People are getting it wrong about Hegseth. He wants a "warrior aesthetic," not "ethos."

[MineralMan]

Everyone has to have an aesthetic, from what I understand on TikTok. There's always a new aesthetic trending over there. Hegseth is hoping his "warrior aesthetic" goes viral and leads all the trends.

Yeah, that's the ticket...

[niyad]

1. Ahhh, now I understand. Isn't he the guy who put a make-up studio in his

office? As a tv personality, "the looks" would be the important thing.

[MineralMan]

3. Exactly. Hegseth wants to be an influencer.

All those tattoos and stuff. He loves it!

[niyad]

35. The first time that I ever encountered the word "iinfluencer" was in a

mystery novel. The con man/government asset has gone undercover to retrieve somebvaluable information. His business card identifies him as a "social media influencer influencer", which cracked me up. Of course, that was before I had any clue exactly what they do. Scary.

[AverageOldGuy]

31. And he claims to knock out 50 push-ups every morning.

I’m 81. I do 100 every morning.

[niyad]

32. You don't want to know the images "knock out 50 pushups" put in my

way-too-imaginative brain, even without alcohol.

[bucolic_frolic]

2. Google AI explains the difference, but I'm still confused....

"Aesthetics is concerned with beauty and perception, while ethos describes the fundamental character or beliefs of a person, group, or culture. Though distinct, the two can influence one another, as seen in how a group's ethos shapes its aesthetic expressions. "

The nuance between them is not resonating for me.

[MineralMan]

4. The Look Sells the Reality

That's rule #1.

[harumph]

5. My nephew when he was younger once commented that the Nazis "looked cool."*

He was talking about the tailored Hugo Boss uniforms of the officer class. That would be considered part of the Nazi aesthetic.

The Nazi ethos can be summarized as "Blood and Soil."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_and_soil

There is the thing that people espouse or act within - an ethos - and the various ways in which it non-verbally signals itself to the world.

That's a very incomplete way of differentiating, but one that I fall back on.

*Note: nephew no longer holds that view

[haele]

6. Operative word there is "can"...

Someone with an ethos that values innovation, exploration, and curiosity can embrace an aesthetic that reflects time periods or movements. with those values such as Steampunk or "Retro" (Mid-Century Modern).
But, I'd like to know what Kegsbreath thinks a Warrior Ethos is? Having spent almost 40 years of my life in or working with the military, I'm not getting Warrior vibes from him; I'm getting Gym Warrior Wannabe vibes from him.

[MineralMan]

10. Yes. Hegseth exudes something, but it is not warrior vibes at all.

The tats didn't work, either. He just doesn't have it, so he has to fake it.

[RedWhiteBlueIsRacist]

7. Chest thumping is just chest thumping, no matter how it's packaged with flowery words. Apes gonna ape!

[orangecrush]

8. I seriously doubt

That is what the upcoming "meeting" is about.

[yardwork]

9. I think you give Hegseth too much credit.

He's a moron who seems to care only about appearances. He's very preoccupied with his appearance and the appearances of other men.

[MineralMan]

11. That's the point, exactly.

Thanks.

[orangecrush]

23. I hope you're right

[yardwork]

12. The entire Trump administration has serious MH issues.

Personality disorders, people with secret lives, sex and drug addictions everywhere.

They are not well. Trump finds them because they have weaknesses and secrets, and they're selfish and greedy.

They're a collection of the worst humanity has to offer.

[orangecrush]

24. THIS

[vapor2]

28. Well said!

[niyad]

33. MH?

[yardwork]

37. Mental health issues.

I'm not blaming people for being ill, but their characters are sick too. They chose the dark way.

[Ocelot II]

13. Kegbreath seems unduly concerned with the appearances of other men.

[MineralMan]

15. So it seems.

He has no real substance in him. Just appearance. He's going to try to sell that concept to a bunch of old soldiers. It's going to be a very hard sale.

[Ocelot II]

17. Will he order new uniforms?

Some uniforms from the old days had a kinda snappy look that he'd love.

[MineralMan]

18. Very Spiffy Duds, to Be Sure!

I do wonder why they all have one hand in their coat pocket. Are they playing with their guns in there?

[Ocelot II]

21. I think it's called pocket pinball...

[MineralMan]

22. LOL, yes.

[yardwork]

38. Ya think?

[D. Spaulding]

14. Yes, we know from reports and the Signal chats, he gets off

on the power the idiot gave him. He wants a photo for all the RW echo chambers, of him in front of large numbers of these high ranking military leaders, that are at his beck and call and that he has command over.

[MineralMan]

16. I wonder if he's able to detect contempt from other people.

If so, this will be a shocking gathering for him.

[Ocelot II]

19. I really don't think he recognizes contempt, or even can even imagine the concept

as applied to him or Dear Leader. He probably interprets all those eyerolls and sighs and looking at watches and phones and side-eye glances that occur when he's present as expressions of fear and respect.

[MineralMan]

20. I think you're probably right about that.

[Hey Joe]

25. Whenever I see that poser in his ill fitting suits

that are too tight and too short, I think
of the models in Gentlemen’s Quarterly magazine. All made up pretty with his hair just so…
Like he just walked off the set of Fox news.
He tries way too hard but fails to convey anything but…Look At Meeeee!
This whole administration is right out of reality tv.
Warrior Ethos indeed

[MineralMan]

26. To me, he reads Incel.

Especially if you can see his tattoos.

[Starbeach]

27. Pictures

They want pictures of a mass gathering of military officers in rapt obedience, Kim style. And Heg presiding; hard to believe Dapper Don can stay away.

[AverageOldGuy]

29. I know two Medal of Honor recipients

I served 28 years in the Army, Vietnam vet, retired in1995.

I lived next door to an Army MOH recipient for four months before I learned of his award. He had his medal framed in his small, private back of the house study. Quiet, studious guy.

After retiring and moving I did a lot of volunteer work alongside a Marine MOH recipient for several months. He was proud of being a Marine and occasionally, when a few of us were reminiscing, he talked of Marines he knew who were killed in Nam. Never once mentioned his MOH. Learned about it in the local newspaper when he was named Grand Marshall of July 4 parade.

To say Hegseth makes me puke is an understatement.

[Buns_of_Fire]

30. Remember this, my warriors, and remember it well:

[flashman13]

34. What the drunken piss ant Guard major really wants is to lord his position over star officicers. What could go wrong?

[MineralMan]

36. Yes.

Putting a Guard Major over those seasoned Generals can't possible sit well with them. It has to quietly burn in their minds to listen to him handing down stupid orders that make little or no sense.

What the reaction will be, I do not know.

[Initech]

39. I just want these fucking psychos and their shitty news networks out of the White House. For good.

[niyad]

40. And not wasting oxygen anywhere.