It’s like in Catch-22 when Lieutenant Scheisskopf thinks that it’s in vogue to march with your arms barely moving, and no one knows any better.
These soldiers spend their days doing important work to defend our nation.
The U.S. military has done nothing to defend their “nation” for over 100 years. They ONLY defend the corporate oligarchs’ ability to steal resources and use slave labor in third world countries.
Lmao yet Ukraine still stands thanks to American intelligence and military apparatus.
I’m not even an American but this kindergarten sentiment on Lemmy is so exhausting.
And then promptly fucked right out of peace negotiations immediately after signing the resources deal. Fits perfectly well with
They ONLY defend the corporate oligarchs’ ability to steal resources and use slave labor in third world countries.
It’s possible that you’re overestimating the US contribution
Are you suggesting that kindergarten political thought is somehow less valid? You must hate children!
Yeah you get a lot of these ‘moral purity absolutists’ with all the nuance of an edgy teen. Some of them, or course, are edgy teens, but 100 years is a super odd choice even so. You’d think by the time they were 13 they’d have heard of at least one war that came pretty close to defense against a malign hegemonic power with ambitions of global domination…
It really reminds me how I felt when I was an edgy 16-year old but luckily for me social media wasn’t really a thing yet so it didn’t bother anyone.
Looking at the conflicts they have been explictly or covertly involved in, it does seem like they are attempting to create a hegemony. That’s not to say that some good doesn’t get done along the way but it is more of a byproduct than the intent.
But… Ukraine falling to Russia would strengthen the US’s military (and cultural) hegemony over the western world. If this truly was the rationale behind the US’s involvement in Ukraine, everything we’ve done thus far would make absolutely zero sense. Strengthening Ukraine and spurring investment into the home-grown EU defense industry only serves to weaken our position as the lynchpin of NATO. A better justification for US involvement in Ukraine is that this is a great opportunity to starve Russia’s economy by forcing them into conflicts they cannot economically support (which was much the same strategy that lead to the collapse of the soviet union).
It’s also a great opportunity for Russia to starve the US economy by getting them involved in conflicts it cannot economically support. And the US is far more overextended due to other conflicts.
You might have a point if the US were fighting in Ukraine, but… we’re not? We’re advising the Ukraine army, sharing intelligence we’d be gathering anyways and giving AFU a bunch of export weapon systems we found by rummaging around in the pentagon’s couch cushions. This has been a spectacular opportunity for the US because it costs us almost nothing, yet what used to be considered our biggest opponent is teetering on the brink of cultural and economic collapse. Seriously, even if Kiev were to fall tomorrow NATO would be no-contest the victor. Nobody cares about the bear any more.
You might have a point if the US were fighting in Ukraine, but… we’re not?
Yes, we’re just sacrificing their lives for the realpolitic of weakening Russia, which is also bad.
we found by rummaging around in the pentagon’s couch cushions… it costs us almost nothing
Lmao, y’all actually believe this shit.
The US spends nearly a trillion dollars a year on the military, more than the next nine countries in the world combined. Every government program designed to actually help people gets cut to feed more money into the war machine. It’s no wonder we have “military equipment between our couch cushions,” because military equipment is what virtually all our tax money goes towards, when it’s the reason we can’t have things like free healthcare or higher education. Notice how we never seem to find money between our couch cushions for those things?
what used to be considered our biggest opponent
Did it? Who considered the Russian Federation a bigger opponent than the PRC?
is teetering on the brink of cultural and economic collapse
Looked in a mirror lately? The US just elected Trump, in part because people think he represents an alternative to the disastrous establishment policies that pour endless money into pointless foreign wars, and to an economy that is working for fewer and fewer people. Seems like “on the brink of cultural collapse” describes the US to a T.
But moreover, the whole American Empire is falling apart around us. Every year, more and more countries that are just as significant as Ukraine are choosing to make deals with China, to start trading and cooperating with them instead of us. Because the US is trying to rule the world through force and intimidation, while China is manufacturing consumer goods and building hospitals and infrastructure for developing and middle-income countries - the things we won’t even build domestically. Who would want to side with us when you can look at our domestic situation and see that it’s declining and awful? If that’s the best we can provide our own citizens, then what could we offer to other countries?
If I were an “accelerationist,” like people sometimes baselessly accuse me of, I would 100% support spending more on the military and getting involved in these stupid unwinnable conflicts all over the world, dumping endless amounts of money towards any situation we can use bombs and not sparing a penny for actually making anyone’s life better, because those self-destructive policies will ensure the downfall of the US more than anything else could. The problem with that being, the US is likely to start WWIII in that scenario, the more clear it becomes that the military is literally the only tool that we could possibly use to maintain hegemony, since it’s the only thing we spend money on.
Oh boy. Only have time for a top three, so in no particular order:
Who considered the Russian Federation a bigger opponent than the PRC?
… Literally everyone. China was aligned as a ‘follower’ of the Russian Federation’s geopolitical lead prior to russia’s utter stomping in Ukraine. Was it incorrect? Well, obviously. But the image of the great russian bear was the specter keeping the western world up at night.
Looked in a mirror lately? The US just elected Trump
A blatant whatabboutism but just to address it: The US will be fine (diminished geopolitcally no doubt, but still in a powerful position) after this all gets sorted out internally. We survived the last trump admin, we’ll come through this one too. This just isn’t the fall of the roman empire like oh so many people are claiming, politically it just doesn’t even resemble it.
building hospitals and infrastructure for developing and middle-income countries - the things we won’t even build domestically.
I… what? We opened half a dozen hospitals in my state alone last year. Additionally, you know the US has been the world’s largest source of charity and investment in developing nations for decades, right? Look you’re repeating lines from some seriously anti-china propaganda here and it’s a little weird. You know about trump canceling USAID and why that’s bad, right?
There’s lots of things to criticize the US on (and it’s something I do all the time, lets be clear) but you clearly don’t know what you’re talking about.
(Okay, honorable mention because I just can't with this shit:)
when it’s the reason we can’t have things like free healthcare or higher education.
The reason we don’t have healthcare is fascism, not “military spending taking all the money”. We could 100% have free uni and healthcare without reducing a cent to the pentagon’s budget. In many states we even have (limited) free healthcare, entirely funded by state budgets. You’re just repeating bullshit right-wing talking points like they’re objective truth, but with a lefty spin on them.
Lmao yet Ukraine still stands thanks to American intelligence and military apparatus.
Which they provide exactly as long as they profit exponentially from it. Dont pretend like the US would provide foreign aid out of generosity.
I am of the mindset that a good thing done for selfish reasons is still ultimately a good thing done.
Me too, but that still doesnt contradict the comment above drmoose’s
I never said it did, I’m just offering perspective.
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I’m sure they felt very proud being brought on and ordered to march on display like trained monkeys.
defend our nation
From what?
I thought it was in unison but it certainly didn’t have the giant goose stepping.
We’re there soldiers in WW2 cosplay? I’d be so embarrassed.
Yeah! They need to do important stuff!
Like point guns at me while I’m going to the grocery store!
Military doesn’t do that, that’s for cops after they get out of the military.
Except when deployed when the police are “overran”.
Yeah, the military’s job is to point guns at people when they’re going to the grocery store in other countries, primarily.
Oh, so who was the guy in digital camo standing next to the grey armored vehicle doing that?
Because im pretty sure that wasn’t a cop; he looked like he might’ve actually know how to use his gun.
Edit: did not see crayons, but it was a few hours after lunch and there was a pretty nice art supply store nearby.
Cops have camo and rifles. I genuinely don’t think the army has vehicles any color other than green, tan, and woodland camo.
Did it look like this?
More sidewalk colored. Different hat? I think?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lenco_BearCat
Those were cops.
Nope. Wasn’t that.
Im aware of what a cop looks like. I have been outside.
At this point we have a rough time and im not going to identify vehicles for location. Not gonna dox myself harder than i already have.
He’s about to get out and become a cop.
No. Like i said; he was holding his gun properly.
National Guard maybe? Officially they are not military though. Edit: Yes they are I was wrong sorry
Marines have also been deployed
National Guard ARE part of the military, they wear U.S. military uniforms and are deployed to U.S. invaded and occupied countries like Iraq.
They are officially civilians, no? I know they can be called up into active service but outside of that…
They do both. The band “We gargle military balls” made a song about it.
Sorry I misremenbered their name.
They can dEfEnD oUr NaTiOn against brown peasants, but can’t march in step because they apparent forget how to do so after basic training? Shit, it’s been over 20 years since my military service and I’m 100% sure I could still manage to march in step
Who fucking cares?
Sounds like it was too loud to hear the cadence by the reviewing stand. I don’t think it was an ability jssue or an apathy issue.
Even then you’d expect them to be able to march in step with each other even if they can’t hear some cadence.
Like I said in another comment, I think it’s just more likely they did the bare minimum because they absolutely didn’t give a fuck about being performing monkeys for King Trump
edit: I was in the military for years. I don’t understand how some of y’all make marching in step and in formation sound like fucking quantum physics
It’s certainly possible and even likely that there were people marching who just didn’t give a fuck or were purposefully marching like shit, but as somebody who’s served and marched plenty, you’d be surprised how quickly things get messy. It’s easy, sure, but it can get out of hand quickly.
If one person goes out of step, especially with no cadence cues, those behind follow the one who’s fucking up either consciously or subconsciously. Then the one who’s leading the out of step march shuffles to get back in sync, forcing everybody behind them to have scramble to shuffle back into step. It’s a domino effect.
Like I said, I won’t say it’s not possible that you’re right, but if you were to watch any marching group you’d see people out of step in almost every case. Regardless of if they wanted to sabotage Trump’s parade in this case, most of the people I served with wouldn’t want to intentionally make their unit look like a bag of hammers - which sloppy marching does.
I think a lot of people are over analyzing this but like I said, it’s still possible that what you believe is true.
You need some kind of cue to keep in step. If you can see the other guys feet, that helps, but often tinted you can’t. The sound of yourself matching helps, but without some occasional cadence, or other governing factor, the speed of the match tends to change in a collective sort of way. My BMT platoon would get faster as we marched, unless the DI shouted at us occasionally.
I was only in JROTC 20+ years ago and I’m pretty sure I can march in step.
I just think it’s odd that they’re not wearing class A’s or even B’s
When I was in 20+ years ago they didn’t even want us stopping for gas off-post in our BDU’s on the way home from work
Wearing white parade gloves in that uniform also just looks weird
I would bet money that this was a protest of their own. They didn’t want to be shown as North Koreans and be used as a tool like that. I appreciate what they did.
I thought that was weird, too. I wonder why?
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Last time they did a parade was back in '91 after the first Gulf War, they wore a combat uniform then as well but also wearing their LBE
But that was just after the ending of actual major combat operation, so it wasn’t entirely out of place to wear the desert uniforms that were worn for that particular theater of operation
I’m not sure why they chose combat uniforms for Trump’s parade, maybe Trump requested them or it was a bargaining olive branch to the troops from the brass to try to keep participation high since dress uniforms are much less comfortable to wear in parades and require more effort on the part of the soldiers to prep
I know we always did our best to avoid those kinds of events that required them
My assumption was to try and make the troops look more menacing as a message to places like LA, really hoping for an NK dear leader style ass kissing but just got to hear the squeaking of a Sherman instead.
It’s been over 20 years since I was in marching band and I could absolutely do it. But not play a woodwind. That takes practice…
I can play a woodwind just as well as these guys were marching.
Same, but whacking stuff with a stick is generally easier
That may be; but how many of those people just didn’t fucking care because of the dress and deportment of leadship?
I mean personally I think that’s more likely to be the real reason – they mostly looked they just didn’t give a flying fuck and didn’t want to be there.
I just find these justifications of “well they’re busy defending our nation so they don’t learn marching” idiotic
Go to a concert and you might hear people clapping along to a song. All they have to do is meet their hands at the proper time, at speed. Some people are a half second off, and they don’t have to maintain distance, stave off boredom, or consider their stride. Humans kinda suck without practice
One of the ships I was posted had to have the entire crew practice marching before a parade for freedom of the city. But we had come off of deployment not long ago.
I find the parade itself more than idiotic. It’s anti-American and counter to our very principles.
Fuck how they marched. You can have your comments but holy shit it pisses me off that you’re focusing on how they marched instead of on the abject evil forcing them to do it in the first place.
If they’re all really so unhappy to do this, I’m not saying they should do a coup… but I’m not not saying that, either.
Lol they’re pro military just to make Trump’s joint celebration with the military look bad
On a fucking Saturday too. They wanted to be with their loved one probably.
I woulda filed a chit for gastro or something.
The way the marines, in particular, marched… no. That was sloppy and looked intentional.
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I mean, if they’d been ordered eyes right and present arms, they would’ve.
But they probably didn’t plan for him to salute so no one knew what to do and just walked on by.
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A real President, sponsorships notwithstanding.
Lol he did approach his problem with science and eventually was happy with the solution, but in the interim he also sentenced the person that proposed the scientific solution to death against gladiator and only changed his tune when someone illegally filmed the unexpected plant growth so 5/10
What we are seeing right now is how a society sleepwalks to that point.
Trump’s parade was sponsored by Coinbase.
That was my point. A president standing in front of logos with a world on the brink of collapse around him. The only difference in Idiocracy is that when everything got real shitty Dwayne was still willing to try “science” whereas I’m sure the fascists would rather drink brawndo until they died to “own the libs” than admit change was required so they could eat.
Saw a short video of an ex drill instructor saying your first week in boot besides getting oriented and shit was learning to march. You dont ever forget it. That if it starts getting sloppy, the seargent or whatever starts saying left, right, left to coordinate again. The guy said it was very intentional .
Yeah, I did basic training decades ago, and could probably do it right with maybe an hour-long refresher course. Even without that I’d probably be be fine just marching, it’s more the “eyes left”, “present arms”, handling turns, etc. that would need work.
That said, you tend to follow someone’s lead. From what I remember, they declare it like “by the left, quick march” and that means you’re marching at a standard “quick” pace and you’re lining up with whoever’s to your left, and the left column follows the person in front of them, so basically led by whoever’s in the front-left position of the formation. That means if people to your left, or people on the left-most column are out of step, it will have a cascading effect through the ranks.
But yeah, it’s pretty standard to call out the march, and they’d definitely do that if they cared.
What’s also funny is that at one point as the soldiers were marching past, they were playing “Fortunate Son” on the PA system. Now, that’s massively ironic given that the song is basically about Vietnam-era draft dodgers who used their family’s wealth to get out of Vietnam service like Trump.
But, making it worse is that the song has a slightly faster pace than your typical rock song at 135ish BPM. The US military generally marches at 120 BPM. It’s actually really hard to hear a song at 135 BPM and march at 120 BPM. That’s why generally marching music is at 120 BPM so you march to the beat. The result is that some soldiers kept marching at 120 BPM, others adjusted to match the song, and it all generally looked like shit.
I learned to march in basic in '96, I promise you it stays w you.
The entire thing screamed humiliation display more than anything else. And the anything else was like a half assed shitty commercial for military equipment. They had actual soldiers playing dress up for no fucking reason while wasting a fuck ton of money the VA could’ve used. Just despicable all around.
Intentional
Didn’t North Korean military slap US military with their dick on their faces for years? Isn’t that the reason a North Korea exists at all?
