this post was submitted on 19 May 2024
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The commencement speaker at U-M's engineering college this year was Carlos Del Toro, the US' 78th Secretary of The Navy. He spent most of his speech talking about the connection between the armed forces and U-M's engineers, and how they've helped create the world's "most powerful military", how they've helped secure "our great country", etc. Made many jokes about how if someone wanted to enlist, they could do it from their seats right away and they would just love to have them. Absolutely surreal shit. I'm so glad I didn't go to my commencement when I graduated, these things are a waste of fucking time.
Jesus. What a shit heel, trying to enlist people during graduation. The fucking audacity.
Wait until you hear about those flyovers for the Superb Owl.
It was many times, too, interspersed throughout the speech. Also joked that anyone's parents in the audience would also be welcome. It just kept going.
Honestly military is a great path for a lot of people and he's representing the organization at the speech. Why shouldn't he be proud. He's not forcing anyone and I wouldn't be upset if it happened with any other profession. A doctor can brag about their hospital, an engineer can boast about their project and firms. Part of doing those speeches is saying look where I started, where I went and who I am now. This success is achievable.
The problem is that the US military kills innocent people lol. I realize there is no ethical consumption under capitalism, but there is a big difference between working as a lackey for Microsoft and being enlisted as part of a government machine specifically designed to kill people. It says something about the person, and how far they're willing to push ethical boundaries.
Assuming the position of a prior disposable cog in our military industrial Leviathan is actually good, though. Its the officially outlet for lumpen proles who otherwise couldn't escape their low caste status. All you need to do is bloody your hands with the remains of villainous foreigners, and you can enter into a lottery to secure a sinecure in our corporate bureaucracy.
The world would be a better place if doctors at abortion clinics and engineers at the EPA got half as much respect as the military techs loading 2000 lb bombs into the drones sent to obliterate refugee tents in Rafa.
I'm a war criminal and you can too
I sincerely disagree. Except for the low caste comment I suppose.
The military is more than front line combat roles. There are doctors, dentists, electricians, cooks, carpenters, mechanic's, there are geo techs working on state of the art mapping programs. Every job in the public sector has an equivalent role. And what you get is a stable career with its own bullshit but you get stability.
I meet so many good people. We all learned to work together and become something better. I don't think I ever will get again outside the military. Sure its all boot camp rah rah rah shit. But it serves a purpose. Its putting everyone under a stress to put all of us into a state where we can't rely on just ourselves to get through. It kills the ego by putting everyone into a stressful environment and teaches you that you have to work with each other to accomplish goals.
It doesn't matter how cool or good at stuff you think you are. You're not making it without the person next to you. It doesn't matter your politics, how rich you are, how poor you are, what your education is. That is all left at the door. The military has always been one the most progressive melting pots in our society next to our education system. I think that's something lots of us should experience.
All working toward the end goal of territorial command and control, typically of foreign soil.
If you met the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker that helped make Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich's time in Afghanistan more enjoyable, that's cool. But the US Military doesn't keep an arsenal of 2000 lb bunker buster bombs for baking bread.
Reducing people down to their Id so they're better team players might be more laudable if the team wasn't focused on searching for and snuffing out the lives of ego-havers.
That's wildly ahistorical.
Interesting. I thought engineers were supposed to be funneled into the companies that make the weapons, not use them. Either way it's kind of shitty to encourage people to enlist during a major event meant to celebrate their academic achievements.
Apparently you need engineers on both sides of that isle, at least that's what he seemed to indicate lol.
Government engineers are supposed to be there to keep costs down, manage classified stuff, and keep the industry contractors honest.
I work with many civil engineers in public sector. Let you know if I ever work with one that didn't explode costs.
Quincy jones got an honorary doctorate and spoke at mine. It was cool.
I didn't go to mine but I did do the Order of the Engineer ceremony. That was nice. The guy read the Wikipedia article on it.