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Comment by sneak | Hacker News Reader

> I'm not sure how to put that in words, but I feel that we are loosing the ability to accept and interact with people who have a slightly different worldview. I am totally with you in your view on the military.

I can accept him, and will interact with him, but I won't do things that put money in his pocket to further advertise his views. Increasing his view counts, either via my watching, or my linking others to watch, does that. I am morally opposed to doing that. It's nothing to do with "the ability to accept or interact" with him; I just won't fund him.

> In my country there used to be a mandatory military service or alternatively a longer civilian service; I choose the latter

I'm sorry that your country condoned slavery. These sorts of policies and laws will eventually be condemned universally by history once they fall out of fashion.

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>> In my country there used to be a mandatory military service or alternatively a longer civilian service; I choose the latter

> I'm sorry that your country condoned slavery. These sorts of policies and laws will eventually be condemned universally by history once they fall out of fashion.

Tell that to the people in Ukraine, which has mandatory service:

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_service#Ukraine

For more open societies, the people themselves can decide what is part of the social contract. Some places have made the collective choice that citizens being able to defend against external threats is a good thing. Not everyone has friendly neighbours.

It is no different than taxation (IMHO): through their representatives, people have chosen that each person shall given up a portion of their income for the collective good. Under your logic taxation would be theft. Some societies have decided that labour is part of what needs to be given up.

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_contract

> For more open societies, the people themselves can decide what is part of the social contract.

Nobody can decide for someone else that they should be enslaved.

Do you also believe taxation is theft?

> I'm sorry that your country condoned slavery.

Now I am truly at a loss for words

Is conscription not forced labour? How do you see it differently? You may think conscription is neutral or even good, but it seems fairly reasonable while maybe a little inflammatory for a general audience to describe it as slavery.

I can agree that conscription is forced labor. However, there is still a very far way from that to slavery.

Using words like "slavery" just for added effect is not good style.

> I'm sorry that your country condoned slavery.

Let’s not throw the baby out with the bath water here.

Entirely professional armed forces risk filling up with people who actually want to go to war and shoot people. Conscription is a moderating force. You want a more representative selection. Americans probably wouldn’t vote for so many disastrous foreign interventions if they would have to personally fly over and do it themselves.

You're virtue signaling. I'm going to go donate $50 a month to both his Patreon and increase my donation to the DAV, entirely to spite you.

Carry on!

wouldn't...that also be virtue signaling?

An interesting moral equation. .

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