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originally posted by: ecapsretuo
The recent disclosure that the Department of Defense pays major leagues to display patriotism came to me as little surprise.
originally posted by: ExNihiloRed
a reply to: M4nWithNoN4me
Let's get rid of Memorial Day and Vererans Day while we are at it....
originally posted by: troyof69
originally posted by: ExNihiloRed
a reply to: M4nWithNoN4me
Let's get rid of Memorial Day and Vererans Day while we are at it....
Hopefully this is sarcasm. Memorial day and veterans day are they only two for us vets. Although memorial day, originally was for remembering the fallen soldiers who were killed in battle, it has now been overtaken by civilians remembering everyone who has passed.
In my opinion, this article is way out in left field. Comparing military service to sports is just dumb. I don't get the link I guess. Understandably the government wants to keep the military funded very well. As for those of us who come home, the government and most people wish we would just disappear. We are warriors that have been trained in the art of war. So to make us feel a little better, they parade us at sporting events, parades, etc... but they still hate ys, hate us because of who and what we are. We are what they asked for, demanded the use of, now we're just supposed to go away. The military is nothing like sports, neither is war. War is hell. And it has its affects on everyone involved. Sports doesn't have that effect. I haven't watched sports in over 20 years. Too much life to live. Who wants to sit for hours watching this? Not me. I know I'm kinda rambling now. Too many thoughts and not enough time or space.
originally posted by: BeefNoMeat
A conspiracy? A well-funded program of propaganda to recruit naive young men and women??
originally posted by: Sremmos80
Alternet isn't really that great of a source either, they are a bit biased.
originally posted by: M4nWithNoN4me
I've always been a little uncomfortable with the ubiquitous 'Honoring' of veterans at sports events. And being a big baseball & hockey fan, I've seen it many times. I always felt it was in poor taste and cheapened the sacrifices soldiers make, but I wasn't sure exactly why, just that it rubbed me wrong. This article puts a very fine point on those feelings.
Link to source article at alternet dot org:
www.alternet.org...
I believe equating military service and war with sports can be a dangerous and deceitful thing. Here's a powerful excerpted paragraph from the article-
"War is not a sport. It is about killing. It is dirty, messy and deeply demoralizing. It brings with it trauma, lifelong wounds, loss and feelings of shame and guilt. It leaves bleeding or dead bodies on its fields. The pay is lousy. The working conditions are horrific. And those who come back from war are usually discarded. The veterans who died waiting for medical care from Veterans Affairs hospitals could, if they were alive, explain the difference between being a multimillion-dollar-a-year baseball star and a lance corporal home from Iraq or Afghanistan. At best, you are trotted out for a public event, as long as you read from the script they give you, the one designed to entice the naive into the military. Otherwise, you are forgotten."
I've attempted to carefully bring this up for discussion only a couple times with family and friends, and the results haven't been good... once, the situation came VERY close to a physical fight. And I'll admit that not being a veteran myself, I feel a little out of place voicing an opinion, like maybe I haven't earned that right. After all, if the vets are fine with this practice at large sporting events, who am I to tell them it's not right, or that it might be done for the wrong reasons? But the article is very well written, and at the very least, is sure to make people question a few things. And there's nothing wrong with that.
Thoughts?
PS- Wasn't sure exactly which was the proper forum for this. If any mod feels it's better suited to a different place, please feel free to move it.
originally posted by: SouthernForkway26
Team sports and the military have a lot in common. Both are groups of people pushing their limits in their role as part of a team, working for something bigger than themselves. Young fighting age men are the main participants in professional sports. Juxtaposing sports and military service helps with recruiting.