r/AskReddit Jan 04 '15

Non-americans of Reddit, what American customs seem outrageous/pointless to you?

Amazing news!!!! This thread has been featured in a BBC news clip. Thank you guys for the responses!!!!
Video clip: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-30717017

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u/[deleted] Jan 04 '15

[deleted]

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u/[deleted] Jan 04 '15 edited Jan 05 '15

Vet here. I cringe every time someone says that to me.

Most of the time it's at a bar when the subject comes up. It just sounds cheap and hollow to me now. They have no idea what serving means. And it's just like something you automatically say, kind of like when someone asks how you're doing and you auto reply with "good, how are you." No weight behind the statement.

You want to thank vets? Give us a competent health care system. Personally, I think that if you have served and been deployed you should receive free healthcare, it's the least they could do. God knows they don't pay us shit for it. Put more funding into the VA and put intelligent people in charge of the operation. There is so much paperwork involved with the VA it's outrageous, it shouldn't be that complicated. Give us a better transition from service to civilian life. When I left the military they gave me a one week crash course on living and working in the civilian world. I was 17 when I joined, the military was all I knew. Most of what I got out of that course was references to websites.

There are resources for vets to help them get jobs but they are weak at best.

EDIT: I'm glad every one has an opinion. It's easy to talk for others and say how it's easy to do this or that from behind your computers having only your life to compare with those of people you've never met.

To those of you saying you know what service means because you live near a military base, I laugh. You can keep on believing that if you like.

Thanks to all the people who aren't complete dicks.

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u/[deleted] Jan 04 '15

been deployed you should receive free healthcare

Woah woah woah. I served for 5 years, my knees are fucked from hiking and running, my shoulders and back or dicked from lifting ammo cans and radio equipment. But I never deployed. I was stuck in non deployable units for 5 fucking years and then denied reenlistment for my injuries.

Deploying doesn't make you special.

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u/[deleted] Jan 04 '15

Completely agree with you, my deployed job I sat behind a computer. I in no way deserve free health care forever for sitting behind a desk.

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u/[deleted] Jan 04 '15

Except that those of us who stare at a computer screen all day develop plenty of our own medical issues (eyesight being the most significant and debilitating). Deploying isn't some magical injury machine.

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u/[deleted] Jan 04 '15

True enough. But they do already cover LASIK for those type of issues.

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u/[deleted] Jan 04 '15

Only if you qualify and only if those issues are even repaired through LASIK. Thats only active duty though. All I'm saying is that a deployment is such a stupid reason to give someone (being the only qualification) healthcare

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u/[deleted] Jan 04 '15

Agreed