>"The average American needs to be mortared more often."
A quote from a former NCO of mine.
I've felt since coming back from this time in Afghanistan, and looking towards my future of civilian life to be more and more depressed at interacting with the general population.
Everything in the US feels too fake. I feel like I'm on a movie set. Going to the grocery store or getting coffee at a gas station, I've got this creeping sense of unease. It's like everyone is pretending the world is okay with chaos a half mile down the street.
There is nothing happening a half mile down the street of course, it's just a creeping feeling.
No one is worried about life and death. Not really. I was in Egypt when the people revolted against the police- protesters died while storming government buildings en masse. That would never happen in America, the people have no stomach for it.
I've never been to Libya or Syria, only seen it on the TV, but I like to think I can think about how people in those places have been really rising up, and putting themselves in harms way.
And then I look at America. People were protesting in support of Egyptian protesters, but they couldn't even name the President being overthrown.
And internal movements like Occupy-Whatever. They have no spine. They get corralled into Free Speech Zones, and apply for permits to protest, and leave when the cops tell them. That's not a protest- that's a day fair. I might not agree with their goals, but I would have respected them if they'd stood up for themselves.
I respect Afghan insurgents. They'll string out a kilometer of copper wire for an IED in the middle of a snowstorm just for the chance to kill me. I respect that. - Egyptian guy from /k/
Syrian rebel fighters near damascus
Home 
