rant · moment 2 of 14

The Troops Are Heroes, So Why Coddle Them?

from Living on the Edge of Death · #112

Audio-only archive episode — no video to seek.

4 min

A long rant arguing that if soldiers are true heroes they should be able to withstand a kneeling protest, mocking Call of Duty armchair patriots, Fortnite players, and drone strikes on pipelines and Pakistani weddings.

In this bit8 moments
  • 1:41Nike protesters burning shoes over Kaepernick's kneeling are 'Call of Duty armchair cowboys' who didn't actually serve.
  • 2:38Tim argues troops died at Iwo Jima and Normandy, not so people could walk around with holes in their socks.
  • 3:16When Kaepernick kneels, he's not disgracing troops—he's protesting Abu Ghraib torture and abuse of detainees.
  • 3:47We prevent protesting police brutality against Black kids to avoid offending soldiers, yet claim soldiers are heroes who don't need coddling.
  • 4:05Old tough-guy archetypes like John Wayne and Clint Eastwood wouldn't need constant support and validation from civilians.
  • 4:42Troops have guns—what meaningful support could a civilian like you actually provide them?
  • 5:00People playing Fortnight and Call of Duty don't understand actual military burden like defending oil pipelines for Halliburton or conducting drone strikes.
  • 5:19Tim questions why civilians are expected to support decisions like dropping drone strikes on Pakistani weddings.
Mentioned here

Colin Kaepernickmilitary service and police violenceJohn WayneAbu GhraibSeymour HershHalliburtonClint Eastwood

All 14 moments in this episode →