The Many Faces of US Politics...

[Puckoon]

Why do (many) Americans think the flag belongs to the military?

I don't believe that they do - I believe that they think the ability of the USA to continue forward under that flag is protected by the military.

[Puckoon]

Why do (many) Americans think the flag belongs to the military?

Even newscasters and sports commentators talk about "our" troops, which further conditions people into this culture of deference to the military. "Support our troops" and "thank you for your service" have become  some of the mantras that you have to say in America if you want to fit in.

Any political candidate who talks to a serviceman without saying "thank you for your service" is toast (unless the soldier is gay and the politician is a Republican).

The flag has become synonymous with military endeavors so the military has found its place in the American civic religion, a place in which all critical thinking is suspended and the doctrine is beyond question.

Where the exact roots of it are I'm not entirely sure. But it's clearly the result of some sort of campaign and it has been very effective.

I think that is balderdash Eamonn. I am neither a political candidate a politicking sort - but when I get the chance to thank a Military Member, I take it. It's got nothing to do with fitting in nor any political aspirations. I get up and put on my tie and go to work in a relatively safe place under the freedom provided by other men and women who go where they're told and do what they're told. Regardless of whether I agree with policy or not, these are brothers, sisters, husbands and wives of families in my community, work colleagues and friends.

America is not the only country that respects and honors its military - and as for the bit in bold... Christ on a bike.

[Eamonnca1]

Sporting events have been infiltrated to the point where a lot of the time they've become giant military parades. You're not telling me that this has happened organically or by way of coincidence. The military industry is huge.

And as for the "freedom provided by soldiers" part, I think that's a myth that's been allowed to propagate and has fueled this culture of hero worship. America is safe because it only has borders with two docile and friendly countries to the north and south, while to the east and west it has vast oceans that make the place impossible to invade. The best the Japanese could do in WWII was a single air strike in Hawaii while the Germans managed to sneak a U-boat into an American harbor once, I think.

American freedom was brought to you by geography, not the military that so many people have been conditioned into fawning over.

[gallsman]

There is a f**king contract between the department of defense and the NFL - of course it's a campaign. Not balderdash in the slightest.

All the shite before games is getting paid for by your tax dollars, Puck.

[Gabriel_Hurl]

There is a f**king contract between the department of defense and the NFL - of course it's a campaign. Not balderdash in the slightest.

All the shite before games is getting paid for by your tax dollars, Puck.

Those contracts were voided were they not?

[gallsman]

Sorry, bit of an knee jerk reaction to suggestion that this is about "military appreciation".

They were getting paid up to at least 2015. Not sure of the specifics beyond that.

[Eamonnca1]

Yup, as I suspected, it's deliberate policy to militarize sports.

DoD paid $53 million of taxpayers' money to pro sports for military tributes, report says

"A report released Wednesday criticized the Department of Defense for spending millions in sports marketing contracts and called to task the professional sports teams that took the money, saying they were engaged in "paid patriotism."

"Prepared by U.S. Sens. John McCain and Jeff Flake, both Arizona Republicans, the report found that all military branches reported spending $53 million on marketing and advertising contracts with professional sports organizations between 2012 and 2015. More than $10 million of that went to the NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA and Major League Soccer."

Seems like there is a bit of hope though:

Since reports on the contracts first came to light last spring, the Defense Department has banned the practice, and the NFL has called on its teams to stop taking payment for such activities.

That report is from 2015. God knows what this administration will try to pull.

[Puckoon]

And as for the "freedom provided by soldiers" part, I think that's a myth that's been allowed to propagate and has fueled this culture of hero worship. America is safe because it only has borders with two docile and friendly countries to the north and south, while to the east and west it has vast oceans that make the place impossible to invade. The best the Japanese could do in WWII was a single air strike in Hawaii while the Germans managed to sneak a U-boat into an American harbor once, I think.

American freedom was brought to you by geography, not the military that so many people have been conditioned into fawning over.

Again I disagree with the all or nothing (in this case nothing) suggestion that Military protection doesn't exist.

Sorry, bit of an knee jerk reaction to suggestion that this is about "military appreciation".

They were getting paid up to at least 2015. Not sure of the specifics beyond that.

Let me rephrase, and correct myself. Clearly when they are bumper stickers and a website encouraging "support our troops", there's a campaign of sorts. What I consider to be total rubbish is that the mindset behind the general military thank you from an individual to a serving or veteran individual is or has been fabricated. There's a local optician that recognizes a veteran before every football game here at UNR. Sure, he gets a little publicity, but I asked him what motivated him to do it. It was the son of a neighbor who came back with 2 prosthetic legs.

I just don't buy the genuine thank you is fabricated, is all. No doubt there's a big machine out there.

[Eamonnca1]

I'm not doubting that a lot of people have friends and family in the military and they think of the troops in a certain way. But I suspect that the vast majority of the people who worship the military gods have no such connection and they do so because of a culture that is at least in part manufactured.

[whitey]

Many people have an affinity for the military due the incredible service given by immediate family members.  Their fathers fought in Vietnam, their grandfathers fought in Korea and their great grandfathers fought in WWII.....war is real and relevant to a lot of Americans.

Every town has numerous war memorials and annula Veterns Day and Memorial Day services and parades.

Respect for the flag is intertwined with respect for the military....whether that still holds true is up for debate. Trump is trying to copperfasten and exploit that respect, but I dont think its working

What I actually find offensive is NFL teams and their billionaire owners taking money from the DOD to stage faux patriotic displays. 

[screenexile]

Not having a go here Puck but I knew a few Army men and played on the same team as them when I lived in Dublin. They'd have taken some look at you for thanking them for their service!

It's a cultural thing and is more ingrained in the US than other Countries but Congress and the military need the support to keep the machine going!!

[Eamonnca1]

Not having a go here Puck but I knew a few Army men and played on the same team as them when I lived in Dublin. They'd have taken some look at you for thanking them for their service!

It's a cultural thing and is more ingrained in the US than other Countries but Congress and the military need the support to keep the machine going!!

Exactly. When I lived in England I found that people didn't have a very high opinion of anyone who'd been in the army, it's not seen as a prestigious career choice. You wouldn't be seen dead walking up to one of those squaddies and saying "thank you for your service, you're a hero."

[Puckoon]

It's no skin of my nose Screen - but comparing Dublin and UK military based folks is not the same thing! Clearly (and I am sure you know this Eamonn), British culture and American Culture wouldn't come close to comparison "in that sort of thing". FFS they're only a few years removed from shagging with the lights off.

Whitey's first paragraph below sums it up perfectly - in regards to America (before I get any more correlations to the English, Eammon!).

Actually, I'm not done. Who said it was prestigious? It's a service. It's considerably more of a service than the taxi driver or the barista. Folks still say thank you to those people too.

[Eamonnca1]

This is precisely my point. The increasingly militaristic culture of the US is way out of step with the rest of the developed world. If they had a decent amount of war on their own turf in recent memory then I think their attitude would be different. From my point of view all this gun-toting patriotism is like how Europe looked in the run-up to the First World War. I find it ominous.

[Gmac]

How's indigenous peoples day going for u Eamon ?