The US military makes me ashamed to be an American
I think the US military is a disgusting entity. I just feel like everything about it is is antithetical to life and the values our country was founded upon. When military recruiters come to schools and try to get kids, some as young as 14, to join their cause, it makes me want to throw up. In my mind, our military is like an instrument of death. It projects US hegemony over the entire world, keeping them too weak and disunited to ever stand a chance against us or the chokehold American corporations have over them. A million people died in Iraq because of our being there. We're funding a genocide in Gaza and gave equipment and training to Guatemalan troops that led a genocidal campaign against the Maya. And it was just a few months ago that we struck an Iranian school and killed nearly 120 schoolgirls. To me, those things are unforgivable, and the leaders of the US military should be tried in an international court and sentenced to life.
I also don't understand why Americans feel such a strong obligation to respect our military and our veterans. It's sad to say, but no, our veterans did not fight for our freedoms or the freedoms of any other people. They've robbed millions of their jobs, dignity, rights, and lives since WW2. I want veterans to receive benefits just like I want everyone in the US to, but I don't feel like they deserve anything special. It might sound cruel, but that's just really how I feel. And I feel like because I think that way I can never express it in public or people will just get extremely mad. Why don't we honor teachers, doctors, nurses, diplomats, humanitarians, or peacemakers? Those people represent my values infinitely more than a solider.
I hope some other people agree with me, but I'd like to see what you guys think. Is there ever a way we can have a productive conversation about the horrors of the US military-industrial complex? Or is it just always going to devolve into a shouting match.