Pretty Things

Gun control

Science

Mentally ill people

Black history

Men’s health

Mental health in general

I’m begging you to read this study. Please! And read more than just the abstract.

When I say I did pay attention and I did research it, and the woman was the victim, they dismiss me and say they don't want to get into it. They just know that the woman can't possibly be innocent. (I never said she was a perfect angel.)

I know three people who joined the USA military. I think all of them are assholes, even without supporting the mass murder of people abroad and in their home country. Here are the reasons they joined.

1. Let's call him Adam. He was a city boy, and his father abandoned his mother when he was young. He had two sisters. They were barely scraping by, and living in shelters. Eventually, his mom remarried to a very abusive man. The financial situation improved enough to have a house and some food.

Adam was not only a target of frequent beatings, but also of verbal and financial abuse. Any money he acquired (he and his sisters picked produce every summer), was taken. When he got old enough to have customer service jobs, his entire paycheck went to "rent."

Adam was told he would be allowed to save up for a car, and his abuser would pay for half. Adam saved up, but of course his abuser did not. When Adam acquired enough to buy a car, his abuser stole the car from him.

When a recruiter came knocking, he promised food, money, education to get better jobs, and most importantly, a chance to get away. Adam took it immediately.

He hates the USA Army, and especially recruiters, with a passion. He's a huge hypocrite, because he became a recruiter himself. After 20 years of service, and not really seeing direct combat (he was in the radar tent), he still ended up physically disabled and with unresolved mental issues. He made sure to inflict this on his wives and children.

2. We'll call him John. He did not have abusive parents. He had what many might consider an idyllic childhood- playing around on the farm all day, getting into trouble with his brother. But of course the reality is, they were poor. Their farm barely made enough money to feed him and his brother and sisters.

When a recruiter came knocking, he saw his way out of poverty. He also really wanted to fly. The USA Air Force rejected him, but the Army didn't. They had lower standards, and also planes and helicopters. John spent most of his time as a mechanic and a gunner- he most likely killed many people. He doesn't talk about it. Eventually, he was allowed to become a pilot.

When he got out, he moved on to other jobs requiring pilots. He was gifted severe OCD and PTSD, and also cancer. He also made sure to inflict this upon everyone around him. I think the only people who appreciated it were the people who made him the safety officer. (He has to check that all the planes and helicopters are safe to fly.)

3. Jacob. He started beating people from a young age, and lying about it very well. "They started it." He was his parents' perfect golden boy.

...until he showed his temper in front of his mother and got thrown into a mental institution.

Faced with the horrors of the mental health system, Jacob was shaken. Unfortunately, his parents didn't care to get him any other help. It was the asylum or nothing. He struggled a lot.

When he got jobs, it was very hard for him to cope. I have no idea which disabilities he might have, but I suspect there's a learning disability in there. The point is, he kept getting fired, and he failed out of college.

Now that he was no longer their perfect golden boy, he was treated very harshly. He shouldn't expect to be allowed to live with his parents. They wouldn't pay for his necessities. If he had to wind up in a shelter for a while, that would help him grow.

The USA Army offered him a job he couldn't be fired from. Housing. Cheaper healthcare to help him figure out what was happening in his head. A second chance at college. He took it. Time will tell how it turns out, but I suspect he'll end up more disabled.

***

The point of these stories is not, "it's okay to murder people and support fascism if you get something out of it." The point is to show you how the USA Army targets vulnerable people and lures them in with basic necessities.

That's the real reason Republicans don't support welfare programs. If people have other options, they won't be desperate enough to sign up for war.

The other point is to show you that people can be both victim and abuser. It's not an either/or question. When you reduce someone to just evil, you miss all the factors that led them to make such decisions. You miss the chance to prevent the creation of more monsters.

If Adam and John had been given a universal basic income, if they'd been given the opportunity to pursue higher education, I doubt they would've joined. If Jacob had been given healthcare and access to *safe* child protective services, I think he could've turned out much better. Over a dozen of their victims could have been saved.