Me and my brother both joined the army at slightly different times. We both did a tour in Afghanistan that overlapped and were just one province away from each other. I did a second tour over there and he got out.

We both came from a VERY conservative family. It was after serving that we both became suuuuper liberal. It was like the wool being pulled out from out eyes when we joined the army and saw how much of a lie it all was. Oddly enough, this is a semi common story for conservative people joining the military.

We grew up with our dad working in the military-industrial-complex and he would make fun of the liberals who called out the military for serving the MIC companies, and how it Iraq was a war for profit. Then we serve and see it first had with all the contractors, the needless equipment, the contracts for new tech that wasn’t needed, and all the other money sinks going into it. It was all a lie.

We grew up being told how bad universal healthcare would be, but then had it in the military and saw how amazing it was.

We were told that if people didn’t have a personal motivation through debt and loans to make them work harder, then people going through college would have no motivation to improve their lives. And yet here I am with the GI bill. (Granted, I still have 70k in student loans. The GI bill is kind of a lie in its self).

Everything that was a conservative talking point was exposed as a lie after joining army.

  • McFarius@lemmy.world
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    8 months ago

    I’m definitely not gonna disagree with you. Gotta take friends where you can get them, these days. The difference I would say is in intent. I want workers rights so we can go back to a traditional one income household with a married couple and lots of kids, that’s what I mean by conservative position. But if people want to take that freedom to try out other stuff like DINK household with plenty of economic security, or a stay at home dad situation, or quality affordable daycare, more power to them. Can’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. As long as quality of life is improving, I won’t turn my nose up at it, just cause it doesn’t match my traditional religious conservative ideas of society.

    • ZapBeebz_@lemmy.world
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      8 months ago

      I mean, as long as it is an option to go back to what is to you a more traditional household, rather than a requirement, then more power to you! Everyone deserves the ability to choose the life they want, and as a society, we should do everything we can to enable those choices.

    • Neuromancer
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      8 months ago

      I want workers rights

      I am a conservative and I’m all for worker rights. We are all workers. Why would anyone be against worker rights ?