General Discussion

Selatius

(20,441 posts)

14. Americans are taught to respect and defer to authority too much.

Reply to Great Caesars Ghost (Original post)

Tue Dec 4, 2012, 06:02 AM

Dec 2012

It's one thing to honor the dead and those who fought and bled for the Bill of Rights and freedom, but we're dealing with a culture that is too prone to abuse from authority figures on high.

We tell everybody to be respectful of authority and conveniently forget to question that authority. There's nothing wrong with volunteering for military service, but on the other hand, there are a great many things wrong with the military-industrial complex that those men and women are finding themselves in.

Predominant attitudes appear to be a product of corporate propaganda, in my opinion. Many of the same shareholders who sit on the board of directors of these defense companies also sit on the boards of news companies and television companies. NBC is a great example, being owned by General Electric.

Such a culture could lead down a path that no Founder would wish to see.

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Hey, Does Anyone Else Think We Kinda Respect the Military Too Much Maybe? [View all] Great Caesars Ghost Dec 2012 OP

I REALLY did not like what Stone did, but they should NOT have been fired. That's pretty much patrice Dec 2012 #1

+1 JoeyT Dec 2012 #7

That woman lost her job because she worked for a place that fires people regularly. MADem Dec 2012 #26

You are right. That also explains the rather unusual attack upon her & her friend. patrice Dec 2012 #42

The irony is that this placed is associated with a "hoity toity" private school that caters to MADem Dec 2012 #44

I worked for something like that for a couple of years. Our main job was to see to it that our patrice Dec 2012 #49

Generally, I don't think we respect the military "too much" brokechris Dec 2012 #2

I think we do respect too much, and I agree with you that in this situation Lionessa Dec 2012 #3

How can we respect people who are willing to give their lives JDPriestly Dec 2012 #4

I stand by JDPriestly. Promethean Dec 2012 #5

Thanks, Promethean (for your service & for your honesty)... Ghost Dog Dec 2012 #39

Absolutely. We don't respect our sailors and soldiers at all, but we worship the military, Egalitarian Thug Dec 2012 #6

Exactly. People over expensive weapons. Serve our Veterans after they have served, we don't bluestate10 Dec 2012 #46

Exactly. How we treat them is another in a long line of national embarrassments. Egalitarian Thug Dec 2012 #48

Yeah, and I am tired of hearing Rachel Maddow crow about them. Bonobo Dec 2012 #8

Well said!!! n/t RKP5637 Dec 2012 #30

+1 n/t Smarmie Doofus Dec 2012 #33

I find all forms of hero worship to be sickening. Comrade_McKenzie Dec 2012 #9

No. Especially considering that for all intents and purposes, we live in a Police State. DeSwiss Dec 2012 #10

Yep, it has become a 'soft' police state and on its way with just the right mix of TPTB to RKP5637 Dec 2012 #31

Thank you. DeSwiss Dec 2012 #53

Yep, very lonely, very lonely indeed! RKP5637 Dec 2012 #54

Empire Godot51 Dec 2012 #11

I am anti-war, thus I am pro-soldier Union Scribe Dec 2012 #12

There's a big difference between the military machine-which is a part of the corporations hobbit709 Dec 2012 #13

Americans are taught to respect and defer to authority too much. Selatius Dec 2012 #14

Extremely well said! And in our new culture of STUPID many just don't care to see RKP5637 Dec 2012 #32

In A Related Issue... WiffenPoof Dec 2012 #15

I could not agree more. SQUEE Dec 2012 #25

Common to every authoritarian militaristic regime in modern history. Any of those articles you Egalitarian Thug Dec 2012 #47

TLDR (nt) harmonicon Dec 2012 #16

Feeding the war machine and respecting those who serve are two different things. AngryOldDem Dec 2012 #17

Yep, and AlexSatan Dec 2012 #27

Regardless, they should NOT get more time to vote Patiod Dec 2012 #18

We need to shrink the military till dreamnightwind Dec 2012 #19

... SammyWinstonJack Dec 2012 #20

It's not respect, it's an overreaction to poutrage JustABozoOnThisBus Dec 2012 #21

Ok, I looked but could not find why singing is banned at the Parthenon. lonestarnot Dec 2012 #28

It seemed dumb at the time JustABozoOnThisBus Dec 2012 #55

Of course, and the sign didn't say the crap may collapse on you if you sing LOL. Glad nothing lonestarnot Dec 2012 #61

Why are soldiers any more important than coal miners? Logical Dec 2012 #22

I believe you need to snip. Dark n Stormy Knight Dec 2012 #23

My local town does a great job of playing favorites. Baitball Blogger Dec 2012 #24

My one gripe is the Military has become a huge money maker in this country and abroad. And often RKP5637 Dec 2012 #29

I don't. No special status, respect or automatic hero tag as far as I'm concerned. bowens43 Dec 2012 #34

Can you ever respect anyone too much? sarisataka Dec 2012 #35

It's a bogus and dangerous way for the left to find common cause w. the right. Smarmie Doofus Dec 2012 #36

I wouldn't even say it is the military in this case treestar Dec 2012 #37

I respect soldiers who are soldiers for the right reasons.... lastlib Dec 2012 #38

Hmm no we don't nadinbrzezinski Dec 2012 #40

There are many in the military that I have absolutely no respect for. progressoid Dec 2012 #41

As a member of a Navy family I say slackmaster Dec 2012 #43

You mean the military that played vital support roles Downtown Hound Dec 2012 #45

+1000 Great Caesars Ghost Dec 2012 #57

Yes; extreme nationalism, torture camps, wars for profit, huge chunk of GDP just1voice Dec 2012 #50

My father and my uncle and their wives are buried at Arlington. The young woman southernyankeebelle Dec 2012 #51

Respect is one thing; and a good thing. But I think we have come to fetishize our military. Aristus Dec 2012 #52

Exactly this FightForMichigan Dec 2012 #56

I agree. Aristus Dec 2012 #58

We were just as militaristic before WWII Nevernose Dec 2012 #60

Have a source for that chart/list? dreamnightwind Dec 2012 #65

Here it is Nevernose Dec 2012 #67

Just now saw your post, thanks for the link - nt dreamnightwind Dec 2012 #68

It's not respect that's the problem; it's glorification. alarimer Dec 2012 #59

Exactly loyalsister Dec 2012 #66

Knee-jerk reaction for too many SoCalDem Dec 2012 #62

Nnnnnnnnnope cherokeeprogressive Dec 2012 #63

Way too much thoughtless jingoism, IMO. HereSince1628 Dec 2012 #64