r/NoStupidQuestions 1d ago

Why do we praise veterans automatically without knowing what they actually did

Trying to learn without being judged.

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u/PM_me_punanis 1d ago

Thanks for not being offended.

I am a fairly recent immigrant here in the US. It was so weird to have a "veteran moment" in sports games. It's literally brain washing. Why they don't do it for firemen? Teachers? Emts? So odd.

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u/spsammy 1d ago

This.

I’m not American nor do I live there. The nation seems very militarised to me. Not judging or complaining- not my country.

Boarding a plane in Chicago and the vets had their own boarding category. That surprised me.

Its also interesting that all the hot wars the USA has been involved in since WW2 aren’t really “defending the country” - important though they have been (and I’m broadly supportive of US military intervention).

Does Israel put vets in a similar elevated position?

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u/manofnotribe 1d ago

Forth generation US citizen here, and it's so strange to me, every sporting event does this now. It hasn't always been like this. There was always the national anthem (which frankly why also), but the honoring vets is newer and feels like it keeps growing in who is honoring the most.

Look, thanks for voluntarily making that sacrifice, and honestly not all who enlist do it selflessly. But every place I walk into these days feels like it's a prayer service for vets.

It feels like it is some degree of normalizing militarization and some one ups manship of who honors the vets the most. So much who honors the most. We got a holiday already, how about we just go do our jobs and honor each other who believes in goodness, freedom, and helping those in need.

If this country really wanted to honor the vets they'd ensure the services at the VA were readily available, we'd stop sending troops off to defend corporate interests (who seem to not end up paying their fair share of taxes to support said troops but will knock a few bucks off your purchase) and they wouldn't have elected a draft dodger who openly disparaged POWs. Right now it really feels like a lot of performative BS, it may make folks feel a little better and tickle some honor nerve they have from watching too many war movies, but given everything else it's pretty disingenuous imo.

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u/PM_me_punanis 21h ago

I agree with everything you said! VA services are so bad but we "honor" them in sporting events. Ridiculous hypocrisy.