I’ve been thinking about this amped up conservative rhetoric that liberals and leftists hate America. We all know that’s BS. Right? Except it’s not, and we should respond to it for what it is.
“I love an America I grew up in. I love an America I believe in, that I lived most of my life in. Now, the idea of America that you’re fighting and “winning” for is killing that America I live in, that I love. So you’re right. I hate what you imagine America to be… because it is trying to murder the America that I love. And I don’t use the word “murder” lightly, and I apply it to you. And if that means to you that I hate America… then you’re right! The America you believe in isn’t lovable.”
That’s all.
For sure. Of anything good comes out of this administration, it will be cutting the world off the illusion there is anything particularly good or moral about America. But then I think any government that serves its people is fundamentally at odds with the rest of the world. The American government is for the benefit of the American people.
Of course, shitting all over the third world, creating poverty and misery and terrorism is ultimately not serving the American people, and we have fucked that up. I’m hopeful that we will be able to see that we are part of an entire world of people and that serving ourselves at the expense of others is not really serving ourselves.
This is an astute, humane realization and it would be great if taken to the logical conclusion given what the american military does to the rest of the worlds people.
The American military isn’t a monolith. I don’t know a single soldier who served in Afghanistan or Iraq that feels we served any noble purpose by being there—but of course I don’t think I’d count anyone who felt differently among my friends. Yes, we take a vow to serve the American people and put faith in our leadership knowing it is flawed. You can judge me for that, and in the end I don’t believe in any ultimate arbiter of right and wrong so from my perspective your judgement is no better or worse than my own.
I’m sure this is a great comfort to the people of Afghanistan and Iraq
OK, so why were any of you there in the first place?
Because Bush. Frankly thought he and his administration should’ve been tried for war crimes and shit but we don’t allow our leaders to be held accountable. We often don’t allow even our soldiers to be held accountable. But then, what country allows their leadership to be held accountable? If you’re lucky once someone is out of office they will be tried for corruption, we won’t don’t even do that.
The whole point of the US military is to bully, invade and bomb other countries, by joining you by definition become complicit. Clinton was already bombing Iraq, you can’t play the “I didn’t realize there’d be a war” card.
Also self defense, defense of allies, often humanitarian missions. You’re flat out wrong here.
Who’s realistically going to attack the US? Afghanistan and Iraq weren’t self-defense, there’s no argument for justifying them.
What is it about the US that makes it so unassailable?
The american military is functionally a white supremacist monolith that carries out the will of american capitalists by committing genocide regardless of how it’s soldiers individually feel before, during, and after helping commit the genocides.
Yes there is no ultimate arbiter of right and wrong. But just know that you are currently proud of helping commit genocide. That is a fact.