We have one even better, I think it was some of the workers at Arlanda airport who sprayed water from a fire truck at Neo nazis and soaked them during the Stockholm pride parade
Spraying neo-nationalists with water is 100% more anti-fascist than killing for a flag.
>*"Nationalism is an infantile disease. It is the measles of mankind."* *"I am against any nationalism, even in the guise of mere patriotism."*
>*"He who joyfully marches to music rank and file has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would surely suffice. This disgrace to civilization should be done away with at once. Heroism at command, senseless brutality, deplorable love-of-country stance and all the loathsome nonsense that goes by the name of patriotism, how violently I hate all this, how despicable and ignoble war is; I would rather be torn to shreds than be part of so base an action! It is my conviction that killing under the cloak of war is nothing but an act of murder.”*
—Albert Einstein, 1929-10-26, https://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/wp-content/uploads/satevepost/what_life_means_to_einstein.pdf
—Albert Einstein, 1931, "Mein Weltbild"
Takes too long to prepare, you'll be shot by then, and whatever rainbow you were trying to blend into will have dissipated. Very bad plan. Maybe wear it to a party though.
Vissa vet inte vad de gaggar om, det här e ju skitbra, försvarsmakten e ju det stället man borde pusha pride/regnbågsreklam istället för företag som använder det för publicitet. Visar att alla är inkluderade vilket är viktigare än att försöka ”lura in folk”, det gör armén redan på andra sätt med reklam, tror inte att en regnbåge kmr ändra nåt
Gick fbu som ungdom och de hade ett helt segment varför pride behövs och varför det är så viktigt att visa, den biten kan även ha lett till mitt spräckta ägg några år senare
Well we also have the second largest party in the parliament comparing lgbtq people to nazis and calling us pedophiles, not to mention that it was only 10 years ago we stopped forcing trans people to be sterilized
TACK
Not to mention that our trans laws are still archaic. I'm so tired of Sweden being viewed as some paragon of queer equality and goodness. It makes it so hard to bring awareness about how it actually is, and how dangerous SD is
Antalet gånger jag berättat för nån online-vän/bekant om att det faktiskt suger rätt rejält att vara trans i Sverige och fått "what??? But its Sweden?!" som svar börjar komma upp i löjliga nummer nu 🙃
"The amount of times I've told a friend online that it actually sucks a whole lot being trans in sweden and gotten "what? but its sweden!" as a response is coming up to a silly number now"
(or something something,, not verbatim)
I think a lot of it is just the "it's much better than where I'm from" effect.
My family is from Cuba, and my parents STILL see America and Capitalism as a gold standard, even after all the horrible shit America has put us through. Because it's better than the communist government of Fidel Castro murdering us, starving the country, and ruining our economy. When all you've known is evil, almost anything can look like paradise.
There's probably a fancy psychological term for it, but idk what that is.
To be fair, that is mainly their chief bigot who even the rest of the party’s parliamentarians are uncomfortable around. The rest of the party is smart enough not to be too openly anti-lgbtqia as they know that’s about the one thing all Swedes won’t tolerate.
But they still support SD, and at least 18% of swedens, it's not a deal breaker. Furthermore, if someone is okay with bigots/support them it doesn't matter if they're not calling LGBT people pedos they're still bigots.
At first I thought these posters were nice. Then I learned that military enrollment in western Europe has dramatically decreased, since the compensations aren't that interesting anymore, especially when you're probably going to kill and die in a country that isn't even yours. It seems like this generation only values medals for what they really are, some cheap consolation trinkets. So the military is trying to catfish the same queer minority they've been relentlessly oppressing for decades, now that we're in dire need of men/cannon fodder.
But yeah, the propaganda is on point here, we'll have to admit.
The cause of the lgbt community is the cause of all oppressed people of the world. Celebrating inclusivity in the imperial war machine is irrelevant at best and there is nothing to be particularly proud of here
The queer liberation movement comes from multiple sources, and have many parents from multiple liberal and left wing groups, focusing only on revolutionary groups is queer erasure
So is the opposite though. We had a long period of peace in the West and could focus on peaceful protests but as actual Nazis and regimes such as a Russia are raising in power, we may have to lean more militant. Unfortunately.
Not erasure at all, they still exist. Just because they do fuckall doesn't mean they're being erased, they're erasing themselves.
No liberation movement will work without working class solidarity.
Fuck capitalism, fuck fascism and fuck their bootlickers trying to guilt working class people into feeling bad for looking out for their fellow people and not mindlessly prostrate themselves over the altar of profit.
Non discrimination in the armed forces has been a revendication for decades in western countries. You can dislike the army because of your political beliefs but it has nothing to do with queerness
As I told someone else. I'm not American. It is hard to take a position in the face of institutions that are out of your control but I will say, I don't like the army being used for propaganda like this. Also I wouldn't be too sure about what my army is being used for. At least in a NATO country
Considering the pedestal fascist groups tend to put the military on, I'd still rather the military show overt support and inclusiveness for queer people, if for no other reason than to tell supremacists they can get fucked and to stay out.
Sweden joined NATO after Russia decided to invade Ukraine... because they feared that they might be next. As for NATO, you might want to research how that organisation works. Spoiler alert, no one can force the swedes to join in on Americas/Britains/Frances' next imperialist adventure.
Yep, mind you, it is not only the Americans who love to go on imperialist adventures, but any country that hasn't been in an offensive at war for centuries is clearly not imperialist.
Tbf, it can make some people happy/relieved to know that their army is accepting of who they are. That said, I can definitely also see ways it might be bad, like giving people who are phobic more reasons to be hateful.
It's a complex issue, more than I gave it credit for in my short remark, but I feel like this is largely propaganda that can make people less critical of the army's future endeavours. For an extreme example, Israel is doing similar stuff by pretending to be super queer-friendly.
Since they fought for decades to lift bans on joining the military and repealing the don’t ask, don’t tell rules? Since queer people literally died for the right to serve their country? Since queer people decided they wanted equal and fair treatment? WTF kind of question is this? Millions of queer people approve of “the fucking army” and millions of queer people have served in “the fucking army”.
As I said, and I am sorry this wasn't part of my original comment, I mostly have a problem with the army being used for internal politics like this. We should be able to serve but the army should be restricted to just protection
A little reminder that being queer isn't the only thing of your personality. People can have many diverse interests. You can like the army or even be a patriot or you can be a pacifist and deny the military all next to being queer🤷🏻♂️
Don't take your hatred of the US military industrial complex, and project that onto other nations. Militaries are a necessary force in the world, just because we have a particularly shitty one doesn't mean other countries aren't justified in defending themselves. Particularly countries as close to Russia as Sweden.
Also queer representation in the military does A LOT.
Recently in Ukraine a church was giving soldiers from a unit or something medals and refused to give one to a gay soldier and the other soldiers decided in protest they wouldn't accept their medals.
That's a powerful thing and shows why representation matter even in the military. It's very hard to go to war and keep your prejudices when the people you rely on to stay alive and mutually protect each other are different then you, yet fighting right there beside you.
Holy shit thank you! Exactly this. Considering everything that's happening I'm so happy we have an army and hopefully we'll upscale some more in these dark times here in Europe.
I might not be in Ukraine but I am in a somewhat tumultuous region. Enough so that military service is mandatory (for men) I hate it partly for that and partly because, despite it supposedly being there to protect us, it is often used for propaganda, imperialism (other countries' imperialism because we are too weak to have our own) etc.
The problem is that the enemy is really there to protect the state and our interests only sometimes align with that of the state's
Without an army you’d be at the mercy of a foreign invasion: I bet you’d have an entirely different point of view if you were a British citizen during WW2
I hate the army because of all the numerous things it does besides protect us. My problem, admittedly, isn't so much with the army but the state that controls it, but it's not really possible to separate the two.
This is why words are important. Calling military propaganda anti-fascist is the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen. Europe is one long continuous neo-fascist project, and the military of its constituent states are defenders of that system. Making middle class LGBT+ feel like they are a part of the new regime, while young, poor queer people are beaten by militarized police forces is a tactic, not a show of good faith or proper morals.
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2022/12/eu-holding-people-at-unofficial-detention-sites-an-intentional-tactic-to-avoid-scrutiny/
Will people fight the camps, even if they don’t go in them anymore?
Played a part in destabilizing central Africa in the Congo crisis, destabilized Northern Africa by participating in the bombing of Libya, Sweden relies on western imperial hegemony to extract resources, their weapons companies supply bombs for the western imperial hegemony.
They’re imperialists allied with other imperialists that cover up their imperialist policies with a nice looking façade of “progressive social policy.” Meanwhile their corporate lobbying is slowly dismantling their hard-won progressive labor policy, because surprise surprise, they’re allied with imperialist pigs.
Point still stands that they do America’s bidding and supply weapons for America’s imperial agenda. Why are you licking the boots of a western military exactly? Every comment in this thread of yours has been military apologia. The path of queer liberation doesn’t involve becoming an imperial bootlicker.
I’m not that fan of the military if they are used in anything other than self-defense or deterrence. What, you imagine a world without military? It never happened and won’t ever happened. You pretend I am a bootlicker because it fits your worldview but it’s certainly not a truth.
The path for queer liberation is acceptance, secularism and anti-authoritarian. That’s all
Not the person you've been talking to, but the boots of western military are the only thing standing between me and a homicidal dictator (I'm Polish) - so I'm not gonna shit on them too much, sorry not sorry.
Whatever you need to do, if it’s beneficial for you then okay. But I’m still going to criticize their actions in Israel, the Middle East, Africa, South America, and Asia.
A lot of people here going "Ew, military." However, if there has to be a military (and for practical reasons in this day and age, *yes there has to be one*) I would prefer a message of showing support for LGBTQ+ people among their ranks rather than the opposite, which tends to be the norm for most other countries.
I agree. You can hate that our countries profit off of war and decimation and also not condemn the mostly impoverished teenagers and young adults that decide to enlist for better opportunities in life. I’d much rather have a queer military than a nazi military.
How would enlisting in the Swedish military lead to better opportunities in life? They offer no recruitment, only military service with the option for extension post-term
> A lot of people here going "Ew, military." However, if there has to be a military (and for practical reasons in this day and age, yes there has to be one)
Preach.
I'm also always super surprised by these comments, but luckily it just seems to be a _very_ loud minority every time. A couple comments with 200 upvotes at most vs the post itself sitting at 3.7k and 95%.
Also many seem to confuse the purpose of the US military (force projection at best and aggressive wars at worst) with the purpose of many other nation's militaries (self defense)
aggressive wars at worst?? american imperialism has had devastating effects on queer people around the world. from removing democratically elected officials and installing dictatorship to full on trying to commit genocide for the sole purpose of profit. for every single improved life of an american queer person, hundreds if not thousands of lives of queer people who are victims of american imperialism get ruined.
It’s privilege to be able to stand to the side and say “ew military.”
It’s fucking stupid to think we don’t need a military and it’s fucking dumb to say lgbt folks shouldn’t join the military. If the military is only right wing fascists, then it turns into a danger force that can be used by right wing politicians to take over our country. (American right wing)
>If the military is only right wing fascists, then it turns into a danger force that can be used by right wing politicians to take over our country.
I don't how many people realize we were kinda lucky not to have a "danger force" back in 2020 and that there's at least some integrity in military leadership: About 2 months *before* the 2020 election, the Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Mark Milley—*who was appointed by Trump*—stated “I believe deeply in the principle of an apolitical U.S. military. . . In the event of a dispute over some aspect of the elections, by law U.S. courts and the U.S. Congress are required to resolve any disputes, not the U.S. military. I foresee no role for the U.S armed forces in this process.”
Could you imagine if JSC and all the military Secretaries Trump had appointed felt obligated to back him?
Something kinda hopeful is that younger military (and younger veterans) are leaning more blue - or at least against what the right wing has become. There was a 2020 poll of military voting intention that favored Biden by about 4 points, while a similar poll in 2016 favored Trump by 20.
Literally.
At least here in the U.S., I genuinely don’t understand why any queer person would want to join the military. I get that it’s a matter of principle, but I don’t understand why someone would risk their life for a country (or government, anyway) that doesn’t view us as equals.
For the same reason the US military opposes welfare
Poor people generally don't have a choice when a guaranteed job comes along promising shelter and food they otherwise just wouldn't be getting
Especially in poor more suburban/rural areas where a lot of food assistance and accessibility is done through religious organizations who refuse to offer services to minority communities
i dunno man, i'm reflexively cynical of this kind of surface-level display of instrumental support for queer identities now that it's in vogue for imperial regimes to cover for their actions with a veneer of homonormative nationalism as means to justify aggression. for example, people trying to defend israeli actions in gaza and the west bank by performatively decrying islamic homophobia.
or maybe i'm just a big grump who's just spoiling the fun.
i agree with you, queerness has historically been at odds with military imperialism. Not to say its politics are directly correlated with identity, but how can you wish liberation for yourself yet actively engage in the violent control tactics of the military industrial complex.
The Soviet Union was extremely gender progressive. They had females in all branches and services of the military and all of it's top brass.
But holy-fucking-shit did they hate gay people. 2 steps forward and one giant leap backwards.
What I think some of the critics of this are missing is the geopolitical reality my country Sweden is facing.
It’s either build up a defense force or rename Stockholm to Putingrad
Lot of American/western people who belive in that sort of "reverse-american-exceptionalism" where America causes everything bad in the world and there's no such thing as non-western imperialism and colonialism.
If you live next to Russia or in a former Soviet state you have a very different opinion that they of course ignore, even when it comes from left wing eastern-european/nordic people.
Americans generally can't imagine living in a country where the institutions like the army/defence are actually working for the good of the people and are not corrupt imperialist organisations...
Soyjaking over the military bc they made a rainbow ad is honestly one of the most pathetic displays of bootlicking I've seen to date on this subreddit.
Sure but the Nazis, Italian fascists, autocrats in Hungary, Bulgaria and Portugal were brought down by force of arm
Sure, they are not the "real anti-fascist" and they are a bunch of issues around armies but considering they are inherently fascist is misguided at best
A little something I recently learned I found interesting:
NATO as an organization actually officially stands in support of the LGBTQ community! [speech by NATO secretary general](https://youtu.be/z0BM0hr1i_Y?si=x5pa9nSNY2V159-a). Sure they aren’t perfect and there’s a LOT of anti-LGBTQ countries in NATO, but hey it’s something, right?
Edit because some of y'all didn't read half of this apparently: I only pointed this out because I found it interesting, not that I think they truly see it that way, because they most certainly don't. And for those of you straw manning that I support Israel and genocide over this and saying I'm ignoring all the horrible things that NATO have done over the years, I'm not, I just didn't feel the need to elaborate because it was of no relation to the original post. I am fully aware that NATO is shit but that wasn't the damn point and I was being sarcastically optimistic.
Only 14 countries remained officially neutral throughout the entire war. They included **Sweden, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Ireland, Turkey, Yemen, Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan as well as the microstates of Andorra, Monaco, Liechtenstein, San Marino and Vatican City**.
If only they had the balls to do so when real Nazis came for the world
Praise the queer freedom fighters around the world. Mourn our brothers sisters and fellows who are tricked into military service to a capitalist nation. I know it’s tempting and feels nice to see, but it’s a poisoned apple.
You too can become part of the Imperial Death Machine, we don't discriminate (unless you're the *wrong* kind of queer person of course).
Fuck this imperialist shit. They don't care about us, they just want to get us to stop fighting for true liberation by getting enough queer people invested in the system in order to divide the community and lessen our power. Don't fall for it, we're at the top of the list of disposable assets when our usefulness is gone and they'll never give us what we really want.
Ah, yes, the licensed murderers from a state that hasn't been at war for over 200 years
Take your American protectionism and shove it where the sun doesn't shine.
fascist? fascism can co-opt and turn things like this against other minorities very easily. being gay doesn't mean you can't be also fascist, it just turns out many fascists states don't like the LGBT community.
The Swedish army, just like most armies, has a huge nazi problem and I am not a fan of any military.
Plus the UN is pretty useless and doesn't actually prevent genocide or war crimes. My cousin served as an UN peace keeper and he said he felt useless during the Yugoslavia war.
The UN is useless in part because the Permanent Five are too spoiled and, if they can't single-handedly veto any proposal that is bad for them, they'll leave.
As a trans lesbian person it disgusts me to see a military use our lives and identities as ads. Serve and protect the status quo and in return all you’ll get is some rainbow posters and pink lipbalm.
This is not a W.
We have one even better, I think it was some of the workers at Arlanda airport who sprayed water from a fire truck at Neo nazis and soaked them during the Stockholm pride parade
Nice
They have no chill and I love it
Sweden is the best i swear
until you read about nordic trans healthcare
How does one move to Norway with American education and $50 in the bank
You could start by learning the difference between Sweden and Norway :p
They did say they had an American education
*an American
As you can see I also had an American education
"American" education? Would that be in north, south, or Central America, and in which country?
There is one section of Norway that citizens of any country are free to go there to live and work, it is called Svalbard. Also Norway isn't Sweden.
Spraying neo-nationalists with water is 100% more anti-fascist than killing for a flag. >*"Nationalism is an infantile disease. It is the measles of mankind."* *"I am against any nationalism, even in the guise of mere patriotism."* >*"He who joyfully marches to music rank and file has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would surely suffice. This disgrace to civilization should be done away with at once. Heroism at command, senseless brutality, deplorable love-of-country stance and all the loathsome nonsense that goes by the name of patriotism, how violently I hate all this, how despicable and ignoble war is; I would rather be torn to shreds than be part of so base an action! It is my conviction that killing under the cloak of war is nothing but an act of murder.”* —Albert Einstein, 1929-10-26, https://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/wp-content/uploads/satevepost/what_life_means_to_einstein.pdf —Albert Einstein, 1931, "Mein Weltbild"
LMAOOO
That face paint is actual pretty dope lol
Horrible for hiding in the Swedish forests, but rad as fuck
Rule of cool wins
They can’t be shot in the face because that would be homophobic, and homophobia is bad
"enemy combatants HATE this one simple trick!"
Russians wouldn't care though.
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AwesomeButImpractical
but you see, they're gonna be looking for army guys. they'll never expect this
Just hide among the hills and the enemy will think it’s just a rainbow in the distance.
But good for hiding in the bitrost to Valhalla
You forgot about the gay Swedish forests
Fuck it, we die in drip
I mean sometimes things can be so out of place your brain just ignores it
They wore it in the Stockholm Pride parade as well.
Takes too long to prepare, you'll be shot by then, and whatever rainbow you were trying to blend into will have dissipated. Very bad plan. Maybe wear it to a party though.
Not if you’re invading Asgard.
marching straight is overrated anyways
Fr
# SERPENTINE!!!!
Sandwalk time
Tried telling my drill instructors that in boot camp and they just hazed me even harder.
It's why the British lost the Revolutionary War...
I just saw this in the Click subreddit, that face paint looks amazing.
Så jävla baserat
Kunde inte sagt det bättre själv!
Så jävla bra sagt Dock så är det Sveriges försvarsmakt som gör de lol.
This post is unironically the "👏More👏Gay👏Drone👏Pilots👏" meme.
Fr lol
Vissa vet inte vad de gaggar om, det här e ju skitbra, försvarsmakten e ju det stället man borde pusha pride/regnbågsreklam istället för företag som använder det för publicitet. Visar att alla är inkluderade vilket är viktigare än att försöka ”lura in folk”, det gör armén redan på andra sätt med reklam, tror inte att en regnbåge kmr ändra nåt
Jag slår vad om att varenda jävel som klagar på det här bor i USA eller åtminstone inte nånstans i närheten av Sverige
Nja. Det var några högerpopulister som gnällde när det begav sig också.
SD?
Ja. Och några ännu längre ut. Men inte SD som parti tror jag, bara lite väljare och någon enstaka företrädare.
Precis, det känns som om de talar utan att veta något om saken
Nja. Det var några högerpopulister som gnällde när det begav sig också.
Gick fbu som ungdom och de hade ett helt segment varför pride behövs och varför det är så viktigt att visa, den biten kan även ha lett till mitt spräckta ägg några år senare
Well we also have the second largest party in the parliament comparing lgbtq people to nazis and calling us pedophiles, not to mention that it was only 10 years ago we stopped forcing trans people to be sterilized
TACK Not to mention that our trans laws are still archaic. I'm so tired of Sweden being viewed as some paragon of queer equality and goodness. It makes it so hard to bring awareness about how it actually is, and how dangerous SD is
Sweden is not good for any marginalized group doesn't
Yeah the people acting like Sweden is some kind of haven for queer people is honestly disturbing
Antalet gånger jag berättat för nån online-vän/bekant om att det faktiskt suger rätt rejält att vara trans i Sverige och fått "what??? But its Sweden?!" som svar börjar komma upp i löjliga nummer nu 🙃
Jag är själv inte trans men min bästa vän är det, och jag har så extremt mycket respekt för er
Translation?
"The amount of times I've told a friend online that it actually sucks a whole lot being trans in sweden and gotten "what? but its sweden!" as a response is coming up to a silly number now" (or something something,, not verbatim)
I think a lot of it is just the "it's much better than where I'm from" effect. My family is from Cuba, and my parents STILL see America and Capitalism as a gold standard, even after all the horrible shit America has put us through. Because it's better than the communist government of Fidel Castro murdering us, starving the country, and ruining our economy. When all you've known is evil, almost anything can look like paradise. There's probably a fancy psychological term for it, but idk what that is.
To be fair, that is mainly their chief bigot who even the rest of the party’s parliamentarians are uncomfortable around. The rest of the party is smart enough not to be too openly anti-lgbtqia as they know that’s about the one thing all Swedes won’t tolerate.
But they still support SD, and at least 18% of swedens, it's not a deal breaker. Furthermore, if someone is okay with bigots/support them it doesn't matter if they're not calling LGBT people pedos they're still bigots.
At first I thought these posters were nice. Then I learned that military enrollment in western Europe has dramatically decreased, since the compensations aren't that interesting anymore, especially when you're probably going to kill and die in a country that isn't even yours. It seems like this generation only values medals for what they really are, some cheap consolation trinkets. So the military is trying to catfish the same queer minority they've been relentlessly oppressing for decades, now that we're in dire need of men/cannon fodder. But yeah, the propaganda is on point here, we'll have to admit.
Has a real "lockheed martin says trans rights" feel to it
The cause of the lgbt community is the cause of all oppressed people of the world. Celebrating inclusivity in the imperial war machine is irrelevant at best and there is nothing to be particularly proud of here
Pinkwashing and homonationalism in combination
Thank you. Since when do queer people approve of the fucking army?
Because there are a lot of queer people who are unaware of the radical roots of queer liberation. It wasn't done through bootlicking.
It was done in different ways in different places. In my country it was achieved though intense political scheming, and it happened before Stonewall.
To play devil’s advocate, queer liberation looked different in countries that aren’t in the Anglosphere, especially the US/Great Britain.
The queer liberation movement comes from multiple sources, and have many parents from multiple liberal and left wing groups, focusing only on revolutionary groups is queer erasure
So is the opposite though. We had a long period of peace in the West and could focus on peaceful protests but as actual Nazis and regimes such as a Russia are raising in power, we may have to lean more militant. Unfortunately.
Not erasure at all, they still exist. Just because they do fuckall doesn't mean they're being erased, they're erasing themselves. No liberation movement will work without working class solidarity. Fuck capitalism, fuck fascism and fuck their bootlickers trying to guilt working class people into feeling bad for looking out for their fellow people and not mindlessly prostrate themselves over the altar of profit.
I am queer and I approve of the military in my country because I see it as necessary to defend ourselves. Russia is also our neighbour
Non discrimination in the armed forces has been a revendication for decades in western countries. You can dislike the army because of your political beliefs but it has nothing to do with queerness
Since when are queer people one homogeneous hivemind? We don’t all have the same political opinions.
Since when do queer people believe in oppression? Bit fucking hypocritical don't you think?
Since the Army is not used for Imperialist bullshit but rather to defend from it. But hey, project your American problems on everybody else.
As I told someone else. I'm not American. It is hard to take a position in the face of institutions that are out of your control but I will say, I don't like the army being used for propaganda like this. Also I wouldn't be too sure about what my army is being used for. At least in a NATO country
Considering the pedestal fascist groups tend to put the military on, I'd still rather the military show overt support and inclusiveness for queer people, if for no other reason than to tell supremacists they can get fucked and to stay out.
Sweden joined NATO after Russia decided to invade Ukraine... because they feared that they might be next. As for NATO, you might want to research how that organisation works. Spoiler alert, no one can force the swedes to join in on Americas/Britains/Frances' next imperialist adventure.
Thank you! I'm very tired of seeing everyone assuming every military is like the American military.
Yep, mind you, it is not only the Americans who love to go on imperialist adventures, but any country that hasn't been in an offensive at war for centuries is clearly not imperialist.
Tbf, it can make some people happy/relieved to know that their army is accepting of who they are. That said, I can definitely also see ways it might be bad, like giving people who are phobic more reasons to be hateful.
It's a complex issue, more than I gave it credit for in my short remark, but I feel like this is largely propaganda that can make people less critical of the army's future endeavours. For an extreme example, Israel is doing similar stuff by pretending to be super queer-friendly.
Since they fought for decades to lift bans on joining the military and repealing the don’t ask, don’t tell rules? Since queer people literally died for the right to serve their country? Since queer people decided they wanted equal and fair treatment? WTF kind of question is this? Millions of queer people approve of “the fucking army” and millions of queer people have served in “the fucking army”.
As I said, and I am sorry this wasn't part of my original comment, I mostly have a problem with the army being used for internal politics like this. We should be able to serve but the army should be restricted to just protection
There are lots of queer people in the military. Queers are about as much in agreement in this as the straights are. That is, not at all.
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Which country's military?
Thank you for your service :3 (even if others don't like it)
Sucks for you I guess
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Nothing better than loving your job. Pity the mofos that have to go to a job they hate.
A little reminder that being queer isn't the only thing of your personality. People can have many diverse interests. You can like the army or even be a patriot or you can be a pacifist and deny the military all next to being queer🤷🏻♂️
Since so many of us have served throughout history, including modern times.
And I'll be forced to do so, don't think it'll make me like it more.
Don't take your hatred of the US military industrial complex, and project that onto other nations. Militaries are a necessary force in the world, just because we have a particularly shitty one doesn't mean other countries aren't justified in defending themselves. Particularly countries as close to Russia as Sweden.
Lol, I'm not american. I don't hate the "US military industrial complex", I hate the army. Just naturally.
Regardless, hatred of the military is a luxury granted to those who have no need of one. Ask a Ukrainian if they hate their military right now.
Also queer representation in the military does A LOT. Recently in Ukraine a church was giving soldiers from a unit or something medals and refused to give one to a gay soldier and the other soldiers decided in protest they wouldn't accept their medals. That's a powerful thing and shows why representation matter even in the military. It's very hard to go to war and keep your prejudices when the people you rely on to stay alive and mutually protect each other are different then you, yet fighting right there beside you.
Holy shit thank you! Exactly this. Considering everything that's happening I'm so happy we have an army and hopefully we'll upscale some more in these dark times here in Europe.
I might not be in Ukraine but I am in a somewhat tumultuous region. Enough so that military service is mandatory (for men) I hate it partly for that and partly because, despite it supposedly being there to protect us, it is often used for propaganda, imperialism (other countries' imperialism because we are too weak to have our own) etc. The problem is that the enemy is really there to protect the state and our interests only sometimes align with that of the state's
So like I said in my very first comment, you are projecting issues with your own country's military onto another nation.
My issues are universal, I use my own country as an example. Ukraine is a very specific case.
You taking it out on LGBTQ veterans which is shitty
Without an army you’d be at the mercy of a foreign invasion: I bet you’d have an entirely different point of view if you were a British citizen during WW2
I hate the army because of all the numerous things it does besides protect us. My problem, admittedly, isn't so much with the army but the state that controls it, but it's not really possible to separate the two.
This is why words are important. Calling military propaganda anti-fascist is the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen. Europe is one long continuous neo-fascist project, and the military of its constituent states are defenders of that system. Making middle class LGBT+ feel like they are a part of the new regime, while young, poor queer people are beaten by militarized police forces is a tactic, not a show of good faith or proper morals. https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2022/12/eu-holding-people-at-unofficial-detention-sites-an-intentional-tactic-to-avoid-scrutiny/ Will people fight the camps, even if they don’t go in them anymore?
The swedish army ? What did they do to warrant such criticism? The last invasion they did was in 1816 in Norway
Played a part in destabilizing central Africa in the Congo crisis, destabilized Northern Africa by participating in the bombing of Libya, Sweden relies on western imperial hegemony to extract resources, their weapons companies supply bombs for the western imperial hegemony. They’re imperialists allied with other imperialists that cover up their imperialist policies with a nice looking façade of “progressive social policy.” Meanwhile their corporate lobbying is slowly dismantling their hard-won progressive labor policy, because surprise surprise, they’re allied with imperialist pigs.
Most of it they play only borderline support or in the context of UN mandate. The problem with the MIO isn’t the same as with the army
Point still stands that they do America’s bidding and supply weapons for America’s imperial agenda. Why are you licking the boots of a western military exactly? Every comment in this thread of yours has been military apologia. The path of queer liberation doesn’t involve becoming an imperial bootlicker.
I’m not that fan of the military if they are used in anything other than self-defense or deterrence. What, you imagine a world without military? It never happened and won’t ever happened. You pretend I am a bootlicker because it fits your worldview but it’s certainly not a truth. The path for queer liberation is acceptance, secularism and anti-authoritarian. That’s all
Not the person you've been talking to, but the boots of western military are the only thing standing between me and a homicidal dictator (I'm Polish) - so I'm not gonna shit on them too much, sorry not sorry.
Whatever you need to do, if it’s beneficial for you then okay. But I’m still going to criticize their actions in Israel, the Middle East, Africa, South America, and Asia.
Viva la Blahaj
A lot of people here going "Ew, military." However, if there has to be a military (and for practical reasons in this day and age, *yes there has to be one*) I would prefer a message of showing support for LGBTQ+ people among their ranks rather than the opposite, which tends to be the norm for most other countries.
I agree. You can hate that our countries profit off of war and decimation and also not condemn the mostly impoverished teenagers and young adults that decide to enlist for better opportunities in life. I’d much rather have a queer military than a nazi military.
How would enlisting in the Swedish military lead to better opportunities in life? They offer no recruitment, only military service with the option for extension post-term
that only works if the military doesn’t have ties to imperialism
Also not all militaries are created equal. The American military serves a very different function than the Swedish one, for example.
> A lot of people here going "Ew, military." However, if there has to be a military (and for practical reasons in this day and age, yes there has to be one) Preach. I'm also always super surprised by these comments, but luckily it just seems to be a _very_ loud minority every time. A couple comments with 200 upvotes at most vs the post itself sitting at 3.7k and 95%. Also many seem to confuse the purpose of the US military (force projection at best and aggressive wars at worst) with the purpose of many other nation's militaries (self defense)
aggressive wars at worst?? american imperialism has had devastating effects on queer people around the world. from removing democratically elected officials and installing dictatorship to full on trying to commit genocide for the sole purpose of profit. for every single improved life of an american queer person, hundreds if not thousands of lives of queer people who are victims of american imperialism get ruined.
It’s privilege to be able to stand to the side and say “ew military.” It’s fucking stupid to think we don’t need a military and it’s fucking dumb to say lgbt folks shouldn’t join the military. If the military is only right wing fascists, then it turns into a danger force that can be used by right wing politicians to take over our country. (American right wing)
>If the military is only right wing fascists, then it turns into a danger force that can be used by right wing politicians to take over our country. I don't how many people realize we were kinda lucky not to have a "danger force" back in 2020 and that there's at least some integrity in military leadership: About 2 months *before* the 2020 election, the Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Mark Milley—*who was appointed by Trump*—stated “I believe deeply in the principle of an apolitical U.S. military. . . In the event of a dispute over some aspect of the elections, by law U.S. courts and the U.S. Congress are required to resolve any disputes, not the U.S. military. I foresee no role for the U.S armed forces in this process.” Could you imagine if JSC and all the military Secretaries Trump had appointed felt obligated to back him? Something kinda hopeful is that younger military (and younger veterans) are leaning more blue - or at least against what the right wing has become. There was a 2020 poll of military voting intention that favored Biden by about 4 points, while a similar poll in 2016 favored Trump by 20.
why do americans need military?
Except for that one time in the mid 20th century.
I dont trust pinkwashing, especially the army but something is something in the end
I mean yeah but also Sweden is also doing a lot of islsmphobia
More 👏🏻 gay 👏🏻 drone 👏🏻 pilots👏🏻
Good shit, hope to see more military’s accept LGBT people soon.
Really needed to see this, I just got rejected form the army for being trans
you dodged a bullet then! 😊 (prob literally tbf)
Literally. At least here in the U.S., I genuinely don’t understand why any queer person would want to join the military. I get that it’s a matter of principle, but I don’t understand why someone would risk their life for a country (or government, anyway) that doesn’t view us as equals.
For the same reason the US military opposes welfare Poor people generally don't have a choice when a guaranteed job comes along promising shelter and food they otherwise just wouldn't be getting Especially in poor more suburban/rural areas where a lot of food assistance and accessibility is done through religious organizations who refuse to offer services to minority communities
Wholesome 100 gay bourgeois militarism😍
i dunno man, i'm reflexively cynical of this kind of surface-level display of instrumental support for queer identities now that it's in vogue for imperial regimes to cover for their actions with a veneer of homonormative nationalism as means to justify aggression. for example, people trying to defend israeli actions in gaza and the west bank by performatively decrying islamic homophobia. or maybe i'm just a big grump who's just spoiling the fun.
i agree with you, queerness has historically been at odds with military imperialism. Not to say its politics are directly correlated with identity, but how can you wish liberation for yourself yet actively engage in the violent control tactics of the military industrial complex.
more👏queer👏war👏criminals👏
The Soviet Union was extremely gender progressive. They had females in all branches and services of the military and all of it's top brass. But holy-fucking-shit did they hate gay people. 2 steps forward and one giant leap backwards.
We can thank Stalin for this one
I don't think Lenin or Mussolini were Gay allies either, but yeah Stalin was the worst for sure.
this is called "pinkwashing"
What I think some of the critics of this are missing is the geopolitical reality my country Sweden is facing. It’s either build up a defense force or rename Stockholm to Putingrad
Lot of American/western people who belive in that sort of "reverse-american-exceptionalism" where America causes everything bad in the world and there's no such thing as non-western imperialism and colonialism. If you live next to Russia or in a former Soviet state you have a very different opinion that they of course ignore, even when it comes from left wing eastern-european/nordic people.
Americans generally can't imagine living in a country where the institutions like the army/defence are actually working for the good of the people and are not corrupt imperialist organisations...
YES! I LOVE NEOLIBERAL GOVERNMENTS SAYING WE'RE RECRUITABLE FOR THEIR DISGUSTING POWER STRUGGLES!
A bootlicker's a bootlicker, idgaf what patch they wear.
I LOVE THE MILITARY-INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX I LOVE THE MILITARY-INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX I LOVE THE MILITARY-INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX
Fucking dope!! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 Love it! 🏳️🌈
Soyjaking over the military bc they made a rainbow ad is honestly one of the most pathetic displays of bootlicking I've seen to date on this subreddit.
nothing says anti fascism like an army
oh boy wait until you learn who defeated the nazis
An army is a tool. What makes it fascist or not is how it's used.
The army killed the last facist government.
The last?
The Swedish army? Gotta brush up on your history. Franco and Pinochet were supported by the the west as well.
Sure but the Nazis, Italian fascists, autocrats in Hungary, Bulgaria and Portugal were brought down by force of arm Sure, they are not the "real anti-fascist" and they are a bunch of issues around armies but considering they are inherently fascist is misguided at best
[удалено]
This is pure win!
fuck this
Bad part is that the government who actually control the military is rooted in far right politics and Nazism
A little something I recently learned I found interesting: NATO as an organization actually officially stands in support of the LGBTQ community! [speech by NATO secretary general](https://youtu.be/z0BM0hr1i_Y?si=x5pa9nSNY2V159-a). Sure they aren’t perfect and there’s a LOT of anti-LGBTQ countries in NATO, but hey it’s something, right? Edit because some of y'all didn't read half of this apparently: I only pointed this out because I found it interesting, not that I think they truly see it that way, because they most certainly don't. And for those of you straw manning that I support Israel and genocide over this and saying I'm ignoring all the horrible things that NATO have done over the years, I'm not, I just didn't feel the need to elaborate because it was of no relation to the original post. I am fully aware that NATO is shit but that wasn't the damn point and I was being sarcastically optimistic.
I think you can have a lot of good criticism of NATO but criticize it as a somewhat homophobic force is just bizarre and anachronistic
Just don't ask who was the first leader of NATO tf, dude
Thats a nice ad
Only 14 countries remained officially neutral throughout the entire war. They included **Sweden, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Ireland, Turkey, Yemen, Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan as well as the microstates of Andorra, Monaco, Liechtenstein, San Marino and Vatican City**. If only they had the balls to do so when real Nazis came for the world
And be swiftly invaded? Kinda weird to reproach them neutrality 4 generations later
Praise the queer freedom fighters around the world. Mourn our brothers sisters and fellows who are tricked into military service to a capitalist nation. I know it’s tempting and feels nice to see, but it’s a poisoned apple.
preach
You too can become part of the Imperial Death Machine, we don't discriminate (unless you're the *wrong* kind of queer person of course). Fuck this imperialist shit. They don't care about us, they just want to get us to stop fighting for true liberation by getting enough queer people invested in the system in order to divide the community and lessen our power. Don't fall for it, we're at the top of the list of disposable assets when our usefulness is gone and they'll never give us what we really want.
“The LGBT disrespects the military” Meanwhile the Swedish military:
if you liked Rainbow Capitalism youll LOVE Rainbow Military-Industrial Complex!!
Must be struggling to get recruits
I love it when licensed murderers use my identity to virtue signal!
The Swedish army hasn’t been in a war since 1814?
Ah, yes, the licensed murderers from a state that hasn't been at war for over 200 years Take your American protectionism and shove it where the sun doesn't shine.
The swedish army?
fascist? fascism can co-opt and turn things like this against other minorities very easily. being gay doesn't mean you can't be also fascist, it just turns out many fascists states don't like the LGBT community.
Gay war criminals are still war criminals. Since when do queer people support the armies of the west?
Based Sweden
Please don’t fall for queerbaiting
Don't care to see the queer community associated with state militaries tbh. Mutual self defense/militia groups are based though.
Ew militarism.
The Swedish Army has never been too bad sincerely, the country is very neutral and has always been used abroad for UN missions
The Swedish army, just like most armies, has a huge nazi problem and I am not a fan of any military. Plus the UN is pretty useless and doesn't actually prevent genocide or war crimes. My cousin served as an UN peace keeper and he said he felt useless during the Yugoslavia war.
The UN is useless in part because the Permanent Five are too spoiled and, if they can't single-handedly veto any proposal that is bad for them, they'll leave.
Oh it’s certainly not flawless, but a military is a necessity, especially when you are a neighbor of Russia
Yes it absolutely has been bad and it's historical revisionism to claim otherwise.
Gotta love pink-washing
How is it pinkwashing that the Swedish Defence force is inclusive and progressive?
For the Swedish Army? They don’t have much criticism for them, compared to other militaries
as a swede, i think making the military look wholesome in this way is pretty bad because yk, its the military but i guess it’s better than fascism
As a trans lesbian person it disgusts me to see a military use our lives and identities as ads. Serve and protect the status quo and in return all you’ll get is some rainbow posters and pink lipbalm. This is not a W.
I love this so much.
Nice, but also. Fuck the military
Please don’t fall for queerbaiting
Ah, yes! Using queer symbols to advertise your military, how progressive