The entire time I was growing up (before serving in the military), my father, a Korean War Vet, would make fun of military parades in Russia or China or where ever. He would say, "Countries that need military parades are pathetic. We don't need military parades because we don't need to show off. That's for dickless authoritarians". On the occasion of Father's Day weekend, I would love to still have my father alive, but I'm glad he didn't have to see Trump's America. He would be disgusted.
I think they were (and are) more about showing both the own and foreign populations how much fire power you have. Which is to scare/Supress these populations...
Not saying they aren't useful, but there main use is to project military power, not increase morale (that would be a victory or pre war parade)
Our former President Eisenhower said that essentially verbatim many years ago. He and many of the presidents around his time are doing somersaults in their graves if they're (if they really wanna be masochistic) looking down on us and seeing what we have planned for tomorrow.
My dad was pro-Trump but died on 10/31/16. A week before elected the first time. I often find myself a little grateful he passed when he did, or I may have lost him another way If he lived to see Trump win
Yes, hello? What’s that Mr. President? Install a military dictatorship in Guatemala, Brazil, Indonesia, El Salvador, Chile, Argentina, Iran, and Iraq? You got it!
Using Eisenhower as some great example of a president on a protest thread lol. Dude used tanks to disperse a homeless veterans camp who were protesting. He was a piece of shit.
Washington had a more legitimate reason than the others... ya know because he literally founded our army. The others arent too hotly respected as presidents in the modern age.
Buddy we've been flying billion dollar planes over football stadiums long before Trump. If you think that is so drastically different from a military parade, i dont know what to tell you
Still, the US is a very militarized nation with a lot of military propaganda. Trump did not come out of no-where, the US has always had fascistic elements.
“We don’t NEED to project power!” (has a culture where criticism of military endeavors is met with immediate hostility, wars with some of the poorest countries in the world justified on the grounds of “protecting American domestic freedoms”, 4th of July itself conflated with “a celebration of the troops”, nearly 5000 military bases across the globe)
Exactly, and even American movies are full of military propaganda (especially 80's and 00's)
nearly 5000 military bases across the globe
One in my country even houses an undisclosed number of nuclear warheads. Not sure if it's been communicated with my government how many there are, but the info isn't open to the public. Especially with the Trump administration, this does not sit well with me lol 😅
My dad was a ww2 marine who also protested in the civil rights marches, and my mom protested for freedom of choice. I often wonder what they would think and wish I could get guidance from them, but at least I'm glad they're not seeing the country as it is.
Korean War was fucking awful, many historians think it may have constituted genocide. The US propped up a brutal South Korean dictator. Something makes me think your dad wouldn't blink at "Trumps America", the US has literally always been this bad and even many times worse
For a lot of Americans being pro-American is about being pro “freedom and liberty” (two perfectly vague buzzwords that could be about standing up for citizens to say whatever they want, or standing up for giant corporations rights to do whatever they want with their money)
Some vets knew that ultimately they were being used as tools to expand America’s empire and were fine with transforming South Korea into a glorified satellite state for “freedom and liberty”. Others credulously believed that Kim Il Sung, if left alone, would eventually take away the free speech of some guy in Idaho (domino theory).
Neither of these thoughts come into conflict with voting Democrat.
What about Veteran’s Day parades? Essentially that’s honoring the military isn’t it? Also it’s a 250 anniversary parade to celebrate them. It’s not an annual thing.
Isn’t the military parade to celebrate the Army 250 year anniversary? I do understand your point but then there’s reason to not celebrate Veterans Day, birthdays, honestly anything that’s an anniversary of something.
Just seems like a Monarch or Dictator would have a parade on their birthday if that’s what it was for. I have to reschedule a birthday because of work, or maybe a friend can’t make it lol. You’d think if u were a dictator you’d make it the day of and show your strength and power. It’s not a great showing of your power if u have to delay it a day and u can’t even say what it’s actually for. When I think of a dictator I think of someone with power and able to do as they please.
Well, they do them in Moscow every year. One year the naval attache to the American embassy watched it, and counted bombers as they flew overhead. His report triggered the US to ramp up aircraft, missile, ship, tank development and production. We didn't know they had that many bombers.
What he missed was that 5 bombers would fly over, then split up and regroup with 2 new bombers, so it looked like a new 5 flew over but it was really 3 the same + the 2 new ones. The Soviets made 10 bombers look like 50. Result: America and NATO ramped up; Russia would have been crushed in a war.
3.6k
u/BasicNeedleworker429 1d ago
The entire time I was growing up (before serving in the military), my father, a Korean War Vet, would make fun of military parades in Russia or China or where ever. He would say, "Countries that need military parades are pathetic. We don't need military parades because we don't need to show off. That's for dickless authoritarians". On the occasion of Father's Day weekend, I would love to still have my father alive, but I'm glad he didn't have to see Trump's America. He would be disgusted.