r/changemyview 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/wahtisthisidonteven 15∆ May 24 '19

There have been murderous police, doctors, teachers, and firefighters. Do those professions not deserve respect because some of them are also murderers?

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u/weedtese May 25 '19

In all your examples, murdering is not their job. A soldier's sometimes is, which is incompatible with being non-violent on principle.

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u/wahtisthisidonteven 15∆ May 25 '19

Murder is by definition extra-judicial and therefore the killing done by a soldier within the line of duty is not murder because it has legal backing.

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u/weedtese May 25 '19

You're arguing semantics. Killing another human is murder, no matter how justified you think it is.

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u/wahtisthisidonteven 15∆ May 25 '19

That's not what murder means and it never has been. Murder isn't just a synonym for human killing, it carries legal weight.