MartianActual t1_jaxnw1b wrote on March 4, 2023 at 9:31 PM

Reply to comment by CoolHandMike in Hatboro, Pennsylvania woman facing charges after racist rant at pizzeria by Snoi7

First off, don't diminish your service, you put yourself out there when most others will not, whether that was to HALO jump into an al Queda compound or repairing vital equipment, it was all important.

Secondly, I hear you on that. I hate when people thank me for my service. Most times it the equivalent of saying 'god bless you' when someone sneezes, like they feel they have to, its a platitude now. I get a lot of people are just trying to be nice but it does make most veterans feel uncomfortable. And yeah, there are a ton of people in our society doing vital things that don't get the recognition they deserve. My wife worked as an ER nurse, while pregnant with twins, while getting her masters at night. That is hardcore.

CoolHandMike t1_jazcvxi wrote on March 5, 2023 at 6:02 AM

That IS hardcore. Your wife is a force of nature, for sure.

I mostly used to get annoyed at the hardware store, since it seems to be a part of their training to specifically thank you for your service when you ask for the discount at check-out (Lowe's and HD). Feeling inspired one day, I turned it around and thanked them for the discount and that's become my mantra. "Thank you for your service." "Hey, thanks for the discount!" Some cashiers seem pleasantly surprised by the "return compliment", so that's nice. (Side-note: recently bought a house and during the first few years it wasn't uncommon for me to visit multiple stores per week, if not per day. "The Thankening" got old quick.)

That said, the self-checkout at Lowe's used to loudly "THANK YOU FOR YOUR MILITARY SERVICE" when you scanned your membership card, which was just super-cringe to me. Like, why is a machine programmed to suddenly (and loudly, for all to hear) call me out like this. I did not ask for, nor do I need this kind of self-aggrandization. However I've noticed in the past couple of times I've visited that it doesn't seem to do that anymore, just displaying it on the screen in text instead. But it could just be my local store's settings or something, I'm not sure. I hope it continues.

MartianActual t1_jb09fnq wrote on March 5, 2023 at 1:08 PM

That’s another thing that annoys me, how America fetishes the military. Military grade this or that, like if you knew how often military gear breaks down that would not be a selling point,. Or all the dudes with the high and tight with beards and wrap around shades wearing a ‘this I’ll defend’ GoRuck tee with the American flag on the sleeve, the irony being they never served. Or all the SealTeam Six type tv shows.

I think serving is great, I am also pointedly aware that that doesn’t make you a great human being. I served with some awesome people that had a huge impact on me, also served with some low lifes I wouldn’t acknowledge knowing. The military is just a crosscut of America, good, bad and ugly.