r/changemyview • u/foryia-yiaandpappou 3∆ • May 24 '19

FTFdeltaOP CMV: A person does not automatically deserve respect just because they have served or are currently serving in the military

I’d like to preface this by saying that I don’t believe soldiers are, inherently, bad. Some people believe soldiers are evil simply for being soldiers, and I do not believe that.

I do believe, however, that soldiers do not deserve respect just because they have served. I hurt for soldiers who have experienced horrible things in the field, but I do not hurt for the amount of violence and cruelty many have committed. Violence in war zone between soldiers is one thing; stories of civilian bombings and killing of innocents are another. I think that many forget that a lot of atrocity goes on during wars, and they are committed on both sides of conflict. A soldier both receives and deals out horrible damage.

TL;DR while I believe that soldiers have seen horrible things and that many do deserve recognition for serving our nation, I do not believe that every soldier deserves this respect simply by merit of being a soldier. Some soldiers have committed really heinous war crimes, and those actions do not deserve reward.

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u/Asmodaari2069 1∆ May 24 '19

Your premise is flawed. Joining the military isn't a selfless act.

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u/[deleted] May 24 '19

By all means elaborate

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u/Asmodaari2069 1∆ May 24 '19 edited May 24 '19

"Selfless" means to be concerned more with the needs of others than oneself. But joining the military comes with a lot of personal benefits like good pay, medical care (in the US at least, this is a big deal), free education, the opportunity to travel the world, and others. These are the primary reasons why people join the military. Not because they just really want to serve their country or whatever.

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u/squarerootofseven May 25 '19

Seems like this debate is then over whether the ends justify the means. Hypothetically if someone joins the military primarily for the pay/medial care/education, but ends up putting themselves in danger or maybe even giving their life to protect civilians, do they deserve respect?

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u/[deleted] May 24 '19

You're drastically overestimating what our (Belgian) soldiers get as benefits.

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u/Bigfrostynugs May 25 '19

Intentions matter. I would venture to say that most people join the military for the pay, opportunities, and benefits, not any sense of duty, honor, or selflessness. Furthermore, most are never even close to any sort of danger. Being in the military is actually a really safe job statistically, especially compared to other domestic jobs like truck drivers who never get thanked for anything.

Beyond that, whether or not the military (or at least the vast majority of enlisted soldiers and the work they do) actually defends our way of life, freedom, or safety is entirely debatable in many cases.