Why I Hate People Who Protest At Recruitment Centers
This is so seriously irritating to me. Not irritating in that way that the dog next door keeps barking at 1am, irritating like head lice is irritating. Protesting military recruitment on site because you're against the war is probably the most futile and stupid thing you could think of doing for your cause. I'm a pacifist, I would never join the military because I can't kill anyone, and I'm as much against this war as anyone because I think its based on lies and is generally causeless. But I'm not against the military, because that's poo. Here is why this is, in fact, a dumb idea.
1. There's no such thing as a world without war. Ok so maybe half the world missed this memo in their inbox, but war? It's been around since... oh wait, the beginning of ever. It's never going away. Its a fact of life. Maybe y'all want it to be all peace, love, and organic food, but it won't be. Ever. And its not very far-sighted to believe otherwise. There will always be, at any given point in time, a crazy megolomaniac with the means to get power, there will always be someone who wants to take over the world. Conflict is not something we can go without suffering the risk of stagnation.
2. Stopping recruitment doesn't stop the war. Do you know what happens when people stop enlisting? The government happily extends the contracts of all the people already in the military and ships them off multiple times, so by stopping recruitment you've effectively just made the lives of everyone else in the military -and their families- a total hell. Are you getting warm fuzzies yet? No to mention, in recent army statistics, they found that re-enlistment for those that actually chose the option pretty much overshot everything they thought they were going to get, and closed the gap of the enlistment drops.
3. We need a military. I really hate it when people give me that 'well they're in the military and they chose this.' bullcrap. That is a flaming sack of poo of an excuse to be a dickhead about recruitment. Again, incase you haven't noticed, war isn't exactly something that can be extinguished nor will crazy megolomaniacs ever not exist. Ergo, if we don't have a military, we're going to be fucked if someone does try to do anything to us. Not to mention, as much as some of you might hate America, there are a lot WORSE people out there that could be in our position with a stronger military and even worse values doing god only knows what. Military personnel are doing a job that very few people actually want to do. No one is saying you have to go all Lee Greenwood about it, but at least recognize that their role is necessary, and their jobs are little bit strenuous in comparison to the rest of us, and RESPECT that.
4. The military has many positive benefits. It pays for college for some people that might not otherwise get to go. It can provide technical school and experience for free. It teaches discipline, loyalty, and perspective to its members. It has to do some really crappy jobs for some really crappy people, and its incredibly high risk, but don't even sit here and tell me it has no good points. People wouldn't re-enlist if it didn't. Also, as stupid and poo-like as the war has been, there have been many good things to come out of it, and despite the media sensationalism over all the bad stuff people have been doing, they've been doing just as much good.
5. It's not the soldiers' fault. Did anyone stop to realize that soldiers do not in any way make policy? You have a problem with the war? Take it to Washington, sign a petition, go on a hunger strike, for god's ask don't hassle people trying to choose a damn career. Sitting in front of a recruitment center taking up valuable police resources and heckling every poor fucker that goes in there trying to do what he wants to is wrong! These people don't want your opinions shoved in their face! If they started rallying outside your place of business yelling at you every time you tried to go to work you'd be pretty pissed too! Free speech is free speech but have some common fucking courtesy about it. Just because the constitution gives you the right to be a rude and obnoxious ass doesn't mean you should be.
And this last one goes out to ALL protesters, not just the people at recruitment stations: stop standing in front of other businesses! I was trying to push my way through this sea of jerks coming out of the damn bagel place. I wanted a bagel with cream cheese, not a side of righteous short-sighted indignance! It's annoying to the people working in those places, its annoying to people like me who are trying to get in and out of those places, and its annoying to the people now stuck in a traffic jam because you people are taking up an entire traffic lane so you can foist around signs and squall about whatever. We don't care what your opinions are, we didn't ask to know, we're just trying to get coffee on our lunch breaks and make it back to work on time. So SHUT UP.