Veteran | Military
Military Vets: Stop Weaponizing Warfare Trauma
Using our warfare experience to diminish others in need is among the worst things Veterans do
It’s challenging to be a military veteran who stands for justice. Military culture is filled to the brim with authoritarian-leaning people who oversimplify complex matters, often speaking as if linear, simple answers solve everything. It gets more baffling when simple authoritarian, fascist talking points effortlessly sway soldiers who require critical thinking and analysis in their profession.
People might think that being in the military makes one right-wing and white supremacist leaning, but all it did in my 20 years of service was harden me to their nonsense. It made me a sharper debater.
Being in warfare doesn’t mean we should maintain a severe emotional immaturity; emotional growth matters.
Years ago, I had a short argument with a military-vet political cartoon artist concerning the possible trauma of a person who experienced the insurrection at the Capitol firsthand. The cartoonist used the hero of his cartoon to diminish the experience of the civilian passively.
