The Energon Pub

Respect for the vets online. I generally have a strong respect for military vets and those still serving online but what is really getting on my nerves is when they use their service to try and get to get sympathy from others or to get me to agree with them on issues that I don't agree with and probably never will.

Now if you serve or are still serving your country then thank you and bless you from the bottom of my heart.

But don't think by being in military or by shoving your military record in my face is not going to get me on your side of the argument.

It won't.

If you say something stupid, wrong, or something that I don't agree with and I'll tell you so and in no uncertain terms.

I'm disabled but I try not to shove it down other people throats, if I do bring up I only try to explain to my take on the world but don't expect me to use it to try and get sympathy.

The military life was fun but I also lived it as a wife of a soldier. I have never come across anyone who used militay service as a way to get sympothy though, even the guys that come back with limbs missing never seem to go after sympothy. Hopefully you will have no further problems with that.

If you don't mind me throwing a few bones of discussion into this thread since I can see it being read by most of our veterans, I'd be interested to know what those of you who have served in various militaries consider to be 'military service'. For example, would paramilitary groups such as The Sons of Liberty, the Cuban revolutionaries that overthrew Batista, the Irish Republican Army, or the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam be considered 'military' service? I don't want to stir an ethical debate on whether any of those groups are right or wrong, but just whether such action constitutes military service.

amudpiewtea wrote:The military life was fun but I also lived it as a wife of a soldier. I have never come across anyone who used militay service as a way to get sympothy though, even the guys that come back with limbs missing never seem to go after sympothy. Hopefully you will have no further problems with that.

I've had no problems here but at another board with a simlar forum where vets use their miltary service to get people to join their side of debate and quite frankly it's getting on my nerves.

Military service can serve to give weight to a person's belifs. Like John Mcain and torture. He's seen it first hand, so I'm inclined to listen to what he has to say regarding it. But it does not automatically make a person right.

I have actually seen people use military service to try to win arguments. Case in point: I reviewed a book for Amazon called "Broken Under Interrogation". It's execrable. I mean, even on sentence-level.

Now, the background: I served for four years in the Army, as an interrogator. We did...stuff. I received a medical discharge and still don't quite walk right thanks to it (if you see the chick at Botcon who gimps the left leg--that's me). I also have a PhD in literature, meaning my one possible discernable skill in life (beyond interrogations) is telling if literature is good or bad. I wrote a review that was, ummm, negative.

The author of said book wrote a long and nasty comment basically implying that a) I was obviously too stupid (I mean, like, obviously) to appreciate his genius and b) that I didn't have any right to judge since I'd never been a soldier. (Oh, he also tried to prove I was a racist because he somehow didn't catch onto the fact I was referring to his age and inexperience). The desire to drop a ginormous dime on his proverbial butt was immense, but I didn't really want things to devolve to a 'your Bronze Star, my Purple Heart' schlong-measuring.

So, yeah, it happens. Considering in that case that my job was to review his book, I think I'm entitled to my opinion, even if I didn't have military experience--a book is an aesthetic artifact, and that's, well, whuts I does. His military service (which he crowed about at length) may make him a hero. It does not necessarily make him a brilliant writer. That's my standard stance: military service may prove you're a great person, or have put your life out there for values and ideals; but it doesn't guarantee you're all things to all people.

And sympathy? Please. As a gimpy, PTSD special myself, I despise sympathy. I don't blame the cruel, cruel world, an unfeeling Uncle Sam (though I'm not fond of the VA), or even myself for what happened. I don't want to take anything away from people who suffer more severely than I do (I can still walk, I have adapted to insomnia and waves of depression, but I can hold down a job and function), but I really really despise the people who fake it for sympathy. Read _Stolen Valor_.

HK, whose purple pen of prose correction is notorious.

Jeep? wrote:If you don't mind me throwing a few bones of discussion into this thread since I can see it being read by most of our veterans, I'd be interested to know what those of you who have served in various militaries consider to be 'military service'. For example, would paramilitary groups such as The Sons of Liberty, the Cuban revolutionaries that overthrew Batista, the Irish Republican Army, or the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam be considered 'military' service? I don't want to stir an ethical debate on whether any of those groups are right or wrong, but just whether such action constitutes military service.

I think that's a very good question that deserves a thread of its own. I guess it would depend on your point of view - or who eventually won. After all, my guess is that the British government didn't consider the American military to be a true military force during the American Revolution - at least, not until after Yorktown.

Getting back on subject, I think it shouldn't matter who you are or what venue you use for your discussions - you should show respect to everyone, whether they share your opinions or not. Until they're complete a-holes, then you just ignore 'em.

People deserve respect until they prove otherwise. People who do jobs that I can not or will not do, deserve it even more so. People who willingly risk their lives so I can live in my little affluent egocentric bubble where my greatest concern is that I've had to reload my save game are wonderful people deserving of all the positive reinforcement I can provide.

So police, fire, EMT, National Guard, and Armed Forces, you all deserve a great thank you

Blackwind wrote:So police, fire, EMT, National Guard, and Armed Forces, you all deserve a great thank you

That's pretty much how I feel. Unfortunately, there are bad apples everywhere, but I never thought about joining the military seriously in any capacity. Not that I am afraid, it's that I know myself and know that I probably don't have what it takes. On the original topic, I d think it's selfish and despicable for an ex-soldier (regardless of rank, medical disability, etc. ) to simply imply they're right because they served in the military. But I do have utmost respect to most veterans, especially knowing not all of them are treated as they deserve by Veterans Affairs. Though I have no pity for them, because I think to them pity is insulting. I think they value the recognition of their service and respect to their willingness much higher.

Cyberstrike wrote:Respect for the vets online. I generally have a strong respect for military vets and those still serving online but what is really getting on my nerves is when they use their service to try and get to get sympathy from others or to get me to agree with them on issues that I don't agree with and probably never will.

Now if you serve or are still serving your country then thank you and bless you from the bottom of my heart.

But don't think by being in military or by shoving your military record in my face is not going to get me on your side of the argument.

It won't.

If you say something stupid, wrong, or something that I don't agree with and I'll tell you so and in no uncertain terms.

I'm disabled but I try not to shove it down other people throats, if I do bring up I only try to explain to my take on the world but don't expect me to use it to try and get sympathy.

Amen I ran into one of these guys on the Rockband forum he was the most ignorant person I had ever seen in a forum.