Shit is getting weird.
The Teams have turned basically christofascist. Don't get me wrong, I heard my fair share of that kind of stuff in the military while active...speeches about it "being our Christian duty to slay as many Muslims as gawd would allow us", but that didn't happen all too often and usually got a decent amount of side eyes. For the most part, things were professional and apolitical, obviously heavily slanted to the right, but other viewpoints on the normal spectrum of US political discourse were tolerated and people were respected and judged on their character and capability.
"You hear Mike voted for Obama?"
"Fucking Connecticut Officers" and then back to work
Somehow, and I have plenty of theories about the phenomenon involved, things have gone off the rails. The overlap between Q-anon, fascism, Trumpism, and the SEAL Teams is alarming. It's been a fascinating dynamic to watch unfold, and it used to make for an amusing aside at dinner,
"I got another LinkedIn message about joining a Signal channel to "be ready for what's coming, brother" the other day."
but it's not funny anymore, so I'm writing this.
The World IS changing. It's ok to be anxious about that. It's not ok, or helpful to blame that change on any one group or think that the way to handle that change is by violently fighting back against it. Technology, demographics, and economics are driving these changes, and those are as immutable to us as the tides. Change is GOING to happen. The irony of a generation of war fighters losing their everloving minds about a world that is leaving them behind and shitting on everything they were told to care about and watching them double down on the problematic beliefs and supporting the very institutions and movements that did
and are continuing to do them dirty is heartbreaking, honestly.
For instance, instead of watching the US pullout of Afghanistan and realizing correctly that the War on Terror was bullshit propaganda justifying global force projection to achieve political and economic aims for America's ruling class, they double down the fascist rabbit hole...
"The military is woke and Biden is weak."
It's like there isn't this threat of terrorism to have as a common cause anymore, so the community is resorting to "The Brotherhood", which is starting to look a fucking lot like the 3%ers and the other weird groups that should be on FBI watchlists.
Feeding into that, every hard hard right gun nut and business executive who has never once done anything that qualifies them for manhood holds the SEALs up to be the epitome of their Übermensch (Nietzsche would abhor the irony here). The further right on the spectrum, the bigger their hardon for SEALs. So the guys getting the most attention and support are the most hardliner guys and this viscous cycle is feeding itself.
Just to give you guys an idea of what I'm talking about, I was at a SEAL fundraiser and someone ordered a Kosher meal on the signup and that was very not ok for the people running the charity. At other events, everything will be bathed in red light. Everyone who participates will have to wear red. Everything is always opened with a prayer. Speakers talk openly about the "war on American values" and "SEALs being the last good Christian men". Cmdr. Geary just released a statement that reads like an insane person "God is directing each step we take" "More will be revealed over time as the authors of untruths are exposed. My cadre and our medical professionals will be vindicated." Sean Ryan's "Warrior for God" bullshit just dropped. This is madness.
We can not begin to prepare for the coming changes to our systems and institutions by doubling down on the worst parts of our primitive selves, tribalism, mysticism, hatred, anger. The guys who are doing so are weak. They are weak minded and they are scared and angry, and they are not examples you should follow.
