Why Do We Value Soldiers Over Scholars?
I came to a realization recently when I was watching a Baseball game that invited soldiers onto the field during the national anthem. It made me wonder why as a society we value soldiers as much as we do, especially since we have debatably not been in a war that would have threatened our native soil, since World War II. Soldiers provide little value to no value to the world, yet they command respect from almost every age group and anyone who disagrees is seen as a traitor. On the other hand scholars, who are slaving away experimenting, testing, inventing and overall adding value to mankind as a whole earn almost zero respect. Here are just some of my thoughts on the subject.
The Government Propagates Soldiers as Heroes
If you watch any type of sport, you will know that many of the commercials are for various branches of the military’s recruitment. The commercials are usually always the same, portraying a soldier as a modern day knight in shining armor, protecting everybody from harm and keeping the country safe. They make believe that every soldier that joins will be doing noble work and making the world a safer place, but of course that isn’t true. Yet still, thousands a year sign up with the idea that they will be doing something meaningful and genuinely helping people. Parents tell their kids how proud of them they are to be the parents of a soldier and how much their country appreciates them.
In reality the government couldn’t give a shit about a single soldier or what they think. When you join the army you conform to the beliefs of your country and you do whatever you are told without hesitation. The goal of the armed forces is to breed a complacent army of grunts they can throw into a meat grinder for political gain. To them you are expendable, so why do we continue to support these organizations?
There is a reason that low IQ individuals do well in the army and it is because they don’t question orders or dwell on the repercussions. Bomb a house filled with children? Sure ill do it. Disregard all rules of engagement and shoot any civilian who moves? Sounds good! For the majority of soldiers intellect has little benefit over conformity and brawn. Those who do think outside the box or actively speak up against their orders don’t last long.
Scholars as opposed to soldiers are actively adding value to the world in ways unimaginable, but receive no respect from the public. People take for granted that when they want to connect with their friends they can send them a text or if they get sick they can take a pill to cure everything. Who do you think did the research and development behind these things? The fact is that for the vast majority of time soldiers have done nothing but lower the quality of life for human beings while scholars and researchers have greatly increased it. Still we don’t parade our scientists in front of the country as shining examples of human achievement. Because being a scholar isn’t sexy, but they are the ones really down in the trenches doing work with value.
There is a large disconnect between what the public appreciates and what we need them to appreciate to advance as a society. We need to stop glorifying soldiers and start appreciating those who actually work every day to make sure we live a happier and healthier life. I think as long as the government continues its aggressive foreign policy though, these things won’t change. The government will always have a growing need for those willing to act without question, now and especially in the future if things continue as they are now.
-Calaber24p
Photo Citations
(https://www.pinterest.com/pin/511440101403787134/)
(http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Stormtrooper_Corps)
(http://www.playbuzz.com/emgqov10/are-you-more-of-an-artist-or-a-scientist)
I think you need the BS appreciation in order to get people to do it. Scholars are attracted to the real benefits, like the pay or the joy of what they're working on.
They need people with the type of mindset who will follow orders, like you say. If they pay enough, they start to attract more clever people. People who are more likely to realize it's all BS and are going through the motions for the payday. And this is less efficient for them to manage, it doesn't get them the ideal solider. The best "compensation" (for the people they want to attract) is to instill a feeling of adoration into the public.
Like, even it costs more to spread the propaganda than it would to just pay the soldiers a bunch of money, it still makes sense for them to spread the propaganda.
Never thought of it this way before, but not showing adoration for the troops is literally cutting at the lifeblood of militarism.
@full-measure From a nonanarchist perspective, I'll give a soldier props because the military is volunteer and this person risked death for the country. He might have been fighting a useless war, and he might have spent most of his toor drinking in Germany, but if World War 3 happened,he would have been in the thick of it, and he didn't have to do that. I live in the United States, and we're our centuries version of the Roman Empire and the reason is because our military is so strong no one would ever dare fuck with us, and I also appreciate that.
I can definitely respect an aspect of it. It's possible to have instincts that want to defend that got misdirected into the military, and it's possible to do skillful and heroic things in isolation within the framework of being in the military. I have a hard time with the "he didn't have to do it, and we need him" thing though.
We don't say that about other jobs. We need trash collectors, electricians, plumbers.. But we realize that the incentives are worth it to them and that's why they choose to do this, and that we don't need to go around thanking them for their service. If being in the military is only worth it to them when they get praised and thanked, that's indicative of a problem.
To whatever extent they provide a real service, you'd be able to attract people to the job by paying them for what they provide. If you raise the pay as the way you attract people into the military, you get your military, it's just that now you have generally brighter people who are less willing to do things that aren't actually necessary defensive things. So you get your defense, you just don't get your Iraq etc. When you thank them and give them props, you're encouraging Iraq etc., you don't need to do that for the actual service they're supposedly providing.
Amazing post
I had an instructor in college who blew my mind with an observation about the different mind sets concerning this topic. He said that where as we have tombs to the unknown soldier, in China they revere the tomb of the unknown poet. I like that shift.
Respectfully to the author (@calaber24p) and the audience, I disagree. I believe we need both scholars and soldiers.
If it was a perfect world, where disagreements were settled intellectually, calmly, and with words and not violence, then yes, there would be no need for soldiers. But this is not the world we have created, nor the social type of organism humans are. There has always been conflict throughout human history. Those without a means to defend themselves were destroyed or enslaved. So history has many lessons, which we can get into in another thread, but my basic point is "Those who ignore the mistakes of history are bound to repeat them."
First, the U.S. military is one of the most educated military forces on earth. In fact the U.S. military academies are considered some of the best universities in the world, producing leaders and people of character. US is a volunteer military and one of the few which mandates each soldier think for themselves. This is different than most other conscript forces which demand they only follow the orders above and if there are no orders, wait for them.
One of the main reasons people are enticed by the military is for the COLLEGE assistance programs. And there is a significant number of people who re-signup after their commitment is over. It is a career. One which people are passionate about. So much so, sons and daughter, grandsons and granddaughters, after seeing and understanding the challenges, also choose such a career path. They have aviators, rocket scientists, biologist, neurosurgeons, computer experts, engineers, and other incredible and highly educated people in their ranks. So let's dispel the myth these are stupid and uneducated people. These are not drafted, poor, uneducated people.
They have meaning, value, and benefit our country. They do so much, books could be written about it. Tracking down terrorists who kill innocent Americans, defend borders of our neighbors, contribute to UN Peacekeeping forces, setup Ebola treatment centers, deliver aid to countries after natural disasters, rescue ships and people from disaster, and rush to the aid of our allies who might be invaded. They are also standing guard as a defense by aggressive countries to use nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons. Yes, general public sees is what they expect to see, a foot soldier carrying a pack and rifle in some foreign country. That is easy to criticize and fabricate stories how they were tricked to do dirty work. But the reality is far different. Ask the new journalists who interview these soldiers, are embedded with their units, or ask them directly! The soldiers themselves will tell you why they are there and the value they add, not only to the people of the US, but also to the people in those countries they protect and give aid to. The US military has saved far more people than they have killed. Saved from civil war, genocide, disease, and starvation. Give them the credit they deserve.
One last point, these people and their families sacrifice. Every last one. "all give some, some give all" (true of the soldier AND their families). They have a sense of honor and commitment most people cannot even fathom. If you have never been in a life threatening situation, a real one, with brothers/sisters at your side, fearing for your life, you won't understand. It is brutal, but our soldiers, the best trained and near most educated in the world, stand together. That is something impressive.
Let the flaming begin, but I fully respect and honor the U.S. soldiers and their families, current and past, who have protected my freedoms and my family. I will stand alone if necessary in my beliefs, I don't need anyone here to be with me. I am proud to know many, work with many, and will continue to go out of my way to preserve the reputation of them as they both have Earned and Deserve it.
I respect everyone's opinions, so I am not bashing. We have the freedom to voice and believe in what we want. Ironically, that is exactly what our soldiers believe they risk their lives to protect. Our right to be free. Just ask any of them, they could be your doctor, lawyer, fireman, tech support, manager, pilot, disaster volunteer, or CEO.
@calaber24p after reading your post, I get the feeling the real issue is not with the people themselves, but more of a political statement of sending them overseas. Which is a different topic. I think we can honor and respect these men and women for their honor, duty, sacrifice, and bravery, while still questioning the political leaders decisions in how they are used.
This article has me incredibly upset, I don't know how much more of my time I will be investing in Steemit personally.
I am sorry if you feel my comments or anyone else's has offended you. The free flow of opinions, especially ones with variety, is what makes social platforms great (if we are all respectful, that is). Sharing of information and experiences can broaden the views of people who tend to only travel in limited circles and suffer from the Kruger-Dunning effect (basically people with limited understanding staying within their small circle which reinforces beliefs based on narrow knowledge) and enlighten those who may not be exposed to counter thinking and facts, which are not popular to their entrenched believes, but are true nonetheless.
Be happy we are in a country which does not sensor or outright outlaw such activities. Your voice and opinion count. Feel free to give your thoughts, beliefs, viewpoints, and why you have come to adopt them. We all have the ability to learn, teach, change, and grow.
I was referring to the article, not your comment.
@drinkzya I posted a counter-point which you might enjoy. https://steemit.com/life/@mrosenquist/are-you-bashing-the-military-do-you-think-they-are-dumb-worthless-from-poor-families-and-tricked-into-service
Btw, it's the military that created the Internet. DARPA specifically. And made a lot of other shit too. Scholars, however, made nuclear bombs. And chemical agents. And biological agents.
You have a very skewed and selective view of the world kid
Excellent points sir.
I would even take it a step further, being part of one group does not exclude you from the other. There are those who are both soldiers and scholars. We need both. How would WWII ended if we had neither? What would the world be like?
Yeah I agree. as I said in my other post, I am both
Nice
Sweet
You are right that scholars do make tons of contributions to society, mostly which go unnoticed unless it's something newsworthy. It's something we are just so used to and can't fathom going without. However, what scholars do, in retrospect, is like any other job. Of course they're more intellectually gifted, and they live a life that caters to that, but what about other societal jobs? What if there were no cops to help keep crime off the street? What if there was no waste management to keep our environment (somewhat) clean? Basically, there are tons of jobs that contribute to our everyday lives that we pay absolutely no attention to.
People laud those that put in service overseas because of what they sacrifice. They put themselves in unthinkable danger on a routine basis, live in harsh conditions, and truly realize that tomorrow is not a guarantee. All the while, they have to spend all that time away from their parents, siblings, friends, and so on. It's just a job that's a huge undertaking, and not something that just anyone can do.
So, I would say it's more out of respect as opposed to thinking they're superior to other working members of society.
I understand it is out of respect, but our government shouldn't be in lands that pose no threat to us. An army should protect its shores and for a country that does more than double the amount of military spending than most of the modern world combined, we live on an almost uninvadeable piece on land.
here here, but you'll find quite a few military empire apologists here.
Especially those that actually donated part of their lives to the empire and their wall st funded (arbitraged and profited from) wars of choice.
WE ARE AN EMPIRE.
Our so called military inhabits over 2/3rd of the planet.
If I were to ask ANYBODY here or elsewhere if they think the U.S. should rule over Earth, EACH AND EVERY ONE will say "of course not!". Then ask (the obvious) "Are we a global empire?" Again the answer is in the negative... or at the least "well, not really".
Then point to where our bases are built, nation by nation.
Nobody even realizes what they are saying anymore.
We just continue to make up dumb excuses.
AND we will deserve what is coming.
No nation surrounds another if they don't want trouble, and BOYS, we've got MOSCOW surrounded.
In case some of you haven't noticed, and no, few too few of us pay attention.
Spoken as someone clearly totally ignorant of actual military service vs what some liberal left leaning professor poured in your ear. I've walked both paths. I have served as an enlisted man in the USMC and I have Bachelors and Masters degrees in computer science from one of the oldest schools in the country, older than the country actually. The utter ignorance and disinformation with which you describe people willing to die in your place whether you agree with the reasons that bring that to pass or not is disgraceful and outright cowardice. What experience do you have to give your pandering any merit?
Disclosure: I'm both prior military and a scholar
The only addition I could think to make is this quote from Sir William Francis Butler; "The nation that will insist on drawing a broad line of demarcation between the fighting man and the thinking man is liable to find its fighting done by fools and its thinking done by cowards." (Though somewhat out of context it still seems appropriate.)
Cheers.
@hunterisgreat Oh, he doesn't have any experience. Anarchists are like communists. Everything's theoretical. In theory it'd be great if we abolished national, state and local government and rebuilt from the ground up. In practice it'd be a river of blood, but whatevs.
I see where you are coming from, but I disagree with you completely. I think people who are willing to trust and join the army if they have other available options are making a huge mistake. The majority of people in this country never asked for foreign wars that bring nothing but destruction. People dying in these conflicts are dying for no reason. If national pride makes you feel better that you risked your life for a pointless cause, then so be it.
It has nothing to do with trust of lack of options. Nothing to do with agreement with most of the wars we have been in. Nothing to do with national pride. I'm not sure at this point I can offer an explaination that you would appreciate or understand as you seem quite sure you already know the way things are.
τούτου μὲν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐγὼ σοφώτερός εἰμι· κινδυνεύει μὲν γὰρ ἡμῶν οὐδέτερος οὐδὲν καλὸν κἀγαθὸν εἰδέναι, ἀλλ᾽ οὗτος μὲν οἴεταί τι εἰδέναι οὐκ εἰδώς, ἐγὼ δέ, ὥσπερ οὖν οὐκ οἶδα, οὐδὲ οἴομαι· ἔοικα γοῦν τούτου γε σμικρῷ τινι αὐτῷ τούτῳ σοφώτερος εἶναι, ὅτι ἃ μὴ οἶδα οὐδὲ οἴομαι εἰδέναι.
"In reality the government couldn’t give a shit about a single soldier or what they think. When you join the army you conform to the beliefs of your country and you do whatever you are told without hesitation"
That's exactly why they are valued, they do as they are told to do without hesitation and might die doing it, so that other people don't have to do it (or don't have to be selected to do it... as it has been the case before) and can continue to have a normal life as an ungrateful anarchist. Basically they do the dirty jobs no one wants to do and have chosen to be expandable, so yes I think it deserves a little respect...
That's totally different from scholars, who are also rewarded for their work by the way, are better paid and have little chance to get killed while doing it.
No offense, but it seems from time to time that anarchists live in a wonderful world full of licorns shitting rainbows...
"That's exactly why they are valued, they do as they are told to do without hesitation and might die doing it, so that other people don't have to do it (or don't have to be selected to do it... as it has been the case before) and can continue to have a normal life as an ungrateful anarchist." Name a single conflict that was necessary in the last 50 years? How come there are countries with small armies that per capita have the same quality of living as the US? Our military spending is ridiculous because we are a country that flexes its arms when it wants something. We need diplomats not soldiers, and all these dumb recruits do is make us look like barbarians. We have killed 160k-180k of innocent civilians in Iraq since our invasion. To give that perspective that is more than triple the amount of US soldiers killed in Vietnam which is portrayed as one of the most deadly wars for American soldiers. I feel pity for those who were tricked into believing that they would actually help someone as a soldier, but I feel no respect towards them.
"...We have killed 160k-180k of innocent civilians in Iraq since our invasion." ~ @calaber24p
" .. improvements in combat medicine are a major reason there are so few deaths in these current wars." ~ @blakemiles84
spot the cognitive dissonance. Wars are death.
It is unbelievably troubling to read anybody write "there are so few deaths in these current wars"
military apologist, please stop.
I was responding directly to this, which is not cognitive dissonance, or me being an apologist.
There ARE relatively few deaths within the Allied militaries in comparison to Vietnam as @calaber24p mentioned and it is directly correlated with things like tourniquets and trauma medicine. I know this because I've trained in it.
Stop implying that I'm trying to justify war for the sake of ______, or whatever it is you think I'm trying to justify.
No more blanket assumptions Blake. You are correct Im jumping the gun (its a super soaker though)
But so you know, when you attribute the actions of the military to the current or past or even future presidential admins, realize those top generals, admirals, and bureaucrats are giving the orders, not taking them. Think tanks like whatever the PNAC freaks now call themselves meet at the Pentagram to discuss policy.
If we could vote out top generals, I'd be less critical of those at D.C.'s Pentagram office building. But we can't, they're there til they retire, and that's too long. There needs to be a turnover of fresh blood and ideas, because apparently they stick around so long they believe their own BS.
Here's one that tried like hell to go to war with Russia not long ago, a true "dog" of war. THESE PEOPLE NEED TO BE STOPPED.
https://libertyblitzkrieg.com/2016/07/01/meet-the-general-who-tried-to-pressure-obama-into-world-war-3-with-russia/
Lets keep in mind the pres powers are 1) the veto pen, and 2) commander in chief of the armed forces. If part two was true, they wouldn't have faced down Bill Clinton (no matter what personal judgement call you and I may paint slick Willie as, neither of us like him), when he COMMANDED them to end banning homos in the military.
Instead they said, "we'll cut you a deal..." at that moment, Bubba shoulda said "ok then, all top generals and admirals can now go home... appoint your successor and scram!"
What do you think, seriously, would've happened if he'd done THE RIGHT THING?
(oops, there's another lone gunman...)
We cannot afford to convince ourselves we live in the same land of freedom and opportunity this may have once been.
This former nation now sits atop a GLOBAL EMPIRE and it ain't gonna go too good for very much longer unless the debts are cleared.
That would mean A NEW DOLLAR. A debt free one.
BTW, the Pope wants a global jubilee, rabbis are calling for their uber shemitah jubilee.... the only guys who are resisting are in NYC/DC/LONDON/BERLIN.
NATO is the reason we'll burst into flames rather than start fresh with the proverbial clean slate.
Yeah, that would be because ... DC'c Pentagram office building and the FREAKS that work there.
Not even as a fellow human being?
Also .. improvements in combat medicine are a major reason there are so few deaths in these current wars.
hmm, are you considering the 90% civilians drone bombed?
Nope, that isn't war. We'll agree there, those are war crimes.
Being committed by... military people... obeying orders... and each one of those BOYS in Nevada flying those aircraft over Pakistan should be brought up ON WAR CRIMES as "I was just obeying orders" is not an excuse.
Here's an idea -- stop putting words in my mouth and perhaps we can have a discussion rather than a one sided game of painting me as some sort of war monger as if you a) know me, and b) know precisely how I think.
Do you know my thoughts on using the tactics you mention ? No.
Nothing you've said is a new argument or comment. I've heard all of this before, but you act as if you're schooling me in something new while assuming I disagree with you and want more civilians to die.
@djm from time to time? You mean all the time? Its like they are flying in a plane saying how they hate airtravel.
actually, they are flying in a plane and try to convince everyone in the plane they don't need the plane to fly
I don't know if scholars are better paid, some are but those are the minority. Soldiers are paid pretty well, but they have to be as they are putting their lives on the line on a daily basis.
Scholar's pay really depends on many factors, what they are experts in, what they are studying, how famous they are in their field, ect. Many scholars are only making money from government grants if they are working on something that is important but companies don't want to support it.
This is exactly right @djm34 ! This is the main point everyone misses. Scholars aren't willing to die for another stranger.
I wrote an article about this. Look upon my blog posts, and you'll see one titled "What do you do if you're trying to collect saliva from rabid dogs, and one bites you?"
Click it.
I love this story! What an Excellent observation! I thought the same thing about military. Fighting for your country. No your fighting because government wants war. The military was formed to protect its shores. What are you doing in a foreign land that did no harm to us.
I take exception to your view of Soldiers as unintelligent and of low IQ. It is one thing to question the things our society values; One may do so objectively and make arguments supporting a different perspective; It is quite another thing to assert that the military services are staffed only by those with an intelligence deficit and psychopathic and/or sociopathic tendencies. Such a view is a complete mischaracterization of those who serve.
Should you have the opportunity to observe and work with military professionals, I believe that you would change your perspective. Some of the most intelligent people I have ever met I encountered during my military career. The assertion that military service is the province of only the least intelligent is patently false. Many career fields have the same entrance requirements and training as their civilian counterparts. Even narrowing the discussion to only those in the combat arms, you would quickly find that a majority are working on college degree programs. Only a very few MAY fit your description and are often weeded out quickly.
As to your comparative analysis regarding the way that our society values scholarly work versus military service, I do not think that you have supplied any compelling evidence to support your claim.
Military folk come in many, many varieties.
And the vast majority of them made the terrible mistake of being poor--
NOT evil.
WAR IS EVIL
Soldiers are mostly not evil. Like everybody.