On january 29th 2002, I enlisted in the US Navy. Despite being solidly left-leaning children of the 60s my parents were supportive. "At least he didn't join the Marines." My mother was heard to say. "You should be a computer tech or an air traffic controller, that way you can stay in the US and make good money once your 4 years are up." was also
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The biggest problem being that the vast majority of people who advocate on behalf of risk are - unlike you (and thank you for your service, by the way) - not taking any risks at all. You put your money where your mouth was by enlisting and serving the types of duty that you did. Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh and the legions of other fat old white men who are all EMPIRE EMPIRE EMPIRE WAR WAR WAR are risking nothing by doing so, which is why I pray every night that they will contract ass-raping penis-cancer and die like pigs in Hell.
I did seven years in the fleet myself. Five on shore-duty overseas, the last two on board the TR, at the tip of the spear in Enduring and Iraqi Freedom. It was hard as hell, but compared to what you've no doubt gone through, it was a fucking cake-walk. As a direct result of my own service, I will never support any attempt to reinstitute a military draft. I just won't do it. And the reason is because, after having gone through the far lesser amount of risk than I did, I find it morally abhorrent to volunteer someone ELSE for such a risk in my stead.
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That said, I think simplifying to Risk vs. Safety may be over-simplifying what's really going on. This isn't a Personality War, nor is any one set of values more or less prone to risk.
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If we had a compulsory draft like Israel, I might accept it. Of course I hate the draft since I joined the Navy to avoid it, so I may have a bias :D
I still got "shore duty" in Cam Rahn Bay....the one place one could get the "benefits" of being in a war zone, without getting shot at (which is the main reason I rarely mention I was there)
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Damn, Grafenwoehr is one cold sumbitch in January!
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2/70th Armor, 24th Infantry Div... it took me a month to thaw my feet.
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As for Glen Beck, I wouldn't say he's had the easiest childhood, with his mother's drowning/suicide, and then later his stepbrother suicide and his own substance abuse. He also started off small on local radio, and apparently, exchanged the drugs in for Jesus.
Generally, even fat old white men were all once young and unimportant.
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Also, "flunking out of college" is not a fucking risk - take it from someone who knows. CHOOSING to drop out to pursue a career, like Bill Gates? THAT'S a fucking risk.
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We are discussing risk taking in general. Military service was the OP's example. But fact is, most people make choices in their lifetime and take various kinds of risks. Yes even "old, fat, white" men.
Also, "flunking out of college" is not a fucking risk
Trading a college degree in order to pursue a highly competitive career where relatively few make to the very top? Sure it is. No, he hasn't (to my knowledge) served in the military, but I don't see how that's relevant to my point.
People face adversity in life. In the face of adversity, people will respond by taking risks, or trying to limit them as much as possible.
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