I don't think it's healthy or good that we lionize those who serve in the military [View all]

[cali]

I am NOT suggesting that it would be good if we demonized them either. By and large, they're young men and women like other young men and women in this society. They're entrenched in a military culture that sends them terribly mixed messages. They bring with them into the service cultural biases and in many cases educational deficiencies.

By lionizing them and insisting that they're heroes we do them, and ourselves as a society, a serious disservice. We continue to send out fractured messages: They're heroes, ergo any wrongdoing is either not true or it's reflective of so tiny a minority of those serving that it's inconsequential. Heroes are good, ergo any war we engage in is worthy. The young people serving in the military are the best of the best.

So no, those serving aren't heroes any more than there peers who aren't serving. They're just kids in a bad system. And yes, I think our military is a pretty lousy system becomes it's almost wholly an aggressive and not a defensive entity.

And I don't mean to insult any of you who served or are serving. I know that there are exceptions. I'm not wholesale anti-military. I'm just anti a military that's postured in the aggressive stance the U.S. Military has assumed.