• lennybird@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    Correct me if I’m wrong but I’m going to assume you’re on the left side of the political spectrum given context here in this thread. If so, were you one when you were in the military? If not, what was it like being predominantly surrounded by these gung-ho sorts of people? There has long been part of me who feels I’d thrive in a military environment, but I don’t think I could ever have joined here. Would’ve been in some place like Germany or Canada, maybe.

    Part of the reason I ask is I went to my cousin’s retirement ceremony from the navy and booooy were some of those fuckers brain-dead MAGA morons EXTREMELY upset that the Biden administration was incorporating ethics on inclusion for trans and the like. People like this are an embarrassment to me and I wouldn’t be caught dead in a foxhole beside someone like that, depending on them with my life.

    • Zozano@lemy.lol
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      5 months ago

      Whether you’re surrounded by them depends a lot on your rank. My brother is Navy here in Australia. He’s not a clever guy, and he’s on the right.

      However, I’ve met some of the people he worked with in leadership positions, and they’re at worst centrist (or at least know how to keep quiet for the sake of being amicable)

      That’s not to say being smarter innoculates you against a culture of indoctrination, but it does seem to be strongest at the low end of the spectrum.

    • TexasDrunk@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      I don’t know about now, but when I was in the military I didn’t run into these types often. They existed, but less commonly than in my civilian life back in Podunk Hillbilly Land. Most of us were just trying to get our job done and have a good time, not generally in that order. We didn’t really discuss politics.

      My buddy lived near the nuke school in South Carolina a couple of years ago. He said the folks that came out drinking from the school were not what you’d think. There were activists trying to bring about change and give a voice to the students, at least one enby, some cornfed cowboy dude that was very protective of his gay friends to the point of fighting a civilian over drunk comments, and a douchey looking guy who hung out with them.

      • lennybird@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        Well that’s honestly nice to hear. It seems at least under dems the military is really trying to attract a different sort of people; I know they have goals to recruit more highly-educated people from the outset.