In your line of work, hobby, just life in general.
I don’t want to call it a “stupid” question, because most people just don’t know this. But when I was serving in the US Air Force, if my service ever came up around civilians, it was almost guaranteed that the next words out of their mouth were, “What planes do you fly?” It was such a common occurrence, it was a running joke amongst us Air Force members.
Only 5% of the Air Force are pilots. The other 95% work in career fields that either directly or indirectly support those pilots. We have doctors, lawyers, electricians, police, accountants, cooks… You name it, we likely have a similar career for it.
I personally worked in IT. I fixed computers for 20 years, usually in some cold, dark server room deep in the bowels of a facility. (Sometimes underground even!) I was about as far removed from the airplanes as one could get. So despite my 20 years working for the Air Force, I know absolutely nothing about planes.
Also, it kind of bothers me when people thank me for my service because I didn’t do anything. I’m no hero. Anyone could’ve done my job. Heck, I deployed with Marines once and they told me, if shit hits the fan, to just duck under my desk and let them take care of it. Even in the Air Force, we’re told that Security Forces (our version of military police) are the ones trained to handle combat with enemy forces and to get out of their way if anything happens.
When I was deployed with the Marines, my Marine boss told me once that she hopes to god that she never sees an Air Force person with a rifle in their arms. That means the planes are down, the Marines are dead, and the base is overrun. She said we are the absolute last resort to defend against enemy forces. So if we come under fire, she asked that I hand my weapon to the nearest Marine and then go take cover.
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it is regarded as a place people “fail into,” a job we apply for when we fail to secure training or work in the civilian world.
That was also the case in America pre 9/11, its also when thanking people for their service become very common. Bumper sticker magnets with the phrase were a huge fad.
I have a coworker that did IT in (I think) the air force. He had some superior that was blasting him because his password wasn’t working trying to login. My coworker reset the password, remoted in, logged in and the the guy know it’s working and have him the PW.
He gets a call and the dude is again freaking out on him saying it’s not working. My CW drives across base to assist. He gets there and asks the guy to login. First thing he did is hits caps lock and starts typing. CW tells him what’s wrong, does it himself and it works. And to have him do it again, and the guy hits caps lock… CW says something and the superior snaps on him. He snapped back.
When he got back to his station, he gets the call that he fucked up, and that he just volunteered for a deployment to Alaska, where he sent the next few months.
Not really related, but I thought it was a funny story.
“Thank you for your service” is recruitment propaganda (not sure if propaganda is the exact right word here). Somehow that phrase was popularized to get Americans to say it and make those who enlisted feel special. It’s not special. Its just a job.
It’s actually an extreme counter-response to the Vietnam War. Americans didn’t believe we should be involved in that awful war, and they blamed military members for it. They assumed military members could just quit and walk away if they didn’t agree with the war, so anyone who was still serving was assumed to be pro-war. And thus, they were treated like shit by the public.
The truth is, a lot of people were drafted against their will for that war. Most didn’t want to be there, but were threatened with prison if they refused to go. Then the war itself was a terrible and traumatizing experience for most of them, if they even survived it. THEN they come home to ungrateful Americans who blame them for the war and treat them like garbage for serving. It led to a ton of PTSD, homelessness, and suicides amongst veterans.
When the Iraq War kicked off in 2003, even though Americans didn’t want us going to Iraq and had no idea why we were going there in the first place, they had learned from history that the service members themselves had nothing to do with it. They were stuck in their enlistment, forced to go wherever the government told them to go. And there’s no quitting; you either finish your 4-6 year enlistment, or you break a law and go to jail. That’s pretty much the only way out.
So Americans started treating military members (and veterans) with extreme respect, to counter the terrible behavior towards them during the last ugly conflict we didn’t want to be involved in. And it kind of took on a life of its own. And yes, the government did encourage the behavior too.
I appreciate not being spit on, cursed at, or attacked by the citizens I served. But at the same time, I don’t need to be on a pedestal. Most military members don’t see conflict in their careers and are pretty much indistinguishable from office workers. We show up to work, do whatever the job entails, then go home. If someone earns the Medal of Honor or a Purple Heart, then by all means, raise that pedestal! They earned some accolades! But the rest of us? We’re pretty much just normal people doing normal jobs. You’d be better off praising Janice for her TPS reports.
As someone too young to know what it was like in the time of the Vietnam War, that’s very interesting. I was alive in '03, but probably too young to comprehend any of that. Thanks for the insight.
When I was a young lad, I thought to join the Air Force. My dad was in the Air Force and he was happy to hear it. I rode an hour on a bus to the place, went through all the tests, etc. and near the end learned that I’d be a helicopter mechanic. I didn’t want to be a mechanic I wanted to be a pilot, that’s why I wanted to join. I didn’t bother saying that to anyone, but that’s what I wanted.
When it came time to take the pledge I remained seated. The Air Force folks who ran the place were pissed. They kicked me out the front door and didn’t offer a ride home. I had to call my dad to pick me up. My dad was a reasonable man, and kind, so he didn’t lay into me but I could tell he was very disappointed.
Looking back on it, helicopter mechanic would have been a good fit for me, I’d probably have been very good at it, and it would have been an interesting career. Had I been better prepared, I would have done it. And, my life would have been much different I’m sure. Maybe even better, I’ll never know.
(This was over 40 years ago, I don’t remember the details too well.)
I feel like in past few years the number of easily searched factual questions I see posted to forums has exploded. Questions like, how do I make pancakes? What is the tallest mountain? Can chickens fly?
It really seems like a ton of people have lost the ability (or never had it) to find answers for themselves.
Found the American school teacher
My conspiracy is that these were added on purpose to add more data for AI to train on.
Do you understand why we have AI answering your browser search by default now ?
“Can we do it with AI?”
Translation: Thinking is HARD and humans are GROSS. Can’t I just be Scrooge McDuck and have a machine print money for me?
“Can I get a discount if I pay off the books”
Or another way to ask the same thing: “Do you mind taking all the legal risk so that I could save some money?”
I’ve met more than a few businesses that will give a discount for cash.
Cash discounts aren’t about it being ‘off the books’, however. That is because cash doesn’t incur a credit card fee, and they are passing the savings to you.
I heard this one today. Not the first time, and won’t be the last:
Why was I charged for taxes?
There seem to be a large number of people who evade income taxes, then get shocked and panicky several years later when they ‘suddenly’ owe their taxes; complete with fees and interest.
What’s it like being an identical twin?
I don’t fucking know, what’s it like not being one??
I’d guess it’s like having a sibling, only different! I only have the twin though, no other siblings.
Also also, yes your grandmother’s way of canning sucks ass wax is not valid, turning them upside down is not valid, using non canning jars to can is not valid, using the oven and not a water or pressure canner is not valid. Two piece rings and glass jars! Or whatever, I’m not your mom and not eating your food.
Can you fix my (Windows) computer problem?
Nope. I design computer chips, and don’t use Windows that much.
“Don’t you care about the company?”
Oh I hate that one.
“The company” doesn’t give two flying f***s about me, I’m here to do a job and get paid for it, not join a cult."
My honest response to that is, I have a limited amount of social energy, and I will absolutely bend over backwards for someone who cares about me just a little. The company will post my job tomorrow if I keel over and die, so no, I don’t spare a thought for them. You get what you give. Next. Question.
The obvious question. Example: someone is eating soup. Someone else walks up, “so you’re eating soup, huh?”
My parent’s generation did that a lot more. For them, it was just a standard meaningless expression for when you don’t know what to say, obviously to start small talk, whereas younger people take it more literally and get annoyed for asking such a dumb question
After riding my bike to work in the rain: “Did you get wet?”
“Only on the outside.”
The inside is usually wet.
I work in esales.
I get asked at least 5 times a day how much something is. Turns out, it’s the big, bold number next to the dollar sign. And, no, you don’t get a fucking discount because you asked what the price is. If anything I should charge you more for wasting my fucking time.
What is esales?
Online sales
Does this flower attract bees? (Yes, it is a flower)
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Some flowers are more popular than others but generally flowers attract pollinators
What? Outrageous! I want my flowers pollen- and parechyma-free!
If you are a (younger?) immigrant in the US, you will be asked by a curious American:
- Where are you from / what language do you speak?
- How do you say “hello” and “goodbye” in your language?
- How do you say “fuck you” in your language?
The second thing you want to know about my language is how to insult someone? Baffling, but happened more than once.
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It’s true, in fact I curse in way more languages than I can speak fluently. You should hear me when I pinch my finger while working.
I hope pinche cabron is in the string of expletives
“Why do you trust the government so much?”
I don’t. I just don’t trust private entities any more than the state. I don’t trust government, private corporations, churches, non-profits, sales/marketing/public relations/propaganda/advertisements, shibboleths/dog whistles/virtue signals, or anything else I can’t independently verify. I believe people generally believe what they say (although there are plenty of active liars too), but also everyone, myself included, is wrong. About what? I have no idea, but I don’t take anything on faith. I believe in well supported arguments, historical observations and that people will continue to do and be what they have historically done and been (barring a significant outside influence or incentive), that who people are on the inside is not always going to be reflected in their actions (we are creatures of habit that do not always live our values and will rationalize away any internal contradiction), and that the only thing that can’t be taken from you is your own integrity, it can only be given away, so do your best to be worthy of the misguided trust others put in you. You will fail sometimes, but that doesn’t mean the effort isn’t worth it.
Customers at the place I work asking where the parts department is (at least 10 times a day on a slow day) when they missed the TWO large signs at the entrance saying it’s up the stairs. The stairs are are literally five steps beyond the entrance, directly in front of you when you enter the doors. Only surpassed by the bigger idiots who ask after I tell them it’s upstairs, “How do I get up there?”
No one is fully present 100% of the time. We’ve all missed things that were right in front of us. Give people some grace - you’ve gotten it yourself many times without realizing.
I don’t do this regularly, but I have been that guy that’s asked where something is 2 get from a big sign. Usually right after the person points me in the direction and I see the sign, I make a half hearted self deprecating comment about how if I just looked 2 inches to the left…
It takes a lot of willpower on my part not to answer that follow up question with a sarcastic “By walking up the stairs”
The worst is when it’s a big, human sized sign, with a map and an arrow, and they have to walk around the sign to find a person to ask. And they will walk around it. And it will take every ounce of self control not to violently use the sign to correct their behaviour. Sideways.
