I never said anywhere that military service affected only the child who served, or that it did not affect the family of the child who served. In fact, I think that military service actually affects a huge range of people; the whole point is that each person's service affects the country and the world, after all.
She had a child, and is proud of that. Ok, good. Her child decided to go into the military, and she is proud of that. Ok, good.
It's natural for a parent to rejoice at the success of a child and be sad at their child's failures.
I am not saying that her child's decision to enter military service affected only him. I am saying:
I don't understand how someone could take her son's pride in his service away from him, so I certainly don't see how someone could take her pride in his service away from her.
From above: I think I still would have had a small problem, though, because: - I do not believe that people would be able to take her son's pride in his service away from him even if they tried, and I do not really see evidence that they have tried. - I do not see evidence that people would be able to take her pride in her son and his service away from her even if they tried, and I do not really see evidence that they have tried (in fact, tens of thousands of people cheering for her pride in her son and his service would have the opposite effect, I believe). - People can believe that the war in Afghanistan and Iraq is wrong, or that war in general is wrong, or that America in general is wrong, without taking her son's service, or his pride in it, or her pride in her son's service, away from her. Just because some people may believe that war is shameful or evil, that doesn't obligate Sarah Palin, or her military son, to agree with them, just because they heard an opinion they disagreed with. Likewise, those who are anti-war are under no obligation to agree with the Palins that war is just and military service is something to be proud of. Saying "no, I don't believe anyone should be proud of military service," should not automatically make his pride in a decision he believes in and made himself wither and die away in his heart.
I agree that going to war isn't the same as going to work as an accountant; it isn't even the same as going into military intelligence.
Let me be clear: I'm not trying to bash on Palin or her son because he decided to join the military. That's not what I'm on about. I'm trying to figure out how she believes that people are going to take her pride in his military service, or his own pride in his service, away from him simply by expressing an opinion that war is wrong, the military is wrong, or that he was wrong to go to war.
If you take pride in your own actions, and believe in them and believe that they were right for you to take, hearing someone else tell you that they disagree with your decision isn't going to do a whole heck of a lot to diminish the pride that you have and the peace you have within yourself. Palin and her military son obviously take a lot of pride in her son's military service.
Someone calling her son a "killer" might make Palin or her son angry, and might make her or her son sad, and it might make her or her son think that that person's opinion is dead wrong. But how will hearing such statements take away his inner conviction that he made the right choice, and feels happy with it? How will it make his mother think less of her military son? She already regards his decision as the correct one, and the other opinion as incorrect; in that case merely hearing the other opinion is hardly going to make her change her mind.
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31/8/10 05:16 (UTC)She had a child, and is proud of that. Ok, good.
Her child decided to go into the military, and she is proud of that. Ok, good.
It's natural for a parent to rejoice at the success of a child and be sad at their child's failures.
I am not saying that her child's decision to enter military service affected only him. I am saying:
I don't understand how someone could take her son's pride in his service away from him, so I certainly don't see how someone could take her pride in his service away from her.
From above:
I think I still would have had a small problem, though, because:
- I do not believe that people would be able to take her son's pride in his service away from him even if they tried, and I do not really see evidence that they have tried.
- I do not see evidence that people would be able to take her pride in her son and his service away from her even if they tried, and I do not really see evidence that they have tried (in fact, tens of thousands of people cheering for her pride in her son and his service would have the opposite effect, I believe).
- People can believe that the war in Afghanistan and Iraq is wrong, or that war in general is wrong, or that America in general is wrong, without taking her son's service, or his pride in it, or her pride in her son's service, away from her. Just because some people may believe that war is shameful or evil, that doesn't obligate Sarah Palin, or her military son, to agree with them, just because they heard an opinion they disagreed with. Likewise, those who are anti-war are under no obligation to agree with the Palins that war is just and military service is something to be proud of. Saying "no, I don't believe anyone should be proud of military service," should not automatically make his pride in a decision he believes in and made himself wither and die away in his heart.
I agree that going to war isn't the same as going to work as an accountant; it isn't even the same as going into military intelligence.
Let me be clear: I'm not trying to bash on Palin or her son because he decided to join the military. That's not what I'm on about. I'm trying to figure out how she believes that people are going to take her pride in his military service, or his own pride in his service, away from him simply by expressing an opinion that war is wrong, the military is wrong, or that he was wrong to go to war.
If you take pride in your own actions, and believe in them and believe that they were right for you to take, hearing someone else tell you that they disagree with your decision isn't going to do a whole heck of a lot to diminish the pride that you have and the peace you have within yourself. Palin and her military son obviously take a lot of pride in her son's military service.
Someone calling her son a "killer" might make Palin or her son angry, and might make her or her son sad, and it might make her or her son think that that person's opinion is dead wrong. But how will hearing such statements take away his inner conviction that he made the right choice, and feels happy with it? How will it make his mother think less of her military son? She already regards his decision as the correct one, and the other opinion as incorrect; in that case merely hearing the other opinion is hardly going to make her change her mind.