Don't Join the Military | Renegade Cut
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 ก.ย. 2024
- Seriously, don't join the military. There are so many better options, and you aren't fighting for the reasons you think that you are. Support Renegade Cut on Patreon: / renegadecut
#military #trump #obama
BIBLIOGRAPHY AND FURTHER READING
Articles:
centeronconsci...
peacefulcareer...
nnomy.org/en/a...
www.thesoldier...
www.thesoldier...
www.operationm...
mndaily.com/22...
www.goarmy.com...
about.bgov.com...
phc.amedd.army...
www.nytimes.co...
Books:
Military Recruiting in High Schools
Military Recruiting in the United States
10 Excellent Reasons Not to Join the Military
[provides facts and statistics, cites sources]
"Well, that wasn't MY experience, so you must be lying. My experiences are universal!"
yes
We all know the only way to counter an argument backed by well cited sources is anecdata, duh
😂😂 smarty 😂😂
From a veteran, thank you for putting out this video.
Classic American Individualism/Libertarianism at work. Everyone lives in a vacuum! Anti-scientific at its core.
My younger brother died at 19 in Iraq because he was recruited at his high school at 17. I almost signed up also and was in the JROTC program at my high school. So fucked up that the recruiters lies to kids to die alone a far away country. I miss my brother.
Sorry about your brother man.
I am sorry for your loss, man. I was there in ‘08 as a 19yo, so this story hits really hard.
Exactly. All the dirty work by the young who is tricked into it
Sorry about that .kinda makes me feel lucky that I grew up an anti patriotic dad and civil rights activist grandmother. I was in rotc but never payed any of the recruiters any attention altho they always wanted to talk since i was by far the most active in the class ..
I’m very sorry for the loss of your brother. I’m sure your a bright young person whose potential can be used in a civilian job that offers room for career growth and critical thinking skills. The military offers very little of these.
I'm glad the military is panicking over recruitment. It's hard to hide the damage they do to their own members in a country that refuses to provide healthcare to its people. Younger people can at last see that, and even if it's the only angle they swiftly and obviously understand, it is enough to knock the knees out from under recruiters.
My local recruiters office sexually harrased high school girls. Maybe their training is crap on purpose. Maybe it's done in hopes to fine recruiters or snag away their bonuses.
It's nothing like they portray it through propaganda
How about the damage they do to other poor people overseas, all for the benefit of military industrial complex and oil companies?? Huh?? how come you don't question that??
My dad had fallen for the propaganda. One of my older brothers was in the US Navy but left early. My dad kept chirping that if my brother had stayed, he could have retired in a few years. He suggested it to me, citing the tuition reimbursement and all of that jazz and my mom had absolutely none of it. She told me that we only get one life, and asked if I really wanted to die. Solid advice from a mom who sometimes was not the most solid of parents.
If he would of done all 20 years to retirement he would of been in the in-active reserve for the rest of his life. Dodged a bullet.
Yep and if you came back with no limbs, he’d be blaming you for listening to him.
You were never going to die in the navy. You wanted an easy excuse to stay home and you took it, and there’s no shame in that honestly.
@@11broomstickkyou never know it’s a different world
@@11broomstickkthats. No matter what branch of the military you joining. You are risking your life for bs amerikkka country. You signing a peper contract with your name. Literally signing your life away to death. She did the right thing leave her alone. Women are abused and raped the most. Military and going to war is for men NOT women
I recently got an email from a Marine recruiter that was like "I'm not going to lie to you unlike previous emails you've gotten: you will still have a lot of college debt and you probably won't get the job you want." I doubt it worked. They lie for a reason because when they tell the truth, it's even less appealing.
Saying the quiet part out loud
For people that hate being "PC" they sure did come up with a lot of PC terms for things like torture
The way powers weaponize language to obfuscate immoral actions is insidious. It's what cowards do.
"Enhanced Interrogation Techniques".
Hahaha these are the same guys that have the Punisher logo attached to their truck and their bulletproof vest.
And I oop
@@audreymaize Not realizing or simply not caring that the punisher is a PTSD ridden broken man who hates crooked cops lol
Marine Corps reservist here, great video. If any of you are still considering, don’t.
Seriously, don’t.
As someone who is currently living in a military town, you have no idea how refreshing it is to watch this video.
As someone living in an American vassal state (an Australian in Australia), I'm sick of us obediently following America into illegal and immoral conflicts. These conflicts are never about our, or the invaded people's, freedom or safety.
This song is from an Australian band, 41 years ago! Australia is now even more entrenched in the American military machine.
th-cam.com/video/30k2uMwBLM8/w-d-xo.html
@@andrewwright6898 nobody in America cares about Australia fam, if yall dont want freedom then stay slaves to the Monarchy. All we did was try to help yall get your freedoms and you didn’t want them, so not only do we not want to help anymore we dont want people like you that want their freedoms gone in any way connected with our country.
I feel sorry for you
Lots of STDS there no
What town?
My ex-marine dad lost his 💩 when I was eighteen and the Marines called me trying to recruit me. He said, "I already served and was brainwashed so you didn't have to be"
I thought you said at 8 LOL
Based dad
My dad said the same thing to me I didn’t listen and now regret it
I grabbed my nephew and shook him billy Madison style when he said “Tio I want to be a soldiers like you!”
Good dad right there!!
I can vouch for the sexual assault bit. I enlisted in the Marines at 18, and got SA'd my second month in the fleet during a field day. Now I have PTSD, and can't clean my bathroom without having a panic attack.
It isn't just women that are SA'd in the military. The group therapy sessions I've been to that are specifically for men who were SA'd was fucking huge.
My sister's husband was sexually abused in the army
or you’re brainwashed into accepting the sexual abuse. yup.
My SO was assaulted too.😔 Shit is so sad because a lot of the men are terrified of coming forward because of retaliation or "not being seen as a man", as my SO put it. Even though it says that retaliation can get the perpetrator in more trouble, they will still risk it just so the victim will never speak out.
I’m so glad you found a group though. I encourage all survivors to find a safe group.
Same, also my knees, hips and hands hurt all the time
These are the 2 reasons why I didn't join the military. Reason 1 I was in JROTC during my freshman high school year. I absolutely hated it! Reason 2 my dad is a Vietnam vet. He was drafted into the army. Army infantry with multiple tours. He witnessed a lot of death and destruction. He told me "don't join the military and get caught in a white man's war like I did." I went to college instead. I'm glad that I did
My oldest brother is why I didn't join. He did two tours in Iraq. He was infantry. Left the army with Nazi tattoos and CPTSD. Didn't take him long to find neo Nazi organizations to pal around with once he got out.
@@bradley-ck2nb That's so sad, did he show any signs of having interest in Neo Nazis before joining?
@@bubblybubbles4023 when he was 17 he was robbed at gunpoint by a black dude and it kinda sent him into a very sad racist downward spiral
@@bradley-ck2nb Dude was robbed by one guy and automatically assumes every black person is like that. Really crazy, but I guess that's just human nature.
@@Saturnia2014 very crazy
As someone who fell for it himself, this is 100% correct. If you're graduating high-school or just got out of high-school please don't sign that contract. At least live on your own and get a normal job first just to see how it feels. When you join at 18 years old and have never lived alone, the military will prey on that to keep you. Few years later, you're 25 and now you're thinking about staying for life because you're used to the Army providing your housing, food, medical care, and wages. I've known many bright, strong people who can make it on the outside but chose to stay in just because they never learned to live on their own. If you're 18, just live your life, get your first apartment, and see how it feels before you enlist. I promise it will be okay.
As much as i want to agree because you’re correct in most of this i just dont feel the civilian sector is any better than the military because ultimately, I was in for six years and went overseas as well but I feel like even with a in demand MOS I still can’t find jobs out here that can support myself and my family not even close to the way the military ultimately did .Sometimes i find myself wanting to go back in but after being out for a bit it seems tough.
The fact that you think an 18 year old can afford an apartment in this economy is hilarious and sad.
@@ErinHoneyBunnywe all fcked bruh. 😂
@@ErinHoneyBunny That's probably the main reason that someone right out of high school joins the military. Its the only way they could be out of the house. Many times its because of desperation, their parents tell them they have to live on their own.
As someone who recently graduated high school, I couldn't tell you how many times a class was subject to speeches from a military recruiter. I couldn't tell you how many times I've been called by marine/army recruiters. I couldn't tell you how many times my parents urged me to join the military. It's disturbing how normalized it is to harangue kids about killing kids overseas. Very grateful that I never signed up.
When I was struggling with my ADHD and scholastic expectations, my parents suggested I "switch tracks" to join a military school, thinking they'd fix my discipline problem
I cried for hours the night they suggested that. I felt so broken.
Your parents urged you to join? After decades of Iraq and Afghanistan, your parents urged you to join?
I was in the Army. If I was 18 again, right now, I'd tell the recruiter that the instant a foreign power lands an invasion force on America's shores, I'll be the first to sign up.
In the meantime, I will not join in order to fight conflicts in other countries.
@@ashcarrier6606 urged me to join after my brother joined the National Guard and got sent to desert training in Oklahoma and then got deployed to Kuwait
I am so tired just relating that fact
Oof. It's even worse now. I'm 30 now. Sorry kid
The US is f**king weird, man. My Dad was briefly in the army and has been in the navy for my entire life (and well before). I don't think he ever once urged me to consider a military career. Might be because I'm blind, but I don't think my sighted siblings really got pushed that way either.
I was scouted hard for military service in Highschool due to my grades and being multi-lingual, I thought it would be a good way to 'see the world' (AKA leave a less than hospitable impoverished home life). Recruiters came in frequently to the school and gave out free food IF you signed up. Only thing that stopped me was because they finally realized I was legally Deaf (despite being mainstreamed) and they stopped IMMEDIATELY.
The military only wants to recruit the young and 100% healthy, only to wring them out to be broken when they leave.
Oh yeah similar thing happened to me, he’s a customer at my place, want me to join cuz I’m bilingual, said I can work for the linguistic department, handed out pamphlets and all
That's damn near impossible with gen z
@@COrraThereal0nenah we still got some bootlickers in gen z
This video is 100% accurate. I was in the army as a medic, and I'm very fortunate to have walked away relatively injury free. I have a couple friends that have committed suicide and a bunch more that have died on the job training or in combat. Not worth it. Especially for how much they pay. Great video! Don't join, shithead! Learn how to weld or drive a truck instead. Join boxing or muay thai to fulfill that masculine void if that's what you need
Good points
I'm really glad I went to welding school instead of the army when I finished community college. I'm not even finished with welding school and I'm already making 20/hr building boats and it's badass.
I'm having a lot of fun, but I still want an adventure, and part of me wants to go Coast Guard, but I don't want to drink the Kool-Aid and get myself stuck in a 4 year shit show. Finishing welding school no matter what, but it seems really nice to not have to pay rent for 4 years.
I wish Leon had made this video when I graduated. When I was a little kid I wanted to join the military bc of a very popular -war based- video game. My dad who never made it past his first year in the military (bc of a medical oversight in the military’s part ) and never left the mindset that the military was the way to go. So when his ten year old daughter told him she wanted to join when she was old enough HE WAS ELATED. They (my dad and step mom) put me in JROTC, fat shamed me until I lost a bunch of weight in very unhealthy ways, shamed me (and punished me) for not wanting to be in the class during my sophomore year and when I graduated and decided I didn’t want to join they threatened my living situation.
I did join and I want to add a few things Leon missed.
No one is your friend, that spiel about brother hood and camaraderie is pure fiction, the military is full of people who will rat you out for the smallest mistake if it means they gain favor of leadership. This isn’t unique to the military but unlike a normal job where you’ll just be fired the military will instead punish you by either shaming and belittling you, ostracizing you, or punish you under an article 15 where they can and will take half your pay for a not so insignificant amount of time, they will take your rank (you pay again) if you have any, and they will essentially put you in jail for a month.
If you’re any flavor of LGBTQ+ you my friends are fucked (trust I know from experience) Because although the military wants you to believe that they’re 100% okay with that, they will not protect you if one of their older service members, who still remembers DADT, belittles your marriage or they will make it clear in no uncertain terms that they do not care about your gender identity, this might seem small but it’s hard working every day in place where people just don’t care.
There is no work life balance/ over time pay. You can be at your job for 12+ hours, and still have to come in early in the morning.
Even if you’re working a desk job it is so FUCKING exhausting. Imagine being a service employee but you really can’t snap or be snarky to a “customer” bc they’re a higher rank than you.
And speaking from experience, if you come from an abusive house, you will not find any kind of solace in the military. The military is just a toxic relationship that you can’t get out of until your contract is up. But please keep in mind that they do no prepare you for life outside the military there exit class is a JOKE, they don’t teach you anything about money saving, they don’t teach you anything about how to apply your “skills” outside and might pick up some very unhealthy habits to cope like smoking or alcohol.
For example, young males in the Marines Corps have the highest rate of heavy alcohol use, at 38.6 percent; among males in the Air Force, the rate is 24.5 percent. Young men in the Army and Navy have similar rates of heavy drinking (Army: 32.8 percent, Navy: 31.8 percent) (pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/arh284/252-257.htm#:~:text=For%20example%2C%20young%20males%20in,%2C%20Navy%3A%2031.8%20percent).)
There’s so much more I could get into but please if you’ve made it this far, listen to Leon. He knows what he’s talking about, the military isn’t the way out of whatever situation you’ve found yourself in.
Thank you for such insight.
THISSSS
Facts
I've been in for over a year now, and I'm gonna tell you guys straight up, if you think joining will give you any kind of meaning and self-worth in the military, Your living a fantasy. This is not the movies or like the books either. Tbh, it feels like a joke. I will not let any of my family members even consider the idea of joining for money or for those reasons, regardless of benefits. I screwed myself over believing in a fantasy when I got in. Now I have severe anxiety and depression because of it. My recruiter lied to me and got injured twice. My body is already breaking down. I was 21 when I joined. Im gonna turn 24 soon. It is not worth it. If you really want to join the army and know what your getting yourself into. Go for it. If you are joining for the wrong reasons, it is not gonna be easy for you. Two recruits off themselves here in my unit and the guys played ouija board a week later like what. Disgusting, and leadership didn't criticize them for it. It is not for the faint hearted
I live on the Florida panhandle surrounded by military bases and 9/11 was a real turning point for the atmosphere. Military is a "way of life" cult around here. It's really bad because the military economy (housing benefits mostly but also job selection priority) has really screwed over the non-military population to the point that it pushes more people into that pipeline out of desperation. Mixed with recruiters on all campuses and school lunch rooms (pastors and recruiters) and many retired military and military parents make it almost impossible not to join. Thankfully I didn't join but it's a real struggle financially while my sister's military husband will be retiring in his late 30's.
You can't say anything negative about the military here unless you want to be blacklisted from social life because everybody knows at lest one person currently serving and to speak ill of the military is to wish death on all the troops. Already pissed off the wife's family a few times... I have endless stories off family, friends, and neighbors about their struggles. Why so and so is a day drinker or why so and so can't watch war movies anymore.
The worst part of it all is they see I am a leftist and speak out against the military and they just assume I don't "care about the troops" but I care about them, as people. I know nothing really good comes from joining and that the longer they are in the worse they will be spit out (assuming they live long enough to get out).
Guess I should watch the video now 😂
Damn bro, you really got it bad. Move north. Better economy. Diversity. People who can think for themselves. Don't look back
I spot a P-cola pal. 😂 In all seriousness I know what you mean
@@TheCastedone people from the south would say the same thing about the north.
As a wise man once wrote: “I will serve crack before I serve this country.”
Amen
I'm not so eager to give my life to a hard drug, I do share the sentiment of "fuck Uncle Sam, he can fight his own shitty pointless wars"
See that's the misconception - serving the military ISN'T serving this country. It's serving the billionaire vampire-squids and corrupt politicians who are sucking this country dry with their blood-funnels.
As for serving your country plenty of ways to do that - volunteer etc.
I'm unfamiliar, who said that?
source?? genuinely interested
I'm in Canada but also considered joining near the end of Highschool. I was a miserable, confused queer guy who liked martial arts and hated living with my conservative parents. I thought it would be a good way to sort out my philosophy and earn some money while not worrying about room & board.
One of the few times my Dad did something particularly good for me with his advice. He talked me out of that, out of being a cop, out of pursuing medicine too (too much stress in his opinion). Now I'm an anarchist. Go figure
Have you found a way to make anarchism a living wage job yet?
Half serious asking for advice here :D
My biggest trouble is applying for jobs... too many formalities, too many incentives to lie about myself, when i just want a paid job...
Thank fuck… I served in the Canadian Military and it was a shitshow. I was in the same boat and I joined… I became someone I didn’t like very much and it took me until now to get my mental health in check. It turned me into a leftist.
@@nos9784 I work in film so it's a bit easier to just be honest. "My dream is to be a screenwriter, I have X amount of experience and really just looking to build up my skills and connections while learning the production pipeline."
Most people in film avoid talking politics like the plague and like to style themselves as "not your boss"
Hope you stuck with the martial arts, at any rate. That kind of thing can be great for instilling the discipline the military is *supposed* to give you, in a far healthier way.
@@auroraborealass Is turning into a leftist a bad thing?.. haha
Actually I have a small correction: it IS a lifelong commitment. Once your name is in those roles unless you are 100% disabled? They can and will call you back. I was married to a veteran who is now 100% disabled. My brother just outprocessed from the Navy. I studied political science before said veteran's job was lost and I had to drop out to take care of our kid.
I know someone who broke her back in basic training. My stepmom has permanent health impacts from her service in the airforce. It is a LIFE ALTERING negative committment.
Did I mention it broke my relationship with my brother? Because it did and I haven't spoken to him in half a decade now. He became a totally different person and it sucks because our parents are terminally ill and I won't be in the United States much longer so idk how he's going to get hold of me to let me know anything's going on (he probably won't).
Anyway the military is trash and preys on the poor and BIPOC esp. I'm both Indigenous AND Black. We get fucked over in every arena but esp this one. It negatively affects immigrants especially hard as well.
Fuck the military and what it does to people. The brainwashing is real.
As a veteran, I'm gonna go ahead and cosign everything Leon is saying here. Anyone denying it is either a recruiter or full of shit (but I repeat myself). My experience with the military was a machine that destroyed me and all my friends. Do not become destroyed. Please.
WOW!!
I was thinking about joining I got two 3 kids 24 but I wanted to join for hvac and I’m an egale scout too
@@cortayzlewis3794I had a great experience in the army. Don't join combat. Join intel
I joined and it was probably the best choice made. I've never been paid so much for doing so little work. I don't make much as an enlisted, but for the amount of work i put in rn I'd say I'm over compensated. It's lit!
@@operez6519what’s your job?
I'm a linguistics major and relatively young, so whenever I mention my degree to someone they always assume that I need advice in life. Without fail, they recommend that I join the military. "They need translators! They pay well! I knew someone who got so many opportunities from the military!" I would rather gouge out my eyes than join the military. It is disgusting how the military industrial complex infects not only students, but those of us with degrees completely unrelated to warfare.
back in cold war days I knew a guy with a degree in Russian. He enlisted and they made him an airplane painter. pretty typical .
@@johnthompson7420mmmm that makes me think of my fren who told me to never join cuz the military is a scam. I was 17 at the time but never thought on joining. So I felt a little strange when she’s said that cuz I was like, huh? I don’t think this applies to me? Then a year later, a customer at my place tried to get me in cuz I’m bilingual and I was very tempted by all the so called benefits.
To keep it short, I didn’t
So I'm old now but back when I finished high school, after being through JROTC I was planning to join the military. My father, a Vietnam veteran, was adamantly against it. He did everything he could to convince me not to join, citing his own experiences and he wasn't too happy when he saw recruiters show up at my door to talk to me.
Well, despite some teenager back talk I did to him he convinced me not to join and as I got older and saw everything happening with things like 9/11 and how the US handled that and such I was really glad I listened to him. Sure I did rack up student debt for college but I didn't have to go through any of that and he was really happy that I listened to him.
He's no longer living but I still thank him every day for managing to talk me out of what I would consider a regretful decision today.
I was in the Civil Air Patrol Cadet Program which was run by veterans and post-9/11 dads and I ended up joining the US Navy for 4 years. I won’t exactly specify what I did because I could be prosecuted for it, but the lives ended due to my conduct weigh on me every single day of my life. I got out 4 years ago and I’m only 26 years old. DO NOT ENLIST. YOU WILL REGRET IT.
@@TATERplaysGAMES Facts.
Thank you for your honesty. I know it's never easy to talk about these things but I appreciate your candor. All you can do is be kind and help spread the word because people listen!
I have honestly been thinking about joining the navy nurse corp as a female. It's that bad? Are there like secret operations going on by the corrupt government to kill innocents?
I've heard of people who don't regret going. Some say they never even deployed in over 20 years.
As a wise man said to a reformed monster, “you don’t need to have a patch or stripe on your arm to have honor.”
I always thought it was strange how my entire class was forced to take the ASVAB junior year of high school. I know a few of my classmates tried to get out of it and were scolded by our class sponsor and forced to take it anyway.
What could the "class sponsor" do if a student refused? Did any students actually refuse to take it? What could the punishment be, suspension for a day or two. Were any of the students smart enough to deliberately get every single question wrong on the test?
Was yall parents made aware?
I thought about joining the military to pay for college for about an hour when I first started. Two years before 9/11. SUPER glad I didn't.
dodged that bullet like neo from the matrix lmao
This made me think of when conservatives were PO'd about Starbucks hiring refugees over veterans when they should have been mad at the government for the poor treatment and care of veterans
Why would they be mad at the government when this is more than likely the way they wanted this to work. Veterans, though being humans with lives, personalities, and social realities, will usually only serve as a political tool for conservatives (and others honestly) to trot out for clout and political points. With the event you are talking about involving Starbucks, it is the exact way they want it to be to further their agenda.
rare starbucks W
As a Veteran who has Major health issues due to my time in the Army I agree with this .
My biggest fear is that one of my children join .
So far they've listened to my advice .
I've had 21 surgeries on my spinal cord and brain stem .
Tumors " magically " have grown inside the Nerve Sheath in my spine .They have also grown in my brain stem .
Supposedly because I was
" exposed " to something that caused my genetics to change .
I'm not alone .
Look up " Gulf War Syndrome " and other lovely new health issues facing service members .
There are some underhanded things going on .
My medical board had to be held in a special counsel , behind closed doors , and my Neurosurgeons from Walter Reed had to go with me . They had to explain that my
" Illness " was not a naturally occurring issue .
Jesus Christ don't join .
Basically I was there to defend the Corporate Establishment.
I was told " now that you're Injured and ill you're no better than a broken down jeep " ....
So now the same Bean Counters and Politicians who said that tell me " thank you for your service ".
It's all lip service .
That sounds awful
Gulf War Syndrome is linked with the series of anthrax vaccines that they gave to service members.
Veteran here. Don't do it. There are an infinite number of ways to find *some* kind of future that don't involve you literally supporting imperialism.
I wouldn't recommend it either.
I joined the Army in 1981-1984. I joined again in 1998-2001 and hated it. It had changed a lot for the worse. BRAC replaced lots of jobs with military contractors as well as downsizing the military overall.
The first time I was in was much better and folks weren't as racist and right wing. There was also more hazing the second time.
@@scoot4348why you went in for 2nd time?
The funny thing is, I've just watched a 1980s motivational video title We Were There. Sure it can be said that it's not all fun and heroic, but near that video's end when they were giving aid to needy people, I was like "maybe serving is not that bad after all depending on what you're fighting for". That is like helping others for a noble cause instead of destroying something in the name of hegemony.
When I first got into Judo, that made me want to become a cop. And only a few months ago, Modern Warfare 2, if only briefly, made me consider joining the military. And I was always a left-green anti-authoritarian. But I'm still not immune to propaganda.
Not to mention that the 25% of women in the service who report sexual assault is an underreport because of the risk of retribution from their commanding officers for reporting, so the actual statistic is almost certainly much higher.
The last couple minutes hit me hard because growing up in a military family 18yo me could've really used that advice because the fear of disappointing them crippled my growth as a person.
"working retail. . . you have almost no chance of committing a war crime (unless you work at Hobby Lobby)" dark lmao
What does Hobby Lobby do that could be considered a war crime?
As someone who fell for it way back when. All of this and more. Your signing bonus won't be fully paid out until you're at least half way through your active term. The skills you will gain, even in the best jobs, will likely not help you as much as the mental trauma will hinder you in life later on. My guess is, if you're watching this, much less reading comments, you don't need convincing. Hopefully you can convince someone you know who's considering joining to take that job at jiffy lube without 8 years of soul and body crushing servitude.
My little sister felt like she was running out of options a few years back and joined the Army. One of the best days of my life was about a month later, when she flamed out of boot camp and got discharged.
There aren't many young people in my life, but my partner is a teacher and if any of their high school students is ever considering joining the military, I'm gonna have them show the kid this video!
As much as that would be awesome, they could actually lose their job if they teach at a public school. As the video said, School-funding is reliant upon how chummy the school gets with the military, so anyone who "ruins the mood" could be seen as a "killjoy."
Leon is insanely brave to do a vid on how much it sucks to be in the US military. The US military does _not_ fuck around when it comes to PR. If he vanishes into a blacksite, we'll at least know he went down fighting.
Not from the US, but I lately thought about "defending my country" due to current politics. I came to the conclusion, that I do not care enough. I own nothing, no land, no house and I do not have a fortune. If anyone has to take up arms, maybe my landlord should do his part.
My family has a history of getting forcefully mobilized like this. We got nothing for serving countries like Serbia and Ukraine in this fashion, only death and health/mental problems. We're done being cannon fodder and meat for the politians, we had enough. I refuse to ever fight, and would do my utmost to avoid any war and service.
Wait, you're from Germany? What do you man by current politics? If you are from Germany, that's one of the countries where I want to go to and live there, so I'm surprised to hear about all this. Germany is a NATO member and some NATO members have nukes (U.S.) so there's no way anyone in their right mind would attack Germany...
This is some of the best advice anybody has ever posted to the internet. When I was in high school, during the peak of war in Iraq, I was heavily sought out after by the recruitment officers in school. I was looking to go to the military because I came from a poor background and I wanted money to go to school. They offered me sandwiches and Hardee's and rallies and whatever to push me to sign a contract. Thankfully, I work that the Kmart nearby, and it was frequented by Vietnam war veterans. Veterans. More specifically, African American Vietnam war veterans. And none of them suggested I enlist to go to this war. War. Not one of them said it was a good idea. And every last one of them pushed me into gaining my higher education. After I graduated from NSU, I found a program that allowed me to teach abroad. I traveled thanks to these programs. I saw the world thanks to the friends I met through these programs.
Just reminds me of something my stepdad told me: Navy stands for Never Again Volunteer Yourself.
I’m a Navy veteran, it sucked. Only thing I got from the Navy was athletes foot
I almost joined up when "Iraqi Freedom" was in full swing. I had just turned 18 and was hard core propagandized by liberal warhawks. My family were all democrats, and therefor *still* support the MIC and the concept of American hegemony. Except my Uncle who did two tours in Vietnam. He sat me down one day and gave me a short talking to that stuck with me to this day. He said, "your dad says you wanna go fight. Don't. You'll be forced to kill women and kids and if you refuse, they'll beat the shit outta you or kill ya if they think you'll make too big a stink of it. Stay home. Do something better." Changed my life to have someone who *actually* served in the military be so blunt.
Sent both of our kids to a Quaker school. I’m so glad we did. They are both in their twenties and anti war as well as anti military. They are both politically aware as well. Everyone needs to see this video. ✌🏼
Imagine how much tangible good could be done with USA military budget channeled instead into education. Green energy. Affordable housing. Hecking NASA.
It physically hurts me when I'm pressured to say "thank you for your service". I will never willingly say that.
Most vets hate it anyway
@@user-mh4wl1zc9i most awkward feeling to me sometimes is the "thank you for your service" statement. In my head I'm going "Bro, I'm in this for the pension, TSP, and free American Express Platinum and Gold cards".
9 year veteran of the Marine Corps here - please don't say it, and don't ever feeled compelled to do so. I guess it's a nice gesture /if/ it's sincere to begin with, but it only really makes most of us uncomfortable.
Best response if it comes up is to try and have a human conversation about it like you would anyone else about their job. Only difference we probably have much stronger feelings about it.
imperialists
As a former Marine, I actively speak to my children about never joining the military. I joined the Corps thinking I was serving my country only to realized I was being used as goon for transnational corporations. Then I saw how they forced the poisonous jab on the military. To top it off now there military has gone woke especially with sexual depravity within the ranks.
I spent all 4 years of my enlistment desperately wanting to get kicked out, but they do a really good job making you feel like anything other than an honorable discharage will basicallly ruin your life. There's also an enormous amount of social pressure once you're in. The fear of looking like a failure to your friends, family, and coworkers can be overwhelming. 15 years later and my biggest regret in life is joining, my second biggest regret is sticking it out. It's often a horribley abusive and toxic eniovrnment that can enable awful and sadistic people to thrive, and can be traumatizing regardless of whether or not you see combat.
Oh and I still ended up with 25k in college debt because I had to work while going to school. Nothing about it is worth it. Don't join.
I'm about to get out of the Navy, in less than 6 months. I wish I had seen this video many years, ago when I was a desperate kid who had no where else to go.
I wish you all the best.
I hope you’re doing ok now.
Every vet or active duty person in my life, be it a relative, friend who served or is serving, or youtuber I watch; they have ALL told me not to join and have given me plenty of examples to back up why.
Last year my best friend mentioned wanting to join the air-force and I had to sit her down and go over all of it to talk her out of it.
I got a call from a military recruiter waaaaay back in school. My mother happened to be in the same room, realized after a few of my answers what was going on, grabbed the phone, said, "Not interested" and hung up. Never got a call again.
High school?? Pleeeeease. I had recruiters in MIDDLE SCHOOL tell me that going to collage without military funding was stupid, getting anything above a core 40 was unnecessary, so just do the bare minimum in school, join the military and ONLY THEN will the military get you to your potential.
Nowadays, a good chunk of my current friends are vets or are in inactive service. They don’t like the military. Evidently.
I broke up with my fiance in 2010 and joined the army reserves. I thought it would be the most grueling, tough experience I needed to make me a man and get over my relationship. It was the biggest fail session ever. The hardest part was the general dog and pony show, hurry up and wait mentality, and just wanting to go home as I felt what I was doing was no value to anyone
I wanna play this video in all public squares around the globe. Always brilliant and straight to the point, Leon!
I'd rather show everyone this comment section, if people who were in say it's bad then you know what's truly up.
Did six years in the Navy. Stupid mistake.
In high school me and my friends made a reservation that if we all can’t go ahead and get our dream jobs then we’d all sign up into the military as a last resort job option for the rest of our lives. 9 years later and turns out all but 2 (me and another guy who I don’t speak to) have joined the military and 2 of them had been severely injured in some way in service, both of them have been wounded in a way so they can’t function normally again.
I thought about this a couple of years ago. I thought about joining the Air Force back when I was living in Tallahassee (and still do), and I thought about joining because I had no opportunities. I remembered talking to the recruiter and they actually turn me down because, and I'm paraphrasing, "We [the US Air Force] aren't in the business of accepting people in the service that are down on their luck." (And there, me and the military actually agreed on something). Moreover, my dad was in the army for thirty years (he was in the 1991 Gulf War) and came a broken man (he never mentioned what he did, nor did I ask.) And he was pretty adamant that me and my brother do not join. He was a broken man who suffered PTSD and had some serious alcoholism. He was also verbally (and sometimes physically) abusive towards me (I have autism). Long story short, my childhood was pretty terrible. Back to the present, I had asked former dear friend (who was a Republican/Conservative) to accompany me to the recruiting office. She told me no because she said, "This is something only you can do". So, I took it as "I don't care if you die in some distant land. As long as you die to make me feel "free" and "comfortable." Basically, out of sight and out of mind. In the end, the powers that be often send those who the deem undesirable or unwanted to either die in some distant land or end up being caught up in a bureaucracy that takes away their dignity. The fact that they're people who fight, protect, and defend the biggest wasters in society is beyond me. Although, I do have a theory:
Like anything else in humanity, the military is a place to seek community and camaraderie. People need mythological stories of heroism and courage to give meaning to their mundane existence (between birth and death). We all want to belong to something, and we will do whatever we can to accomplish that feeling, even if it means joining morally dubious organizations; all with hope of doing a job that will reward them with a place with the higher-ups. Of course, this rarely ever happens.
The best thing about being on the spectrum is not being able to join the military.
I drew an anarchy symbol on my asvab test back in high school , refused to answer, and i can't remeber what else. That didn't go over well
i think the biggest issue is young people enlist without putting much thought or time into it. i joined at 32 and talked to all sorts of recruiters for two years before i landed on one i felt comfortable with and fully understood what i was getting into.
JROTC backfired on the military in my case. I was in that and cadets before that, and it gave me a sample of military life and showed me that it was not for me.
My father worked at a Military Entrance Processing Center in the early to mid nineties. This was post Cold War, when recruitment was significantly down and recruiters were getting a little lax in enforcing the requirements in order to avoid punishment for a lack of recruits.
My father’s role was to take fresh recruits, process their paperwork and ensure they’re a fit candidate, then the recruit gets shipped off to Basic Training. He was the final step in the process, so he was liable for the recruits going under his purview.
The recruiters were sending him people that were nearly blind, emotionally unstable, and/or physically unfit. He was given orders to approve these candidates regardless, and he refused.
To defuse the situation, since my father knew the regs in and out and knew exactly how paperwork covers your ass when COs give dishonorable orders, base command sent him (and his family) to North Dakota to finish out his final two years before retirement eligibility. The only reason why we got out of that frozen wasteland was because he was one of the few fully qualified to properly shut down a reserve center, so his final duty station was thankfully in a reasonable climate.
Treat recruiters with the same level of suspicion and disbelief as a sketchy used car salesman. They don’t care about you; they have their quota to meet, damn the consequences after their stage in the process.
I joined the military when I was 25 for a lot of reasons. None of them were actually worth joining the military. Worst mistake of my life. I kept my head down and did my time and didn't re-up. Not worth it
If you or a spouse are military, please understand that living on base is very much living in a cult environment. It's where you'll find the biggest America Fuck Yeah jingoists who insist our system is the best... While living on base because its as close to socalism you can get on US soil. No rent, no utilities, provided child care and education at no cost, tax free stores to shop at and the USO gives away food constantly, and functions as a community center with common space for play and socialization. On Guam, living on base gives you access to multiple playgrounds and 2 beaches, as well as the marina and rental center.
So you live on base where you don't have to pay any of the regular things other people live with, in close proximity with other military folk, ALL OF WHOM WILL CONSTANTLY GRILL YOU ON WHEN YOU'RE GONNA MAKE BABIES TO JOIN THE SYSTEM.
The national anthem plays twice a day, sunrise and sunset. There's an unspoken rule on base that you stop doing what you're doing during the anthem. If in a car you're supposed to pull over. If you're on foot, you are to stop and face the nearest flag or speaker the song is playing from. If you're a member in uniform outside, you must salute during the entire anthem.
No one tells you this, and civilians can be detained for not doing it and possibly lose base access ( meaning becoming suddenly homeless AND getting exiled from your neighborhood and stores you rely on for cheap food and goods )
Don't live on base if you can manage it. If you must, get a good set of earplugs.
And, on top of all of this, you will be asked to join myriad MLMs.
@@LittleMissLounge I managed to avoid that, but I'm also someone who is willing to sacrifice the social interaction and support of FRG meetings unless it's an information meeting about When And Where I Need To Be to pick up my spouse when the boat comes back... And I don't stay for anything beyond that.
Really hard for anyone to make a sales pitch when I don't exist in their sightline for more than a few minutes at a time 😂
I remember in high school a friend thought it would be funny to give my name to the recruiter. I played along for a while and took the asvab. From then on the recruiter would harass me constantly. "You had great marks, you can pick any career you want". I kept telling him I was not interested. Finally one day I went off on him. I said "I am so sorry you signed up and got yourself stuck doing this, but you should be ashamed trying to drag other people into it". "I hope you miss your quota and get sent back into combat". He went on about a career and making money. I lied and told him I was a independently wealthy drug dealer, he then left me alone, but suddenly I was being stopped and searched every night by the local police. The best part was I didn't and still do not touch anything that is illegal. To stop the legal harassment I started calling the local police station every night and reporting harassment, knowing that they recorded all calls. This stopped that harassment. Sometimes I wish they had not stopped because I may have had a case to make some extra money and expose the harassment by the recruiter.
Being from Argentina (where our own military fucked us a few times), I always struggle with the notion of "supporting the troops". I mean why don't support truly useful people like teachers, doctors and weed farmers instead?
Replace weed farmers with FOOD farmers and add janitors to this list!
I was already aware of most of this, but it's still super helpful to have it all consolidated in one well structured video. Now I have something to send people before they make a decision they will regret.
Years ago, I tried to join the Air Force because I could not find a job. I absolutely annihilated their tests, surprised the hell out of them. They turned me down because of my migraines. This is the only time I have been grateful for feeling like my skull will split open, because it saved me from becoming a part of the most inhumane, unethical and evil organization on the planet.
That's how I FEEL about police depts here in the US. LOL.
Hahaha someone has to do the dirty job, but it won’t be you
Forget military and universities... learn a trade.
My grandfather served in the Korean War. He worked very hard to ensure I would never join the military. He succeeded.
The recruiter's were awful when I was in high school. They knew it was a largely low income school and fully took advantage of that to convince kids who couldn't see a way out of generational poverty that the military was an amazing opportunity that would give them a better future. Everyone had to wear their student id's where they were clearly visible, it only took a glance to know what grade kids were in but they'd still actively start conversations with freshman "because it's never too early to start planning your future".
The late George Carlin warned about soft language and euphemisms!!
Back in 2014 I was (2) weeks away from graduating Navy boot camp. The whole time I was miserable and had a nagging "this ain't right" feeling. I was pressured by my family to join (even though I didn't want to). During basic I lied about being mental ill, having BPD, and have psychosis 😊. A week later, they sent me back home... DO NOT JOIN ANY BRANCH!!!
In my country war was taught to me to be a tragedy, to be a meatgrinder, to be a trauma for a generation. I've never understood how America developed this attitude towards the military.
Required viewing includes Born on the Fourth of July, Casualties of War, any version of All Quiet on the Western Front, Johnny Got His Gun, Full Metal Jacket, and more. War is hell.
I'm from Canada. When I went to high school we'd have a day of the year that the military would come in and talk to us about recruiting and they would be present at job fairs when I went to Trade College afterwards. I was always interested in joining the Navy, to work on repairing ships and subs, but fortunately even when I was young and showed up at a recruiting office they kinda shooed me away saying my marks were very high and I could do better elsewhere. Talking to veterans, some loved their time in the military, but some afghan vets or anyone that was injured didn't. It was like pulling teeth to get Canada to help you and they described it as being almost built to be difficult on purpose.
I feel Canada has worked hard to avoid war crimes, but the vets I've spoke to feel the lines are blurred when they have to shoot kids running at them with grenades. Just remember those horrors and if you are willing to subject yourself to such before you join. I do feel our remembrance day is not about celebrating war, but remembering it's horrors. We have a lot of "Never Again and Least we Forget." and speaking about the horrors that happened.
There's a lot of ways you could have made this video, but you did it in the same way I would have. Approaching this topic with honesty, empathy and unflinching confrontation of facts and outcomes is the best way to really discuss US military service and its after-affects. In my personal life I still find it difficult to really discuss anything about my time in, and the best compliment anyone has or can ever give me is to say that that I don't come off as a stereotypical Marine. That gives me a bit of comfort because I feel like I get to be "human" again even though I know it's more complicated than that. I know that's a bit of a rant but that's all to say thank you first and foremost for your humanity. No one ever needs and most of us rarely even want to be thanked for our service.
Great video! The counter argument that I can already hear is “well the feds will just use the draft for all military engagements”. The existence of the volunteer force saves us from that. I’m trying to come up with a counter to that counter
One point to argue against a draft is whether they would want to work a job with someone who doesn’t want to be there, doesn’t have their back, and can’t be removed from working with you.
😶
to be honest, i don't think they'd ever attempt a draft again. there'd literally be global backlash. the entire world knows how horrific wwII and 'nam' was and some countries even joined our anti-war protests. people were literally shot like dogs trying to fight against it. the mai lai massacre. agent orange. veteran insanity and suicide rates. how millions of people died unnecessarily.
if they tried that bs again, it'd start a REAL war.
all hell would break loose.
They’re aggressive. They don’t ask once. They will try many, many times.
I went to a job interview a few years ago for a heating and cooling company. Basically just a sit-down lunch at Subway. Turns out the guy was a former military recruiter and definitely vibed as such. Red flagged so hard that I ended up going with another company that paid $2/hr less.
Being a "recruiter" for anything at all is inherently untrustworthy. Military recruiters exponentially so.
The high school recruitment ran very strong at my school back in the mid-00s. The school even administered the ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery) as though it was a run-of-the-mill standardized test to all seniors, unless your parent somehow found out about it and demanded it not be given to you. Insane shit!
Holy you had to do that? Thought it’s “illegal “ to force it… I mean I never had that
I spent four years in the USMC as a Machinegunner. Throughout my service the universal reference by Marines in the Corps was "The Suck", and for a very good reason. I've advised my own kids NOT to join any of the armed services, however to those that do, serve "honorably", if possible.
All I got from the military was a bad case of PTSD, MST and anxiety to the idea of forming any meaningful relationship… it’s taken me 10 years to come to terms and get help… I got a long way to go but hey, at least they acknowledge it… I guess.
"you can also be exposed to movies that the department of defense funds well before you're 18"
Top Gun Maverick immediately came to mind. Have no idea why people like that movie. It's an obvious bait.
I was interested in joining after I saw them on campus and ROTC looked cool. The recruiter didn’t take me seriously or attempt to move forward with my application. I thought it was because I was a Haitian Black girl. Now I look back very grateful to him. US history class really sold me a bunch of lies
It's very frustrating when politicians claim there isn't money for programs that would help people domestically, yet the dept of defense budget is enormous. Our national wealth has been squandered for decades to blow up people overseas rather than invest in our own country. I always wished for the scenario: "What if they threw a war and no one came?"
4:05
No *F*CKING* Wonder why that Soldier Lady at my School seems Damb Desperate 😮
She looks Calm at the Outside but I can tell that she's Screaming in the inside, trying to encourage Students to join the Military 🪖
I've known too many guys from my high school who got suckered into the military via JROTC and paid for it bad. One of my siblings included (we have some military family and it seemed like a good idea at the time, unfortunately). Also got a sister who took some kind of test once that made the recruiters swarm all over her. They still try to contact her sometimes.
Feeling weirdly glad that I was a wimpy queer crybaby who couldn't do a pushup back then. None of them wanted anything to do with me!
War is a racket. It always has been. It is possibly the oldest, easily the most profitable, surely the most vicious. - general smedley butler
Need a job? Join the Post Office.
i was floored seeing i make about the same as a private when i im just a retail supervisor
Drones and missiles indeed do all the fighting, you just need to do the "dying" part.
my asthma kept me out of the military in the early noughties. i was c/1LT, did S-1 junior year and S-4 senior year, exhibition armed drill, battalion armorer, and more. i still have my empty ribbon rack i bought for military ball and the two medals i was "awarded." i trained from a 15 minute mile down to a 7.40 by graduation. but because i had to go to an ER at 15 because I lost my inhaler on a leadership retreat, i was told to pound sand. (except the marines. they said they'd take me, but that i had to retake the asvab because they didn't trust my 98. *eyeroll*)
i was also mentally and emotionally abused by my peers. example, at my NCO board, i was bombarded with homophobic slurs (the offender was banned from becoming an officer as a result, so they made him c/CSM instead). i was constantly ridiculed for my physique, even as competed on the ranger team and lead PT. i had long hair freshman year, was made fun of for that. shaved my head sophomore and junior year, was made fun of for that. i was groomed by my peers into conduct with which i didn't, and don't, agree. i hurt people.
i was later diagnosed with bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, and ptsd from all my childhood trauma. i've spent several stints in the hospital for suicidal ideations. i'm far more stable now on medication, and i've even been certified as a peer support specialist. i have three amazing kids, and have been happily remarried for over 5 years. i've even started looking for ways back into gainful employment (because we live in a society). i've found comfort in my identity, rather than the identity i was indoctrinated to fulfill.
if i had joined the military, i would havee never got the help i needed. in fact, it would have become much worse. i don't know whether i would be here, or if i'd had Gomer Pyle'd my resignation from existence.
my asthma saved my life.
As a veteran, watching this made me angry and some bits like the recruiting bit made me laugh. The anger came from honestly feeling like i was heavily played...
I did 5 years in the usmc and truer words have never been spoke.
This might be one of your most important videos ever. A video like this, if it doesn't go viral will probably be seen by 100,000 eyes, probably not even all the way through considering most people only watch through a few minutes of a video. Plus it's going against hundreds of years of military propaganda seen by millions, maybe billions of people considering how popular Hollywood war/action movies are. However, if this video convinces even one kid to reconsider joining the military then you've done your job Renegade Cut and I'd like to think that it has or will. Thank you for your service.
As a Leftist latino man that have been serving for 9 years, I'd agree with the majority of this video. Also i'm against women enlisting in the military because of the treatment and widespread sexual abuse towards them. Also like the majority males are right wingers.
Why did you sign up for 9? That would require a reenlistment, right?
My family has a history of serving in various branches, and recruiters often showed up at my high school. At the time I was wanting to follow the family tradition, though thankfully I didn't pursue that path even if my family wanted me to. I didn't understand the full consequences at the time, or what the military truly did. I was fortunate enough to meet a couple of veterans who cautioned me against joining
My family too has a history of serving...although forcefully, being mobilized against their will to fight for countries like Serbia and Ukraine. Thank god that now most of us are anti-military peacemongerers instead lol, not loyal towards any country, instead very loyal to individual people. That's what they get for sending us like meat into meat grinders and us returning dead or with serious problems. But no more, I will put an end to that. What is sad that I am signed up for the draft, and so are you if you were born as a male, selective service it is in the U.S. They could in theory draft us again, it's happening in the current war in Ukraine, all sides drafting young guys and sending them like disposable trash to suffer and die. I will fight for them. We need to try a way to stop wars and drafts altogether.
9/10 people I know that served really hated it and the benefits. It’s not as luxurious as it’s made out to be.
Solid.
You're doin' God's work Leon.
Keep it up! 👍
I joined the army infantry back in 2010, I didn’t grow up sheltered so believe me when I say this, I never saw more alcoholics, causal drug users, thieves, rapists and abusers than I did during my time in active duty. I won’t get into the things we did I and I saw overseas.
That being said the GI bill, and VA loan ALMOST make it worth it, if I could do it again I would, but I’d would leave combat arms behind and pick a Cush admin job. Which are plentiful.
I live very comfortably and own a home and make good $$$ from VA disability alone. The military will break you, but they also have to pay you for being broken
"A standing army is one of the greatest mischiefs that can possibly happen."
--James Madison, 3rd American president
Huh. Something finally clicked for me. Virtually all of Europe makes fun of Americans for knowing almost nothing about the rest of the world. Could that be by design? Learning about other countries and the people living there would humanize them which would make it a lot harder to torture and gun them down in the name of whatever. I follow world news and the recent shift in American education to...I don't know how to put this properly...erase black history? feels eerily similar. Learning about marginalized groups in society and their struggles could have the undesired (?) effect of humanizing these groups which would open the door for...you know...having empathy or at least a sort of understanding. Thank you for your service, Leon.
You sound like a condescending dibshit.
You are probably onto something. However, speaking as a European guy, I just want to inform you that we are perfectly capable of being ethnocentric assholes despite having better geography curricula than you guys.