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Notes -
My first mild awareness of the infestation of gibs culture in the U.S. was when my Hispanic friends in elementary school pointed out that I could be getting my school lunch for free just by having my parents fill out some yellow form. When I brought this up with my parents (both working class with no college education), they were annoyed and offended that I would even bring this to their attention. As though I was insinuating they couldn’t provide for me themselves.
Fast forward to today. Half my coworkers are former military. Of those, about half are either 90% or 100% disabled. They pay less in taxes in one year than I pay in a week. All of them are physically capable of running, lifting, and climbing. Very few of them are even fat.
Like you, I have always found something deeply repugnant about taking gibs, even if I “qualified” for them. I can rationalize how it is morally acceptable, but I cannot shake the latent disgust and lack of self-respect. I really do think this is just a piece of our culture being eroded by the Great Displacement and the increasingly mercenary, atomized behavior of westerners. Where pride and principles are just theories, not codes to live by.
Veterans are not eligible for Worker's Comp, FMLA, or long term disability, and OSHA is certainly not a concern in the military. Don't die on that hill.
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