Heaven forbid that Americans have “a lot of fuzzy thinking about the armed forces.”
The Economist, a London-based magazine, is concerned about America’s “love affair with uniformed men,” asserting that those who serve to protect the U.S. really don’t care all that much for Old Glory, as the American flag is sometimes called.
America's highly romanticised view of military service is inaccurate and counter-productive, at best https://t.co/SpWud5wGRK
— The Economist (@TheEconomist) October 29, 2017
While the real intent seems to be a campaign to undermine “America’s unthinking reverence for its fighters” in hopes of curtailing our “military ambitions,” the op-ed begins with a cynical take on thank you cards from schoolchildren, who often thank the troops for “being over there to keep us safe.”
The magazine insisted few soldiers believe that to be the case.
“No soldier expects the beloved chumps back home to understand what he gets up to,” the piece stated. “He just needs to feel appreciated.”
President Donald Trump’s chief of staff John Kelly, a retired Marine Corps general, is targeted for recent remarks that were said to encourage a “highly romanticised view of military service, which is inaccurate and counter-productive at best.”
Kelly dared talk about the “selfless devotion that brings a man or woman to die on the battlefield” while addressing last week’s controversy over a call between Trump and a fallen soldier’s widow.
But The Economist is adamant that soldiers are inspired by “comrades fighting either side of them, not the flag.”
We are warned that there “are costs to America’s uncritical soldier worship.”
“Most obviously, it gives the Department of Defence an outsize advantage in the battle for resources with civilian agencies,” the op-ed says, getting down to the brass tacks.
Civilian agencies that administer social welfare programs.
“The fact is, America’s foreign-policy doctrines envisage a degree of global dominance, based on military might, which its volunteer force is now too small to enforce. And to increase the force sufficiently, on current trends, appears unaffordable or impossible.”
And the military’s alleged unfair advantage in the fight for funds is, in large part, due to our “soldier worship.”
Soldier worship the Brits depended on to help keep Adolph Hitler across the Channel.
Here’s a sampling of responses from social media users, who were not necessarily in agreement with the “left wing rag.”
Must be why America has the most powerful military on Earth..
— Stephen Margolis (@swisschoc) October 29, 2017
This asinine article is disgustingly unAmerican! U & the entire world owe our military gratitude for making it a much safer, peaceful place!
— Donna Rodriguez (@dfrod77) October 30, 2017
Why Americans show love and respect for these women and men who sacrifice their life for the country? I guess we’ll never know! ?#Sarcasm
— Marcelo Castro (@jmarcelocastro) October 29, 2017
How, is it a problem that people are romanticising people in the military ?? The people who wear unforms are to be respected !
— Michael Caudill (@Michael43147288) October 29, 2017
If you haven’t found a reason to cancel that Economist subscription, there it is.
— obiwankolache (@obiwankolache) October 29, 2017
And the left-wing rag @TheEconomist tries to tear into the respect we have for our heroes. https://t.co/alSC17L7Z6
— H. P. Editor (@HateParadeBlog) October 30, 2017
That’s an example of why I cancelled my subscription. They’re no longer intellectually rigorous.
— T.A. DiCerbo (@tdicerbo) October 30, 2017
Soldier Worship?How about appreciation, sacrifice, honor, dignity.Do not desecrate our men and women who sacrifice their lives for Democracy
— David J Weiner (@davej08) October 30, 2017
The real problem is the love of the left to spend so much of people’s money on those who don’t earn it and demanding more govt programs
— ChristianaCunningham (@ChristianaCunni) October 30, 2017
Respect and honor does not equal worship. The only worship goes to God! People are surely confused about the meaning of words these days.
— Amy (@AFoxForChrist) October 30, 2017
WOW!!!Expect a ‘mercenary’ to talk down the personal sacrifices and hardships soldiers/family undergo and the respect they deserve!?
— Jaimini Chatwani (@j_chatwani) October 30, 2017
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The longest-tenured writer at BizPac Review, Tom grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills.
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