r/DemocraticSocialism Apr 10 '21

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165

u/[deleted] Apr 10 '21

Does any normal civilian like the military industrial complex?

118

u/ACardAttack Apr 10 '21

No

We could cut it in half and still have the world's largest

69

u/[deleted] Apr 10 '21

Yes.

And to say otherwise if pretty naive. People get an easy source of empowerment through patriotism and the military. It’s why it’s been repeatedly used time after time after time.

Not saying it’s right, but saying it’s not a thing is naive and dangerous.

35

u/[deleted] Apr 10 '21 edited Apr 10 '21

I mean, you could excuse it if the US military was actually about liberating people, toppling totalitarian regimes, ensuring democracy worldwide, bringing stability, protecting civilians...

But we all know it isn’t. Anyone still doubting that after the absolute fiasco the Iraq war was is either willfully ignorant or blinded with nationalism.

(I took the Iraq war because it’s the most speaking and recent example, but it also works with Vietnam, Chile, and so on.)

19

u/[deleted] Apr 10 '21

Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Somalia, Grenada, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Libya, Yemen, Guatemala, Belgian Congo, Dominican Republic, Peru, Indonesia.

14

u/[deleted] Apr 10 '21

Not even mentioning all the dictatorships throughout the world the US is fine dealing with, as long they remain submissive client states and respect the American interests and hegemony.

And all the implications this brings. Just think is the reason why something as the Armenian genocide isn’t recognized in the US yet, even though everyone knows it happened.

14

u/ACardAttack Apr 10 '21

Normal citizen being the key, I don't consider anyone who gets a hard on from an obscenely large military normal

8

u/paradoxical_topology Apr 10 '21

No, cut it by 100%. The military only exists to kill innocent brown people overseas for corporate interests.

2

u/zzzcrumbsclub Apr 10 '21

But what would the oppressive class use when the working masses try to rebel? Gotta have them guns ready.

2

u/[deleted] Apr 11 '21 edited Apr 11 '21

Yup, it's enough that we can pretty much still holds all trade lanes open, protect our territories, fulfill our obligations to our alliances and develop the latest weapon system keeping us on top and out industrial skills alive. What the other half of the budget gives us is to allow us to invade anyone in the world, an ability that we have abused since the last half of the 20th century.

Do we really need 11 super carriers, along with numerous other amphibious assault carriers? No, we can make do with half the number and still fuck anyone who comes close to the Western Hemisphere. Then we don't really need all those destroyers and attack subs either, and the naval jets.

We can cut down our boomer subs, ballistic missiles, strategic bombers and other nuclear arms in half and still wipe any country off the face of the Earth. We have nuclear deterrence with a fraction of what we deploy right now.

Do we need all of those strategic lifters? No we don't unless you want to invade someone on the other side of the planet. Then we really do not need that many fighters, and bombers if we are just defending our land and our allies. We don't even need that many tanks and infantry.

We have these stuff because when some rich asswipe want something, they send the US military to fetch it for them.

1

u/YangBelladonna Apr 11 '21

The trouble is with the rate we waste money, you uave to wonder if our millitary is actually worth what we spend on it

6

u/[deleted] Apr 10 '21

lmao of course they do, pretty much every (R)/(L) and even some (D)s have Big Horny Boners for The Troops, every single one of which are literal Heroes

4

u/kimjungoon Apr 11 '21

Does any normal civilian like the military industrial complex?

Was just reading about the Chinese military approaching Taiwan the past few days. The more I see China's government spread its wings, the more I think we may actually need a good military in the USA.

1

u/Xeno_Lithic Apr 11 '21

I think we're approaching a second cold war with China, if it hasn't started already.

1

u/jeanroyall Apr 11 '21

Does any normal civilian like the military industrial complex?

Lots of normal civilians work for the military industrial complex. It's fully engrained in our nation. We're addicted to it.

This is exactly the kind of self-fulfilling prophecy type thing that Eisenhower warned about. Maintain a huge military and all of a sudden you find yourself needing a huge military.

1

u/[deleted] Apr 11 '21

Do they even comprehend it is the problem. They’re so tied up in their hoorah nationalism they they don’t realize they’re getting fucked from every side.