Men of ATOT: Why didn't you serve?

[Charmonium]

Good god people. I didn't expect this kind of a response to a simple question, but I guess I have my answer. Half of you I now respect, I didn't realize we had as many veterans among us as we did. The other half I'm not sure. Seems like a lot of you tried but failed. That is honorable. The other half of the half I don't know. I suppose this life is too easy for you. There was no trial or tribulation for you to test your mettle.

I for one am determined to prove my manhood. I grabbed my balls, jumped into the fray, and tested my mettle against other men. Congratulations on your well paying office job, but I don't accept that. My ancestors got here by fighting. I am a fighter. I will continue to fight. And my sons will continue to fight. We only get one life, and I won't lay mine down sitting in some puffed up chair. Mine is going toe to toe with the best. I only wish it was a bit harder. Killing people in robes wasn't hard. You want my weapons?!

PERSIANS, COME AND GET THEM!!

You have a pretty perverted idea of what manhood means. Sometimes it means fighting for what you believe in, but for the most part what it means is being a productive citizen who contributes to the wealth and advancement of the society to which you belong. That starts with your family and then extends outward.

The men in my family have been soldiers for at least 20 generations. And until the past 100 years or so, that meant having an avocation besides being a soldier. In my family, it meant being a farmer. It's only relatively recently that we've had professional armies.

My family have a long military history that goes back to the invasion of England by the Angles and Saxons in the 8th century. I'm the first male in generations who hasn't served. And I'm neither proud nor ashamed of that fact. I grew up in a military family and saw the toll it takes. The worry and distress when someone is on active duty, the scars it leaves on them and their families, the disruption to daily life caused by constantly being relocated, etc.

I admire people who are called to serve but I'm definitely not one of them.

 

[MongGrel]

me and my brother used to scrap it out with the army assholes every weekend at this bar in Calgary. Something about them pissed us off. I did sign up to put out oil fires in kuwait but didn't get accepted...damn it would of been good money.

Potatoes are your friend, go mind meld with one

 

[jackstar7]

My father served and made it clear to his children that they should not.

 

[TheSlamma]

My father served and made it clear to his children that they should not.

That is because we don't fight true evil anymore (Hitler), we just create more and more of it now in the name of whatever it is we supposedly spread.

 

[tcsenter]

I suppose this life is too easy for you. There was no trial or tribulation for you to test your mettle.

Da fuq? I have survived ordeal with my health that breaks or kills people. And I didn't chose that battle because it favored my strengths, with plenty of time to prepare myself. It chose me and I didn't have any say in the matter. And mostly have done it myself in spite of the fact that I probably should've availed myself of professional help. I didn't do myself any favors by trying to stubbornly 'handle' things on my own, probably created or at least unnecessarily prolonged a bit of my own misery. But I did it, and still have gratitude for what I have in spite of what I've lost, because I'm a bad ass.

I for one am determined to prove my manhood. I grabbed my balls, jumped into the fray, and tested my mettle against other men.

That just sounds like masculine insecurity. I certainly have noted this seeming insecurity in some of the so-called 'alpha male' types I've encountered, among the wrestlers, brawlers, thugs, and bullies (not to suggest all wrestlers or brawlers are, I've known plenty who were fairly quiet non-bully types who don't go around with that competitive aggression anywhere else or in any other context other than on the mat or field). I guess it's like some evolutionary advantage through competitive aggression that might not entirely be their fault, might be more hard coded into some people. But then again, so is, like, reproductive success via rape. We all come from rapists and sexually aggressive male ancestors, too.

 

[Charmonium]

I guess it's like some evolutionary competitive aggression that might not entirely be their fault, might be hard coded into some people. But then again, so is, like, reproductive success via rape. We all come from rapists and sexually aggressive male ancestors, too.

Probably. Studies have shown that you need serotonin to keep aggression under control.

Many people think of serotonin as nature’s “feel-good” chemical. The most widely distributed—and most widely studied—neurotransmitter in the brain, serotonin regulates a vast range of psychological and biological functions, including mood, sleep, arousal and appetite.
Now, researchers at Cambridge University and UCLA have found that serotonin also plays a critical role in regulating emotions such as impulsive aggression during social decision making. Impulsive aggression is the tendency to respond with hostility or aggression when faced with serious frustration.
The researchers believe their results suggest that serotonin plays a critical role in social decision making by normally keeping aggressive social responses in check.
By manipulating diet, the researchers were able to lower serotonin levels in the brains of healthy volunteers. Tryptophan, the essential amino acid necessary for the body to produce serotonin, can be obtained only through diet. Twenty healthy volunteers fasted overnight and were then given a protein drink, receiving drinks with tryptophan one day and without it the next.

So people with low serotonin, either because of past experience, diet or simple genetics will probably be more prone to aggressive behavior like our OP.

 

[Leyawiin]

I suppose this life is too easy for you. There was no trial or tribulation for you to test your mettle.

Many people I know who've been in the service accomplished nothing more than an advanced degree in goldbricking.

 

[brianmanahan]

Good god people. I didn't expect this kind of a response to a simple question, but I guess I have my answer. Half of you I now respect, I didn't realize we had as many veterans among us as we did. The other half I'm not sure. Seems like a lot of you tried but failed. That is honorable. The other half of the half I don't know. I suppose this life is too easy for you. There was no trial or tribulation for you to test your mettle.

i guess you didn't get the memo that the goal should be to fight less, not more.

 

[Red Squirrel]

i guess you didn't get the memo that the goal should be to fight less, not more.

This.

Our ancestors fought so we can have what we have now. If what they did was in vein and it had to be repeated all the time, that is a lost and wasted effort.

Life SHOULD be easy, with all the technology and resources we have it's ridiculous that there even still is so much conflict these days or so much people living hard lives in poverty and what not. If all wealth (not just money, but land and rights, etc too) could be evenly distributed everyone in the world would have more than enough money to have a very easy life. But sadly this world is run by capitalist corporations who no matter how much money they have it's never enough.

 

[Blue_Max]

Many people I know who've been in the service accomplished nothing more than an advanced degree in goldbricking.

Heh... reminds me of the Pvt. Snafu 'toon "Goldbrick".

That smile takes the edge off the fact that I work with a couple lazy, worthless veteran goldbrickers right now.

 

[norseamd]

That just sounds like masculine insecurity. I certainly have noted this seeming insecurity in some of the so-called 'alpha male' types I've encountered, among the wrestlers, brawlers, thugs, and bullies (not to suggest all wrestlers or brawlers are, I've known plenty who were fairly quiet non-bully types who don't go around with that competitive aggression anywhere else or in any other context other than on the mat or field). I guess it's like some evolutionary advantage through competitive aggression that might not entirely be their fault, might be more hard coded into some people. But then again, so is, like, reproductive success via rape. We all come from rapists and sexually aggressive male ancestors, too.

There are notable differences between Gorilla and Chimpanzee societies. Gorillas have an Alpha Male culture, and Chimpanzees have a Beta Male culture. Do you know the basic differences that are resulting from this?

 

[96Firebird]

I went to college.

And I didn't want to end up like OP.

 

[SparkyJJO]

My brother was in the Navy 6 years and I honestly don't think I could handle the military. If it came down to it and there had been a draft or whatever then fine I would have done so and done my best, but I doubt I wouldn't have been much good. Since I had the choice I decided to stay out and do what I'm good at.

 

[brianmanahan]

And I didn't want to end up like OP.

watch out, he will fight you!

 

[olds]

My father served and made it clear to his children that they should not.

Mine did too. He always said two things: Join the military and I'll break your legs. Ride a motorcycle and I'll break your arms. So I bought a motorcycle and joined the Army.

 

[brianmanahan]

Mine did too. He always said two things: Join the military and I'll break your legs. Ride a motorcycle and I'll break your arms. So I bought a motorcycle and joined the Army.

RIP olds

 

[olds]

RIP olds

That was 35 years ago and I am still going strong.

 

[SP33Demon]

9/11 had just happened and I didn't want to fight in W's war which I knew would be a shitshow. In any case, I got a killer offer from the Air National Guard to pay for 20k of my student loans out of college (it was a sign on bonus to fill one of their specialized jobs that they needed officers for). Almost took that, but then got a well paying job at the company I interned (over the summer it was a fully paid suite + utilities + 15/hr which was good if you knew the year) with and that made the decision easy. Get a well paying job based on your degree or boot camp + mortar fire in W's shitshow war? No brainer.

Edit: I'm not a millennial though.

 

[MrPickins]

Millennials are those who were born from around 1980 to 2000.

More like mid 80's to 2000.

 

[railer]

Good god people. I didn't expect this kind of a response to a simple question, but I guess I have my answer. Half of you I now respect, I didn't realize we had as many veterans among us as we did. The other half I'm not sure. Seems like a lot of you tried but failed. That is honorable. The other half of the half I don't know. I suppose this life is too easy for you. There was no trial or tribulation for you to test your mettle.

I for one am determined to prove my manhood. I grabbed my balls, jumped into the fray, and tested my mettle against other men. Congratulations on your well paying office job, but I don't accept that. My ancestors got here by fighting. I am a fighter. I will continue to fight. And my sons will continue to fight. We only get one life, and I won't lay mine down sitting in some puffed up chair. Mine is going toe to toe with the best. I only wish it was a bit harder. Killing people in robes wasn't hard. You want my weapons?!

PERSIANS, COME AND GET THEM!!

Not sure if you're a pretty solid troller or have a sub 80 IQ. Good job if the former.

 

[brianmanahan]

That was 35 years ago and I am still going strong.

so i take it the limb fracture process was unsuccessful

 

[norseamd]

More like mid 80's to 2000.

Latest year that seems to be considered for the start of millennials is 1983, with 1980 to 1982 far more supported.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millennials

 

[tcsenter]

There are notable differences between Gorilla and Chimpanzee societies. Gorillas have an Alpha Male culture, and Chimpanzees have a Beta Male culture. Do you know the basic differences that are resulting from this?

This isn't a discussion about the common misuses of anthropology/primatology terms to describe other primates and their social dynamic(s).

 

[Dr. Zaus]

Latest year that seems to be considered for the start of millennials is 1983, with 1980 to 1982 far more supported.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millennials

I take the inauguration of Regan as the dividing line between X and Millennials, and the inauguration of Jr. as the line between Millenials and the "God Help Us All" generation.

 

[norseamd]

This isn't a discussion about the common misuses of anthropology/primatology terms to describe other primates and their social dynamic(s).

I guess that works.