Military wearing out its welcome to me (university, restaurant)

[phetaroi]

So now, on the top part of my street (it's a loop) I've noticed most the parking spaces are filled up almost all of the time, too. Guess what...another military family who are using their 2-car garage for storage instead of parking their 3 cars there, thus taking up 3 more parking spaces.

Sorry, but this occasional bad egg theory I've been reading about on here is looking more and more shallow.

[Jobster]

Originally Posted by phetaroi

So now, on the top part of my street (it's a loop) I've noticed most the parking spaces are filled up almost all of the time, too. Guess what...another military family who are using their 2-car garage for storage instead of parking their 3 cars there, thus taking up 3 more parking spaces.

Sorry, but this occasional bad egg theory I've been reading about on here is looking more and more shallow.

If you want to get rid of the military, stop supporting the wars with your lifestyle. If you want the world, you gotta pay for it. The way you pay is by getting your hands dirty. You should be thankful that military does it for you, so you don't have to.

Also, it's entirely hypocritical for you to have a "subtle racist is still a racist" when you've just generalized an entire population of people from a sample of your two neighbors that are giving you problems.

I thought you were an educator. You should at least learn about the central limit theorem before generalizing a group of people.

[MsBall]

Originally Posted by phetaroi

So now, on the top part of my street (it's a loop) I've noticed most the parking spaces are filled up almost all of the time, too. Guess what...another military family who are using their 2-car garage for storage instead of parking their 3 cars there, thus taking up 3 more parking spaces.

Sorry, but this occasional bad egg theory I've been reading about on here is looking more and more shallow.

This thread is wearing out its welcome to me.

[finsfan21]

Originally Posted by phetaroi

So now, on the top part of my street (it's a loop) I've noticed most the parking spaces are filled up almost all of the time, too. Guess what...another military family who are using their 2-car garage for storage instead of parking their 3 cars there, thus taking up 3 more parking spaces.

Sorry, but this occasional bad egg theory I've been reading about on here is looking more and more shallow.

Speaking of shallow.

[DrDog]

Too bad you can't rate posts negatively lol.

[Kar54]

Coming from generations of AF, Army and Naval enlistees and officers (grandfather/brother/father/uncles/nieces - War of 1812 to Afghanistan) I have a genuine appreciation and respect for both active and retired military personnel. I've seen comments where it has been stated that Colorado Springs existed before the military and may, in some respects, exist without them. However, our economy is now primarily driven off those base personnel. Everything from restaurants, tax prep firms and barbers, have operations on-base. Realtors, car dealers, furniture stores and other durable goods firms attribute approximately 30% of our economy being tied to military purchases. Without such, this town would be a shadow of its current self. As much as we try to make it so, COS is NOT a tourist destination. Las Vegas, New Orleans, even Niagara Falls, are tourist destinations. Pay a visit to one of those locales and see the difference.

All military folks aren't perfect. My late Father had what they now call PTSD. My brother is now Bipolar. There are also negative aspects to their presence. Some impact, such as increased crimes rates and never, truly becoming a part of the community in which they live irritate me. Some soldiers put in their 2-4 years and go home. Some like it here, stay and retire. FWIW; Without the Academy, Carson and Peterson, this town would be half the size it is today. And worse for wear too. Again, just my opinion.

[Wittgenstein's Ghost]

The military is disproportionately made up of certain demographics, particularly young males. On a base (as opposed to the AFA), this also entails a variety of other factors, including education level. The military also likely self-selects for certain personality types. So I don't think the comparisons to race are entirely appropriate because military status is not a trait that happens in isolation from other traits.

However, I do think there is a great deal of confirmation bias that goes on here. It's similar to what occurs with "Those terrible out of state drivers!" People see bad drivers all the time, but when they see a bad driver with an out of state tag, it confirms a belief they already hold. Of course, they don't give proper consideration to all the times they see out of state drivers driving well or in state drivers driving poorly. I think military judgments have an element of this. We see jacked up trucks driving aggressively all the time, but that military sticker in the window every once in a while forms a pattern in our mind that confirms a belief that was probably formed in a hasty way.

I do think there are certain behaviors that are more likely to be found in the military set than the population at large, but I'm not sure that those differ much from what we could expect from any group that was comprised of individuals with similar demographics.

Side Question: Why do people say "He's military" or "I'm military"? Shouldn't it be "He's in the military?" or "I'm a member of the military?" The military is an employer, and it's an organization. If I worked at GM and was a member of the Kiwanis Club, I wouldn't say "I'm GM" or "I'm Kiwanis."

[DrDog]

Originally Posted by Wittgenstein's Ghost

Side Question: Why do people say "He's military" or "I'm military"? Shouldn't it be "He's in the military?" or "I'm a member of the military?" The military is an employer, and it's an organization. If I worked at GM and was a member of the Kiwanis Club, I wouldn't say "I'm GM" or "I'm Kiwanis."

For many especially those that make it a career, the military is far more than an employer or a club.

[Kar54]

Originally Posted by DrDog

For many especially those that make it a career, the military is far more than an employer or a club.

Correct. It becomes "a lifestyle".

[Wittgenstein's Ghost]

Originally Posted by DrDog

For many especially those that make it a career, the military is far more than an employer or a club.

Well, yes, but that doesn't exactly clarify the grammar issue.