Is the USA society too "warlike":?

Question

I have the feeling that too many people in this country are too "warlike". Glorify the military and love to send troops to fights in their interventionist wars. USA has become somewhat like Ancient Sparta, Kaiser's Germany [before Hitler], Imperial Britain and the once "mighty" Soviet Union. Meanwhile the budget is suffering huge deficits, the country doesn't seem "safe" and we fear the "terrorists". What do you think, folks?

Answer 1

I wholeheartedly agree.

We invaded Iraq on the misinformation that they had weapons of mass destruction. We are occupying their country at the cost of thousands of lives and some people have the gall to say the troops are defending our freedom.

Yes, we suffered a horrible attack on 9/11, but it was not done by Iraq. Most of the terrorists involved were from Saudi Arabia. I don't blame the troops -- they are doing their job. The blame rests on the shoulders of the administration that sent them there under false pretenses.

Answer 2

I dont think so.

History has shown that you basically have to put a gun to the American civilians head so to say to actually get them to go to war. They might stomach some very short high intensity military operations here and there, or some low-intensity military operations for a couple years but thats it. Until you actually get them to believe that they are in danger they will stick their heads in the sand.

Since we live in an open society if there isnt a very real threat that is felt by the American public every decision, or move is questioned. I am not saying this is a bad thing.

Look at WW2, we lost 2500 military personnel and because of that we destroyed two continents, got involved in a conflict that we didnt start or have any intention of being involved in lost 400,000 people and completely reshaped the world. The human losses were a bad thing, the results were a good thing.

Look at 9/11, we lost over 5000 CIVILIANS, not military personnel and now 6 years into dealing with this threat we seem like we cant stomach it anymore.

I watched a special on the WTC center bombings. A former FBI agent remembered telling a friend after the bombing of the trade center in the 90's that it would take alot more to get the American people believing in this threat. The threat being Islamic fundamentalism/facism. Now the same FBI agent is saying that it will take alot more than the 9/11 attacks to get the American public to realize this threat.

Our enemy hates us for many reasons.
1. We go to a different church if we go to church at all..thats a no-no
2. We seperate church and state, thats a no-no
3. We have more power than them, militarily, and economically, thats a no-no
4. We dont hate Jews, or Israel thats a no-no
5. I could go on and on about why they hate us

They seem to have only two solutions to dealing with people like us.
1. Convert us to THEIR DEFINITION of Islam
2. Kill us

Considering our current reaction to this threat, I dont think we are war-like at all, quite the opposite. The good news is once you do convience the American public of the threat they seem to win against all odds.

Answer 3

The U.S. has historically had a war or fight every decade, so it hasn't really been more war like. The U.S. lost one million soldiers from the Civil War to the end of WWII and the U.S. hasn't hit such a rough patch since. Even the cost per GNP is down. The Vietnam War took up 17% of the GNP and the fighting in Iraq is taking up less than 3% on the GNP.

The enemies are also getting smaller. There is Syria, Iran and North Korea and that's about it on the list. North Korea is basically a part of China now so there isn't much chance of a war there. Syria and Iran are more of a weapons maker for the enemies of are allies than actual threats.

Answer 4

Take a breath. Sending troops to defend western civilization is the wise and good thing to do. Not to do so would invite another dark age ruled over by mid-evil barbarians you have a God complex. The budget deficits are small when compared with the total GNP. If you think the country is not safe you must totally discount the fact that we have not been hit since 9/11. Don't confuse your fear of terrorists with Bush's resolve to hunt them down and bring them to justice. Lumping in Imperial Britain with the dictatorships listed in your comparison exposes your lack of historical context. These first few years of our active defense against terror are a calm period when considering what it will take to finally defeat it

Answer 5

It sounds like you need to study some history.

The US has traditionally been an isolationist nation. In fact we tend to resist getting involved overseas. Our big problem is that other nations expect us to solve their problems for them (War On Terror, The Balkans, Somalia and Iraq) and criticize us if 1) we do something and 2) if we do not do something.

Look at how much flak the US took for refusing to send troops to East Timor.

Another thing to remember is that since 9/11 terrorist attacks on the US have dropped to nearly zero. We are now disrupting terrorist plans and organizations before they can even think of entering our country. Contrast this with the previous administration and the number of successful attacks on us and the only attacks that were merely because we got lucky.

Answer 6

You're right. Let's pull all of our troops home and allow some other country to become the world's superpower. Once the US military power is gone someone else will fill the void. I'm sure they will be able to handle the power as modestly as the US has been. Right now the US has the military power to invade and topple any government in the world, but yet it doesn't. Can you say that about the prospects that are itching to fill the void?

Answer 7

see my post about ordering up bombings like McDonalds. I think the final effect of media sanitization of things like "Shock and Awe", surgical strikes the fact that we never meet people who have survived an american invasion or even actually come close to an Islamofascist. Everything from video games to movies are all depersonalizing intense violence. Dropping a bomb on someone is pretty routine in just about every game you see from Galaga to Dawn of War. I think we are completely desensitized to the whole thing. The movie Babel encapsulates this notion well in the scene where the little white boy watches in horror as the mexican guy pops a chickens head off. Americans dont see death, its all an abstraction, it barely exists.

Answer 8

Evidently, you haven't been spending very much time here. Half the America bashers here claim the country is overwhelmingly against the war. Now you are saying we are "too warlike"?

Answer 9

Why, you looking to start something? haha.

Ask some one in your family who has been in the military these questions. Better yet some one in your family who has been in a war. They will be able to explain it better.

If you don't have anyone in your family with those qualifications go to the VFW or something like that and ask there.

If you had ever been in a war, you would understand why we glorify our military.

Answer 10

I think you got your head stuck in the wrong kinds of books. Go outside and experience reality. Go to Iraq and compare to see if we are "warlike"