be some need to knock them down so you feel better. A lot like some guys overboard homophobia is likely expressed to reinforce their insecurity in their masculinity.
PS-This is not to say that ALL those who never served fall into this category. The vast majority of guys who didnt enlist have no issues whatsoever with insecurity because of it...it was simply a choice. Some of the bravest, toughest and best people I know didnt serve.
But many...espically in the "warrior" Martial Artist crowd...seem to fit the bill. In my experience the types also seem to collect many weapons, motorcycles, study military history, like to do the "navy seal workouts", focus on the "I can shoot better than most cops" thing....
Again, I myself fit into many of those categories. Im just trying to flesh out a "type" that I seem to find. Take that as you will...Im no sociologist/psychologist, and I could very well be projecting, because I joined up in part because as a young man I felt like I was "less" than my buddies who enlisted, so instead of living a life of regrets, wannabeism and "could have been"...I just went and "did".
I could make a comment about "pacifiers" or some such, but why bother?
There are people on this planet that have sincere beliefs and are willing to stand up for those beliefs even if they aren't the same beliefs that you hold dear. You can make up stories about these people and people could make up stories about people who say things like you said.
For instance, a retort could look like, "people who think things like that above are really just upset because they never had the moral backbone to stand up for anything good that was unpopular. Cowards!"
Where does that leave everyone?
I admit, I started this little tiff because I jumped in with some strong beliefs and didn't bother preface them with enough information. I am sorry for that because I realize that makes me come off as a condescending jerk.
What I would like everyone to realize is that I am sincere about what I beleive and about why I beleive it. I want to see Peace in my lifetime and I want to see the sacrifices we make for war turned to bettering humanity.
I also realize that this is going to take questioning of a lot of cherished beliefs and that people are going to have to think of war and how war is financed in a different way. There's a lot of learning that needs to happen. People need to understand how war and international finance connect. They need to understand how both of those connect to public education. They need to understand how our society suffers because of what we sacrifice for war. Being ignorant of these things is not something that needs to be judged. It just is.
All of this stems from a deep spring in me. If you are really interested, I could tell you that story. The bottom line is that my life has given me a perspective that is different then a lot of people and this is based off of many of the attachments that I've formed. This is how it happens for all people regardless of logic.
In the meantime, I keep moving foreward with what I need to do in order to accomplish my goals. Coming here to talk about things isn't the best use of my time, but I have found community here and I do value that.
Anyway, I still believe what I do and I respect you for what you believe. Lets just listen to each other and see what happens.
