a problem...wonder if i'm alone....

[Procrast]

I have noticed that most people are unaware that we have a competent military...
The context:  I am a college student and this one class i am taking is called "perpetual peace".
Now i may have some right winged tendences but the teacher and the supporting documents are incredibly biased  and anti-military... For example one of our books " how america gets away with murder" is 200+ pages on how NATO and the member countries are evil. This is ridiculous.... and my entire class doen't have an opinion on international affairs...they chose to just gob it all up and accept it... NOW to what irritated me... we were talking about Kosovo and Afghanistan and Canada's role in both conflicts. I found myself alone defending Canada against an angry class of 40...and when i asked them what they knew about our military all they could say is "we don't even have bows and arrows" :threat:.

I am not in the military ( i plan on joining once my girlfriend cools down lol) and i definitely don't pretend to be an expert in the field. But i found it hurtfull that soo many people think so little of our armed forces...this was not the first time this has hapenned to me...

i was curious...did this ever happen to anyone else?

 

[Devlin]

Friendly advice don't wait for the girlfriend....two things you should never chase women and city buses you'll only get left behind..... ;D

 

[Blindspot]

Not overtly. I decided not to take some of the more political gen ed courses for just such a reason. I had in the past noticed one editorial piece that was placed in a display. It was basically a diatribe on how General Hillier was a lap dog of the Americans and sending Canada's military toward more violent "American" pursuits.  : There is also the occasional poster tacked to a bulletin board denouncing Canada's imperialistic invasions of Haiti and Afghanistan. I haven't seen anything lately.

I'm in Seneca College in Toronto, by the way. Our campus is located on York University grounds and that's far more radical and political in atmosphere, which one should expect.

 

[Procrast]

Actualy the Author of "How america gets away with murder" is a professor of law at York U. He actualy attempted to prosecute the leaders of NATO in the Kosovo war.

and Devlin : yeah i know i might just do that lol

 

[SupersonicMax]

I'm in Seneca College in Toronto, by the way. Our campus is located on York University grounds and that's far more radical and political in atmosphere, which one should expect.

Sorry for the OT here, but Seneca as in Aviation degree???  If so, did you have a Jazz or NASA interview yet???  ;D  :

Max

 

[gaspasser]

I found myself alone defending Canada against an angry class of 40...and when i asked them what they knew about our military all they could say is "we don't even have bows and arrows" :threat:.

I am not in the military ( i plan on joining once my girlfriend cools down lol) and i definitely don't pretend to be an expert in the field. But i found it hurtfull that soo many people think so little of our armed forces...this was not the first time this has hapenned to me...

Thanks for backing us up even if you looked bad in class.  My advise too is to join up whenever you can.  If the girlfriend doesn't like it, then she would never support you wholeheartedly for what may come in the future in the military. I suggest you wait until after you finish college or join the reserves, that will give you a taste of things to come.
Cheers, BYTD

 

[Remius]

Nothing exactly like that but something similar.  First day, in a french class at Univ.  The teacher was French as in from France.  She basically told us she was there to educate us on proper french.  Not colonial french. Quite arrogant.  I let her know that if it wasn't for some of us "colonial" types that she'd probably be here teaching German.  I got kicked out and went straight to drop the course.  Don't know if you can still drop the course or not but if you can, stop wasting your time there.

Cheers.

 

[Procrast]

no i can't... i'm serious that class is some serious brainwashing... any and every mistake comitted during Kosovo and Afghanistan are repeated 4-5 times.

 

[Jarnhamar]

I have noticed that most people are unaware that we have a competent military...

Mmmm, competent
I'm still waiting on my T4 and I haven't been paid in a month. Thats okay apparently 500 other guys had the same problem so atleast I'm not 'wondering if im alone'



I'm not too sure what your asking here man. You took a university course called perpetual peace?  And your wondering why their anti-military??

 

[Franko]

You took a university course called perpetual peace?

Wonder if the bongs had to be purchased separately or if it was included in tuition?

Regards

 

[R.O.S]

When it comes to Afghanistan I do understand some people are not for the conflict itself, but I find myself battling people who are in my classes hating the men and women that are fighting on the ground there. I mean for $&#@ sake, these men and women are risking their lives and all they say is crap like “baby killers” and “disgraceful citizens”. The Yugoslavian conflict I must agree I severely did not approve NATO for many reasons that I will not list at this moment.

I am also taking a class involving peace studies (3 to be exact). I find the older people in the class are not as bad, but when you get a young person that just wants to protest... boy they are fun to deal with. The main arguments I find entertaining is the fact that whenever there is a left-wing terrorist group fighting, all the young classmates support them. All I do in class is bring them down to reality.

Example: There is a popular idea, or image, that the guerilla units in Colombia are freedom fighters who try to stop the US manipulated government from harming the poor and less fortunate. I take the example of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia–People's Army (FARC), which is the largest and oldest left wing guerilla group in Colombia. This is a group that has over 30% of its fighting force composed of children, under the age of 18. And while people may argue that their cause for a just society is righteous, one only look at the activities the group undertakes to fund itself. These activities include ransom abductions, extortion, massacres of opposing civilian communities and they are also well active in drug trafficking, something that has plagued the nation.

All I hear is how the military is pure evil and how Canada should set an example by eliminating our own military (really, this is discussed). I say, you enjoy your freedom?... thank a VET !

 

[Danjanou]

i was curious...did this ever happen to anyone else?

You mean trying to defend yourself with logical arguments against some granola munching hypocritical smug self righteous academic shitpump and his equally naive circlejerk groupies? Yeah we get that a lot of that here.

We've even started having self help meetings, do a serach under army.ca smokers. 8)

Seriously welcome to army.ca you will find some kindred spirits here. Not just in political views, but more so in a realistic adult outlooks on things.

Those who take up the profession of arms by and large do not as the saying goes "suffer fools lightly," it comes with the job. Even in peacetime, which at present we as a nation are not at irregardless of what some in ivory towers may state, working with stuff that goes "boom" a lot means if you're not always on the ball, the fecal matter will hit the rotary air circulation device.

Plenty of threads devoted to why academia and the left feel the way they do re us, again feel free to do a search here. Basically in my opinion it comes down to one reason, they resent and fear us. Simple, in their rose coloured world they are the intellectuals and "we" are the poor misguided forelock tugging uneducated masses. However in reality they may have a few letters after their names but all that adds up to  is "latte Technician" on their CV.

Us poor schmucks though are anything but what but what they envision us to be. We have those highly technical skills in the profession of arms, but it does not end there.

We also can think too. Check around, most troopies and not just those holding the Queens Commision have plenty of academic post nominals to add to the other alphabet we can stick on our business cards or place settings. I have dogearred copies of Shakespeare, Marx and Plato on my Bookshelf and can still lay a perfect linear ambush three decades after I learned how. There is a resentment, perhaps jealously (although never admitted) that we can function equally well in both their world and ours and they can't.

 

[Procrast]

Actually the course will be renamed "perpetual war"...and no i didn't have the choice...it was a preregistered class ( the only one)

The course itself can be interesting...as long as everyone can express their opinion...

but i think thats where the problem is.. that no one in that class has a opinion...so what ever the professor says becomes law.

For example : The teacher brings up  RAWA (Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan ) said that NATO forces are killing civilians and not the Taliban... how am i suposed to argue with evidence?? bring in an Afghanistan vet?  :rage:

 

[Danjanou]

... how am i suposed to argue with evidence?? bring in an Afghanistan vet?  :rage:

Yup.

Seriously, odds are you are not going to get these oxygen thieves to accept any ideas that do not support their own preconceptions. Even trying is just going to drive your blood pressure up. They've made up their minds on what are acceptable facts and who the bad guys are and as long as they remain isolated from reality nothing is going to change that.

The important factor here is what do you believe is happening over there, and why.

 

[retiredgrunt45]

People like that live in glass houses, so they don't throw stones. They are the first ones to knock on your door when the $hit hits the fan asking what should I do, because as long as they're living in a world with all its amenities intact, everything is hunky dory, but as soon as something goes wrong they panic and have no idea what to do. These people are OK all long as there in their own Utopian environment, but put them somewhere were there's real hardship and they fold like a piece of paper.
So be happy in knowing your not one of these intellectual hicks, were a broken fingernail sends them into a panic attack. The strong always survive. Life skills, you can't learn from a book. It comes from getting out there in the real world, lifting your head out of the sand and going through the experience. The skills I was taught in the military are priceless and i don't only mean at the business end of a weapon, in general, self discipline, motivation, hardship, teamwork, improvising, taking care of each other and being able to take care of yourself in tough situations. Go away with the knowledge that they may be asking for your help some day.

 

[Loachman]

This is one reason why I do as many Remembrance Day Speaker Programme engagements as I can each year - I try to get our message across to the kids before they go to get their brains ruined.

 

[The Generals Son]

You're not alone when it comes to having to deal with classmates that are oblivious towards the CF.  However, I don't personally blame them...  Look at the culture and the environment most Canadians grow up in - It ain't that militarily orientated. 

For example, at 17 years of age; I didn't even know that my city had an armoury.  It was only until I saw a recruitment add ONLINE that I realized - goes to say a little I think.

I don't write often, but in all respects the last few posts really probed my nerves.  Reason, educated people should not be stereotyped as a bunch of losers that cannot function when SHTF - that's BS.  If 'intelects' are categorized in such a general context, then hell, 'army dudes' could be categorized as mindless drones who aren't able to function in society - And everyone knows, this is untrue.

I'll be the one to say, the army teaches me A LOT, and I respect that more than anything... HOWEVER, I also consider the views of others, especially my professors.  I may not like everything they've got to say - but that doesn't mean I'll shut my mind to their reasoning.  I think the more angles one can see a topic from, the better they will understand it. 

Oh an NEWSFLASH:  EDUCATION DOES NOT RUIN BRAINS!   

 

[Roy Harding]

You're not alone when it comes to having to deal with classmates that are oblivious towards the CF.  However, I don't personally blame them...  Look at the culture and the environment most Canadians grow up in - It ain't that militarily orientated. 

For example, at 17 years of age; I didn't even know that my city had an armoury.  It was only until I saw a recruitment add ONLINE that I realized - goes to say a little I think.

I don't write often, but in all respects the last few posts really probed my nerves.  Reason, educated people should not be stereotyped as a bunch of losers that cannot function when SHTF - that's BS.  If 'intelects' are categorized in such a general context, then hell, 'army dudes' could be categorized as mindless drones who aren't able to function in society - And everyone knows, this is untrue.

I'll be the one to say, the army teaches me A LOT, and I respect that more than anything... HOWEVER, I also consider the views of others, especially my professors.  I may not like everything they've got to say - but that doesn't mean I'll shut my mind to their reasoning.  I think the more angles one can see a topic from, the better they will understand it. 

Oh an NEWSFLASH:  EDUCATION DOES NOT RUIN BRAINS!   

An excellent post - and I agree, opposing points of view MUST be presented and considered for critical thinking to take place.

Having said that - you prove the point that only by ACCIDENT (coming across a recruitment add online) do our young folks even become aware that there IS an opposing point of view regarding the military.  They SURE don't get any exposure to the military supportive POV in School or University (I'm sure worthy exceptions exist), and when they RAISE that military supportive POV, they are ridiculed by those much more versed in the fine art of debate (with the exception of when a Professor engages a mature student with some life experience under his/her belt.)  This ridicule by someone who is SUPPOSED to be opening their minds to ALL knowledge, and enabling them to make their OWN decisions, is directly contrary to the process of teaching critical thought.

To sum up:  I agree with you - ALL knowledge is good, and ALL POVs should be considered.  But that's not what is happening in our Universities (for the most part).

Roy

Edit to add:  The above thoughts regarding what SHOULD be taught in University (critical thinking) does NOT apply to the Sciences and Applied Sciences - those are mostly trying to get FACTS into your head (at least at the undergrad level).

 

[Jarnhamar]

I can't see being forced to take that course. How stupid.

If you HAVE to take the dumb course all I can suggest is picking your battles. Spend the whole couse singing and praying with them, condeming soldiers, suggest that if we got rid of the army then we would achieve glorious world peace and on the last day when you pass the dumb course stand up laugh and announce that you joined the army and walk out.

 

[Procrast]

In my case with that class I do consider the opposing POV the problem is the other students don't consider anything but what the professor spits out...

For example : The teacher is passionate fighter of Humanitarian intervention and mixed motives for war.She believes war should only be used to save other peoples(her opinion =great,fine everyone is entitled to one) But when nations have second motives (economic mostly) she refuses to understand. (keep in mind she has a PHd in international politics). She believes in the case of Afganistan that since about 3000 people died on Sept 11th...killing more then 3000 taliban or terrorists doesn't not justify the war anymore...

i may be completly off but...i do not see the logic...

my 2...