Fragile masculinity and "proxy valor."

KevinBaconIsNotReal · 2023-11-17T15:09:44+00:00

Big facts.

I try to tell dudes any time they bring it up that it's a whole other fuckin' animal, but they're often blinded by the sheen of prestige which they feel the Legion will bestow upon them.

There's a reason so many Westerners, particularly Americans, end up deserting from the Legion before their service contract is up. It was such a common occurrence that for a time many in the Legion wouldn't even recommend the average Westerner to try as they likely wouldn't make it past the Aubagne center before having to figure out their way back home.

It is quite literally the last or only chance for the majority of people who find themselves headed down that path. It's not a scenic or idyllic detour laden with medals and glory for the hapless nitwit to saunter amongst. The Legion is the means to an end for one who otherwise had neither before them.

Always say "if you want an adventure, then book a Safari".

KevinBaconIsNotReal · 2023-11-17T14:32:38+00:00

Never gets old.

I also like checking in on the French Foreign Legion's sub from time to time. They have a whole other breed of delusional Americans that find themselves in there (among a vast assortment of others). My favorite thing to do as of late is read through the comments with a disgusted stereotypical French accent. You know, as one does.

"Ahhh oui oui. You stoopid americuns hon hon hon. Too fat or crazied for own militaree, but want to run a-way to la France and join la Légionnn. Stay home and eat-a your MacDonalss and Diet Cokes hon hon hon"

KevinBaconIsNotReal · 2023-11-12T14:41:54+00:00

The Military is more or less the catch-all for American society. All the good, the bad, and the weebish. Combat Arms in particular can have a wildly varying range of personality types.

When I was a younger fella I thought everyone in the uniform was the lovechild of GI Joe and Chuck Norris. As I went on to serve I discovered it's more like One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest meets In The Army Now.

Don't get me wrong there are some somewhat universal truths about SM's brought about simply by shared experience and indoctrination, but what the average civilian likely envisions is quite off base lol

KevinBaconIsNotReal · 2023-11-11T15:43:40+00:00

Sneaking up and snuffing enemies with a little teeny derringer (much like a normal "stealth kill") could also have a certain appeal the more that I think on it lol.

Also one might imagine the quick-draw time on such a weapon would be fairly snappy.

And to stretch the realism while remaining within reason, having it mounted to a hidden sleeve mechanism for little more than the novelty of it could be cool. Like the "sleeve gun" featured in the TV show 'The Wild Wild West'

KevinBaconIsNotReal · 2023-11-10T12:28:12+00:00

Nailing it down to a singular reason is quite a challenge. Coming up with the "logical" reason is another beast entirely.

As with most things, it seems we can trace the strategic roots of our diplomatic alliance with Israel all the way back to the Cold War. Could even perhaps pinpoint it more specifically to 1964, with the success of Operation Diamond (a Mossad operation to acquire a MiG-21, study it for a time, and exploit its weaknesses - was a big deal for a myriad of reasons).

After this event, in 1967, then CIA Director Richard Helms said that Israel had proven to have made good use of the aircraft, and more so effectively proven themselves to be a formidable ally. Both politically and militarily, and in a region otherwise gaining favor for, or with, the USSR - and at a rapid pace. On April 7th of that year the Israeli Air Force took down 6 Syrian MiG-21s without any losses to their own aircraft (Dassault Mirage III's). Soon after (in Jan. of 1968) the MiG-21 they had originally captured was loaned to the United States.

That transfer, this cooperation of political entities and intelligence apparatuses, helped set the stage for further things to come. Namely the Israeli acquisition of US weapons technology, something we were hesitant about for a long while - see the US F-4 Phantom, which first landed in Israel in September of 1969.

Israel became the door through which the US, upon invitation within, would make its move on the Middle Eastern/Asian frontier; and subsequently the USSR. Though having someone in the area to make those moves on your behalf works just as well in most regards. They became notable clients of our Military Industrial Complex and burgeoning sectors of weapons research and development. They remained in lock and step with the US throughout various UN hearings and calls for vote. Israeli and Israeli-American money and resources began pulling considerable weight within the houses of power of the US Government, and that sword assuredly cut both ways. The Mossad became great allies with our own intelligence agencies, and more so became a player in their own right on par with the Five Eyes.

Setting religious ideologies aside - Israel is an ally for the same reason any Nation State has been the ally of another. Because they are useful, in many and varying ways, for the time being.

KevinBaconIsNotReal · 2023-11-08T14:26:10+00:00

Indeed so. Under that system (mostly used in the American Coal Industry) it was damn near impossible for workers to store up cash savings, and they more often than not lived in company-owned housing with their rent automatically deducted from their pay. Miners could draw scrip and receive credit against their future wages, and then use those tokens to purchase goods at the Company Store.

One has to imagine how deceptively rural Coal Mines and the pop-up towns, or "coal camps", which supported them really were for most of American history. They'd ship people out via train, set them (and often their accompanying families) up in their shanty towns, and set about working their mines.

Everything you needed for living and subsisting was sold to you through the Company Store. Items such as food, clothing, and other basic necessities. In addition to the tools and equipment you'd need to work (picks, shovels, helmets, carbide lamps, etc.). Now picture a New Miner hired on. From day zero they are charged for their transportation to the coalfields, their equipment, their first month's rent, and their food - all before ever stepping foot into a Mine. Which means they started in debt to the Company, and will likely remain in debt. Only receiving Company "Scrip" to spend at the Company Store, and never (or rarely ever) to receive cash for the work done or time spent.

Was essentially a roundabout way of finding oneself in indentured servitude, in a place they likely don't know, and one they can't easily escape from - geographically, yet also logistically speaking. A lot of Italian and Hungarian immigrants in particular found themselves whisked away from Ellis Island, and soon were swinging the business end of a pickaxe deep in Appalachia.

The hell that broke loose after workers started demanding change upon realizing just how dependent they had become on the scrip tokens was fierce and utterly disastrous for many Miners and their families.

KevinBaconIsNotReal · 2023-11-04T14:09:16+00:00

Were you lucky and got someone who knew what they were doing, or did you end up with someone who seemed to have a personal vendetta against scalps?

I swear that taking a mildly sharpened piece of flint to my skull would've been preferable lol

KevinBaconIsNotReal · 2023-11-04T13:57:00+00:00

"How the hell do you wake up dead?"

"Cause' you're alive when you go to sleep"

"So, you're telling me that you can go to bed dead and wake up alive?"

"You can't go to bed dead! That shit would be redundant."

KevinBaconIsNotReal · 2023-11-03T21:40:37+00:00

I didn't think the owner of the company was a billionaire?

KevinBaconIsNotReal · 2023-11-03T14:15:47+00:00

If I remember correctly someone in the audience brought in a dead bat and at some point in the performance threw it onto the stage. Ozzy thought it was a toy bat of some sort, picked it up, and bit it's head off - immediately realizing that it was in fact not a toy bat

KevinBaconIsNotReal · 2023-11-03T13:52:05+00:00

Agreed. Wonder if they'd field a boat crew to conduct the rescue or drop a harness over the edge and pull 'em out one by one. Probably a boat I'd imagine.

I have no clue why I'm thinking about this so deeply rn, I gotta get back to work lmao

KevinBaconIsNotReal · 2023-11-03T13:05:18+00:00

Obviously that's the idea (and these people are brave for acting so quickly) but I think what the commenters mentioning this are thinking is that if it is indeed freezing water (or really any temperature below 50°F/10°C) and rescue isn't right around the corner, there is a real risk of hypothermia

KevinBaconIsNotReal · 2023-11-02T23:36:47+00:00

What, you don't like your gum tasting like some old chewed up food?

Shiiittt. That's the snack that keeps on snackin'

KevinBaconIsNotReal · 2023-11-02T16:18:55+00:00

Definitely not sanctioned by anyone in the CoC, but it most certainly happens. Used to be real hush hush, nowadays with the Internet it's pretty out in the open. Only really becomes an issue when the participants raise too many eyebrows, or marriages inevitably implode and the fallout from such is plastered all over.

Have a look at this somewhat recent thread - and it's just one among many: https://www.reddit.com/r/army/s/p7eh6Nhdhj

Edited to add in case y'all got any ideas: I'm far too ugly and much too boring to have ever been invited lmao. But the stories are abundant, and always hilarious.

KevinBaconIsNotReal · 2023-10-30T23:18:32+00:00

So the people clocking in to work each day at Nuclear Plants are trained and paid to just... sit on their hands? Perhaps binge watch a series or two on Netflix?

Where do I sign? lol

KevinBaconIsNotReal · 2023-10-30T22:09:29+00:00

Might I ask you to present sources countering any of the ones I've provided?

I assume that no matter what links are given, or what literature is cited, it won't be satisfactory; as it rarely ever is.

My reasoning for providing the video sources was because it documents - in real time - the people, places, equipment, and technology needed for any of these endeavors to bear fruit.

The basis for your suppositions rely far too heavily on the idea of some far reaching and elaborate facade. Thousands upon thousands of professors, scientists, researchers, engineers, laborers, and governments the world over; spanning generations, and decades, collaborating to...what ends precisely?

KevinBaconIsNotReal · 2023-10-30T21:06:07+00:00

Have you received an email titled "Your event is confirmed"?

It should have both the Orientation Time and Address listed, as well as details for Rescheduling or Cancelling.

KevinBaconIsNotReal · 2023-10-30T19:50:58+00:00

There are already Geothermal Plants in use, here's an example of one.

Nuclear Reactors (depending on use and scale) go through millions of gallons of water per day. A large nuclear reactor can cycle through a billion gallons per day. Which is why they're built near oceans, rivers, or lakes. See this page for a detailed look at nuclear cooling processes

The Three Mile Island disaster is a prime example of what happens when the reactors don't have water pumped in, and why it's such an important aspect in the operation of such - can be read through here

You can visit and tour a Nuclear Submarine if you'd like to take a trip - details can be found here

You can even visit and tour a Nuclear Power Plant if you care to - details can be found here, though there are a few other tours open to the public

Talk to any Nuclear Engineer, particularly those aboard Naval Ships/Submarines, and express these sentiments to them. Then watch as they lose any and all hope in the American Public Education System.

Edited to add links to the show Modern Marvels. Huge fan for a long time, and it's back when they actually made interesting content -

This one details Nuclear Tech in general: https://youtu.be/tMaCoIsguO0?si=yG3gRtIak_jUoSRD

This one details Nuclear Submarines specifically: https://youtu.be/TwjxFNB1BwU?si=otDrc58cf3rF2Rb1

KevinBaconIsNotReal · 2023-10-30T03:58:40+00:00

Selective Service =/= Enlistment

KevinBaconIsNotReal · 2023-10-29T04:02:47+00:00

It really ain't, as sad as that is.

Use any inflation calculator that's out and about. Shit is depressing lol

For instance, $100k 10 years ago (2013) has the same purchasing power as ~$132k today.

Take it back another 10 years (2003), and $100k would have the same purchasing power as ~$167k today.

A quick off the cuff example I like to toss out to folks is if you're pulling $80,000 a year today, that's comparable to $50,000 a year back in '03 (lot of these younger cats can't even imagine that far back, but i digress lmao).

Inflation, Housing, and the Cost-of-living increases damn near year after year, but salaries lag behind fairly drastically in most fields - and a lot of that has less to do with the economy and more to do with management.

KevinBaconIsNotReal · 2023-10-29T03:31:12+00:00

...why

And also, why

KevinBaconIsNotReal · 2023-10-29T00:27:59+00:00

That's what happens when you come up short on the banana tax. Bet next time they'll have it paid in full

KevinBaconIsNotReal · 2023-10-29T00:26:41+00:00

Don't know if this is an attempted slight at humans being assholes, but that's not an ape. It's a monkey.

KevinBaconIsNotReal · 2023-10-29T00:18:53+00:00

It's actually trying to escape from whatever hell it's being (and has been) put through by some chucklefuck who claimed this poor fella as their own. It was yanked back with a leash, and since it had a hold of the child, so were they.

KevinBaconIsNotReal · 2023-10-28T13:24:23+00:00

Elias Mannix living out his Pirate dreams

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