• Synthuir@lemmy.ml
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    13 days ago

    For anybody looking for attribution, this comic no longer exists. It was called Pictures for Sad Children, and it’s essentially lost media now after the creator had some issues and took everything (including IA backups) offline.

  • HyperCube@fedia.io
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    13 days ago

    Always a struggle for me. I saw Canada’s demo CF-18 at an airshow a few years back and was having simultaneous thoughts of “so this is why we can’t afford clean water for our indigenous communities” and “HOLY SHIT IT SOUNDS SO COOL”.

    • Wogi@lemmy.world
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      13 days ago

      Frequently those problems could be solved for the cost of a single aircraft.

      You can’t afford clean water for indigenous people because they couldn’t buy one fewer aircraft.

      You needed all 138.

      • PunnyName@lemmy.world
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        13 days ago

        Can’t afford clean water for indigenous people when you want to exterminate indigenous people.

        • Peppycito@sh.itjust.works
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          13 days ago

          You don’t need planes for that. You just need a systematic foot on their necks. You know, like we do for the rest of the poors.

          We can’t afford another plane because we need another highway first.

    • DefederateLemmyMl@feddit.nl
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      12 days ago

      I see military spending as a necessary evil, it’s like paying your insurance policy against the evils in the world. There will always be someone with a stick willing to beat someone weaker than them. So you could theoretically spend that military money on something “more useful”, but if all your friends do that as well, you won’t be able to enjoy that nice world for very long.

      Also, people usually highly overrate how much a country spends on defense and underrate how much is spent on social security. Where I live, in Belgium, with a similar military budget as Canada (in terms of % of GDP) they did a survey once and asked people to estimate how many euros out of €100 of tax money went to the military and other things. People on average thought it was €6.1 to the military and €17.4 to social security. In reality the proportions are just €1.3 to the military and €37.5 to social security.

      So I guess what I’m saying is: it’s okay to enjoy the cool noises without guilt. You paid for it, it’s necessary, and at least they’re providing people with some entertainment now.

      • Semi-Hemi-Lemmygod@lemmy.world
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        12 days ago

        Canadians and Belgians can probably feel okay. As an American I’m disgusted by the waste. But that’s kind of our bag and there’s a long list of things that we waste money on.

        • ObliviousEnlightenment@lemmy.world
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          12 days ago

          America is a very unique case with these metrics, but its wortj noting most of our allies can also skimp on defense for the same reason. Whether thats worth it or not is a more political question

    • General_Effort@lemmy.world
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      13 days ago

      Huh. What a weird coincidence. Out of all the many communities in Canada, it just happens to be the indigenous ones that have to make do without clean water because of military spending. What are the odds?

  • ZombiFrancis@sh.itjust.works
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    13 days ago

    I live sandwiched between military bases of all branches. I’ve lived with the sounds of warplanes and target practice most of my entire life.

    These bases cut swathes through tribal lands, leaving whole areas uninhabitable due to live ordnance.

    I knew some kids from the reservations and I’ll never forget how casually they’d say with every blast they’re reminded that they’re occupied.

      • ZombiFrancis@sh.itjust.works
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        13 days ago

        I mean, their parents were involved in the Fish Wars, so the whole treaty rights thing was especially salient to them and their family.

        • DontMakeMoreBabies@lemm.ee
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          12 days ago

          Seems like their ancestors should have fought harder but they didn’t and lost.

          Hence the sad violin.

          Just because shit has existed before doesn’t mean it gets to exist in the future.

  • scarilog@lemmy.world
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    13 days ago

    It’s ironic, the pinnacle of human engineering in our war machines. But these technologies wouldn’t exist if they weren’t created for the war machines in the first place. Sad.

    • Techranger@infosec.pub
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      13 days ago

      There’s definitely an interdependancy there, but don’t discount the incredible complexity of some cool civilan tech: James Webb Space Telescope, Mars rovers, ISS, the old Space Shuttle. Even mundane things like ocean-based oil rigs are chock full of amazing engineering.

  • RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world
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    13 days ago

    I really like airplanes, especially the historic ones. The speed and sound is amazing. The engineering and skill in building and operating those aircraft is top-tier.

    However, the airshows often extoll the fear and damage the aircraft can do to their targets, especially the modern ones. Really not interested in the bodycount or terror these aircraft inspire, but plenty of people enjoy the flex.

  • reallykindasorta@slrpnk.net
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    13 days ago

    They’re having military practice nearby me today and my partner and I were just talking about how we both flinch when we hear military planes (small and fast) fly overhead even though neither of us has lived in a war zone.

  • SpaceCowboy@lemmy.ca
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    12 days ago

    Kurdish villagers… interesting choice. The people that Saddam Hussein dropped chemical weapons on. Those warplanes helped free them from Hussein’s oppression. That lasted until ISIS took over. Then those waprlanes helped the Kurds in fighting off ISIS.

    I think the comic is trying to make a point but completely failing at it because the writer doesn’t know anything about history… even recent history.

    • BMTea@lemmy.world
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      12 days ago

      Uh… the most recent history involves Turkey using US-sold jets to bomb Kurds in northern Syria.

      • SpaceCowboy@lemmy.ca
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        12 days ago

        Yeah Trump fucked them over, because he’s a dishonourable coward. Good thing he’ll never be President again, right?

      • BigPotato@lemmy.world
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        12 days ago

        Hey now.

        It’s just old fashioned artillery they drop on the volunteer civilian aid workers in Kurdish Syria.

        Maybe I’ll live to get to say Rojava one day instead.

  • EmperorHenry@discuss.tchncs.de
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    12 days ago

    The allied forces planes (all made by america by the way, the lancaster is a british knock-off of the B17) were killing the members of the Axis forces, like the ukrainians and the Italians and the Germans that became nazis

  • dwindling7373@feddit.it
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    13 days ago

    I hate modern air shows. It testifies to such a lach of attention to what exists in the world.