[pdonis]

> there's so much PTSD/cognitive dissonance that the human brain and body is now forced to endure post-service

Combat is traumatic by its very nature. Of course many people who experience it are going to have PTSD, just like with any other traumatic experience.

As for "cognitive dissonance", anyone who has been through a particular harrowing experience is going to have some difficulty dealing with people who not only have never had the experience, but devalue it because they don't understand it. The only way to fix that is to (a) teach civilians that people who volunteer to serve their country in the military deserve respect, not disdain, and (b) teach our political leaders that they need to not use the military unless it's really necessary, so that the public will support such usage instead of protesting against it.

[scrum-treats]

> but devalue it because they don't understand it.

No one is devaluing it. I'm certainly not. Rather it is highlighting that humans are vulnerable, by genetic design. And it requires actual help to reprogram the brain. To take on the burden alone is quite a difficult and insurmountable task.

For your (a) and (b) you are definitely entitled to your opinion on how you want to be viewed and treated in the world. This is very much the same as women arguing that men should not have a say over their bodies; bodily autonomy is a human right, not a right reserved for only white men.

[pdonis]

> humans are vulnerable, by genetic design. And it requires actual help to reprogram the brain

Sure, I'm not disputing this at all. I'm just pointing out that this has nothing whatever to do with the military being a cult. It has to do with the nature of the military as an occupation. The military is certainly not the only occupation that has traumatic experiences as an expected part of service, and that needs to have a plan in place to deal with that.

> For your (a) and (b) you are definitely entitled to your opinion on how you want to be viewed and treated in the world.

It's not a matter of my or anyone's wanting to be viewed a certain way. It's a matter of understanding as a country why we have a military at all and what it is for, and holding our political leaders accountable for making appropriate use of the military and giving it the support it needs.

[scrum-treats]

> I'm just pointing out that this has nothing whatever to do with the military being a cult.

So, it actually does. One must "de-program", meaning to unravel previous programming, such that the brain can learn a new wiring for existing. It's very much linked to the previous "training"/"programming" one endures via the military.

The military is not unique in this regard. We also see this with religious groups, self-help groups, and even in corporate environments. We're humans and we are vulnerable by default. And that's a beautiful thing that in my opinion needs to be preserved as we face this AI-interjection in our lives.

> It's not a matter of my or anyone's wanting to be viewed a certain way. It's a matter of understanding as a country why we have a military at all and what it is for, and holding our political leaders accountable for making appropriate use of the military and giving it the support it needs.

I agree that leadership making irrational decisions at the expense of humans, humans that are committed to protecting our country, needs urgent attention. It's disrespectful and can lead to catastrophic loss of life for service members. It causes unneeded pain for families. I agree.

[brightlancer]

> (a) teach civilians that people who volunteer to serve their country in the military deserve respect, not disdain,

Why? What if someone feels neither respect nor disdain but mostly indifference?

What if someone treats each active member or vet as individuals, to be respected or disdained based upon their past and present behavior?

You're trying to swap one prejudice for another. So, no.

[pdonis]

Indifference at an individual level is not necessarily a problem. Nor is exercising individual judgment.

However, as a matter of public policy, our current treatment of veterans, to put it bluntly, sucks. The VA is underfunded and overworked, and many vets do not get the kind of support they need and deserve after risking their lives. The only reason the government can get away with that is that there is no political pressure to fix it.