Poll: Do you automatically respect people in the military?

[Sir Thomas Sean Connery]

Absolutely not.

Automatic respect is one of the great enemies of humanity.

Being a soldier is a better start to gaining my respect than say, being a priest, but regardless, respect is earned.

 

[ImperialSunlight]

I see soldiers as being either at the same level as everyone else in terms of respect or perhaps lower. Soldiers essentially enable war. If soldiers did not do the dirty work of the rich and powerful, there could be no wars, as they would not do it themselves (and if they did, it would be more of a duel than a war). Realistically, having no military now would be suicide, of course, but that is only because there are soldiers willing to kill on both sides. I only respect soldiers who have no choice but to join the military (due to poverty, etc. ), or those who work only in peacekeeping. Those who join with little other reason than "it'll be fun", or "killing people is cool", or even "I could save some money", are just worsening war and will get no respect from me.

 

[Tanner The Monotone]

Not really. One of my friends from high school joined the Army because he "thought it would be cool" after high school. He's not a particularly noble person. Another joined to study mechanics because getting a mechanics apprenticeship can be troublesome.

The only thing I could say about either of them being different when they came back was that they were in noticeably better shape.

I think he's talking about war veterans.

 

[Serinanth]

It seems that those of us who treat others with respect right off the bat are a minority.

The lessons of Bill and Ted are lost to the world, why cant we all just be excellent to one another?

Why is no one is willing to show a little respect to anyone unless they prove themselves to you? What have you got to lose showing others respect when you meet them other than that strangers respect? I most certainly do not let it bother me when I find that some one is a shitty human being but its pretty awesome when that respect is shown back to you.
In fact, when some one shows you respect when you first meet how does that make you feel? Would that not provoke you to return it and see how it goes? What goes through your head? If you start out being rude and disrespectful you probably wont find anyone to show any respect to you.

Granted, the respect I give can be lost quickly as others like me have said.
Respect builds over time but all it takes is simple courtesy to start that process.

As for the military, does not matter, still treat people with respect unless you come to find they are douchbags. But I do respect the uniform and what they and those before them have done. Without them my country would not exists as it does today.


Be nice to people, it confuses them.

 

[Joccaren]

I'm with you on this one. I don't respect someone because of the job they chose. Should people automatically have a greater than normal respect for me because I make food for them and haven't poisoned them yet, saving their lives by providing sustenance all for a wage less than what half of them spend on the food I prepare is?
No. I should earn respect based on how I treat other people. I don't care how hard your training was, or whether you've been in a live firefight or not, if you're an ass to me or anyone else, I have no respect for you. You can gain my respect by doing these things and not asking for praise or expecting it, but doing it for a good reason - to save people. You should be in the military to help protect the people of your country, not for the glory of being a soldier.
It probably doesn't help that recently the military down here has gotten some flak over sexual abuse of its female officers. Anyone involved in that gets no respect from me, regardless of how hard they're working otherwise, or what they've achieved.

Even if I don't respect the soldier, however, I can respect what they have done. I won't attack the battles a soldier has been in, his time in the field, or his training [Or her for all cases there as well]. I may not respect the person, but I do respect what they do.

 

[deanospimoni]

My brother and father are Marines, I respect them. There are a lot of people I don't respect that are in the military, because they do things that are rather dumb or offensive.

The lessons of Bill and Ted are lost to the world, why cant we all just be excellent to one another?

^This guy is on to something. Being respectful should be a common courtesy afforded to everyone.

 

[Someguyukno]

I feel the point in this thread has been made. It's romantic to think that all servicemembes joined to defend their country and keep the people and their values safe, but that's not the case. I'm sure it's there in the back of our minds as we join, one of the many reasons we volunteer for it. But it isn't always the prime reason.

Going through MEPS and DEP I've met some truly upstanding people who are worthy of respect and I've met a few bad apples who had to lie through their enlistments to join. I had a friend who was a slacker before he joined the marines and now he's one of the most reliable people I know, and then there was someone I used to go to school with who joined the marines and got kicked out after only a year for growing pot.

These people were honorable or otherwise before they joined. Sometimes joining the military changes you for the better, and sometimes it does not.

Going back to the OP's closing comment, most Americans do equate military service with automatic heroism. The brotherhood, the triumphs and their decorated history. I believe this is a dangerous road to associate the two so easily. It's a lifestyle that glorifies war and death, and that's something we should be moving away from.

The times of the great wars are over. We need to remember that war isn't like in Call of Duty. I'm sure most of us will say we don't really think it is, but games like those wouldn't be as popular as they are without some grounding of that belief in this country. Americans want to glorify war because that's how we became a country. We rose up and claimed our freedom. But the wars we've fought in the last decade haven't been the same. Most of us will never have to know what it's like in the battlefield, and I hope I can continue to count myself among that number. That is something I don't want to know.

So don't feel obliged to respect those who have served simply because they have worn a uniform. If the person wearing the uniform is truly someone worth respecting, they won't need it to earn it.

 

[TwoSidesOneCoin]

I don't care if people respect me or not (active army)

I believe respect is earned, not given. There are people in my unit whose rank I respect, but the person in the uniform, well lets just say I treat them with the common courtesy that I have for all people.

If I want respect from someone, it usually entails me having respect towards them and wanting to earn their respect towards me.

So whenever I'm off post in my uniform, picking up ASU's from the dry cleaners, or going on medical appointments, or driving a battle buddy to their appointment, and people come up to me and say "Thank you for your service sir." I just nod and say "Sir/Mam" and carry on.

Now that I read that back out loud, it makes me sound like a stuck up bastard, oh well!

 

[Something Amyss]

"By invading Iraq?"

Reminds me of how I saw so many people talking about signing up to "kill [muslims/arabs] After 9-11.

Totally defending my freedoms!

 

[lacktheknack]

I wish the poll had a larger spectrum. I do respect the soldiers I see heading home on the commuter train in this city, and I am friends with an ex-soldier who is really quite awesome, but I also know a total asshat soldier. So I'd say "most, but not all".

 

[The Rookie Gamer]

My brother and father are Marines, I respect them. There are a lot of people I don't respect that are in the military, because they do things that are rather dumb or offensive.

The lessons of Bill and Ted are lost to the world, why cant we all just be excellent to one another?

^This guy is on to something. Being respectful should be a common courtesy afforded to everyone.

These guys, and several others in this thread, have the right idea. A person who is a soldier is still a person, albeit having gone through tough training in some cases. Treat them like a human being on their own merits, uniform notwithstanding.

 

[GeneralBob]

If nobody in the world was willing to shoot other people we'd have a lot fewer problems.

 

[Hatchet90]

Nope. More than likely they didn't/couldn't go to college and decided to go in the Army because they felt it was the only choice. It's certainly a noble thing to do, but it doesn't automatically make you a great person. One's actions prove one's worth, not some uniform.

 

[Hatchet90]

Sorry, double post.

 

[Risingblade]

Depends on what branch their part of really.

 

[Bomberman4000]

I don't automatically respect anyone. Respect is earned, and the majority of the people I've come across with military background/training are arrogant, entitled assholes.

Yes, serving is a great sacrifice, but it is not one that I asked you to make so why are you expecting that I bend over backwards for you?

Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the people who serve in the military because I know that's something I would never want to do. I also appreciate the people who work jobs that provide services for people. I also appreciate my mechanic who works on my truck because I don't know a thing about vehicles.

Appreciation and respect are two very different terms. I might appreciate my mechanic, but if he's a dick to his wife or something, or is incredibly homophobic, then I wouldn't necessarily respect him.

 

[alandavidson]

As someone who has been in the military, I'll tell you that the outright worship of troops in America is flat-out creepy.

But do I automatically respect someone who has been or is in the military? Well, sort of. There's a certain bond between us that most people will never understand, and that goes a long ways. I also know just how many assholes and stupid people there are in the military. So it's yes and no.

EDIT: My friend Jake McNiece (a paratrooper in WWII) said it best, "War doesn't make heroes. It makes men who are willing to be nasty, mean sons of bitches who will do anything to anyone to be able to get on that big boat home."

 

[Jeremy Skitz]

I knew someone who joined the army and he was a complete psychopath. No respect for him whatsoever.

That is, of course, just one case. Everybody is an individual, If they are a good person and choose to do that with moral intentions then I have more respect for them than some lazy asshole who allows one self to be shepherded in the army because they are too ignorant to want to do something worthwhile. The uniform I respect. These soldiers get thrown into shit at moments notice at the will of childish politicians playing their silly power games.