[davedx]

> I suggest that the Europeans should get over their moral reservations about military industries quickly

Which of us Europeans are you referring to exactly?

Sweden joined NATO and many countries in the bloc have increased spending. In the Netherlands we sent fighter jets to Ukraine to try and help in the war against Ukraine.

This comment is just downright ignorant and condescending. I guess this is how Trump voters view Europe though?

[flumpcakes]

I agree - and what's funny is that according to this blog it was the US community that rejected US MIC companies, and the EU community didn't reject the EU MIC company.

[dralley]

We're commenting on a long essay about making tech conferences hostile to any kind of defense contractor presence, that prefaced itself with a "content warning" simply because a handful of defense contractors were mentioned. That kind.

That obviously doesn't represent most Europeans, and of course there are many Americans that hold similar views. But I do also think it's true that Europe still hasn't really "woken up" to the scale of the problem on their hands.

On spending, most nations that don't directly border Russia are only barely meeting the goals they set forth a decade ago and they're doing so at the last possible moment, to say nothing of the complete inadequacy of that goal given the largest war since WWII is now happening at their doorstep.