this post was submitted on 17 Jun 2024
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Today I Learned

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From Wikipedia: In 1958, while he was an airman first class, his commanding officer recommended him for an early honorable discharge. "In summary, this airman, although talented, will not be guided by policy," chief of information services Colonel William S. Evans wrote to the Eglin personnel office. "Sometimes his rebel and superior attitude seems to rub off on other airmen staff members."

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[–] [email protected] 51 points 1 year ago (1 children)

His books of letters from that time are well worth reading if you're interested in that time in his life, very interesting.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I will have to find them, thanks.

[–] [email protected] 26 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

The book is called The Proud Highway: Saga of a Desperate Southern Gentleman, I should have mentioned that before!

And it's followed by Fear and Loathing in America: The Brutal Odyssey of an Outlaw Journalist

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Please share where you found them, if you do.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

https://annas-archive.org/search?index=&page=1&q=The+proud+highway&sort=

Use slow option #3 (the first 2 normally work but wait list is long atm)

[–] [email protected] 50 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

Looks a lot like someone else who got discharged from Army

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I'm rewatching this now. Still getting plenty of laughs out of me

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago

There's dozens of us! Dozens! (just started a series rewatch too lmao)

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I’ve gotta hand it to you, that’s a good comparison

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

I thought that's who was in the picture before I read the caption.

[–] [email protected] 31 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Thompson was known for his lifelong use of alcohol and illegal drugs, his love of firearms, and his iconoclastic contempt for authority. He often remarked: "I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they've always worked for me."[3] Thompson died by suicide at the age of 67, following a series of health problems. Hari Kunzru wrote, "The true voice of Thompson is revealed to be that of American moralist ... one who often makes himself ugly to expose the ugliness he sees around him."[4]

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

I always thought he killed himself when Bush got reelected

[–] [email protected] 26 points 1 year ago

Not guided by policy is a very nice thing to say about the man.

[–] [email protected] 26 points 1 year ago (2 children)

"superior attitude" is an obnoxious way to describe someone rebelling against shitty rules because they have standards. "you're not special" etc is the usual bullshit I get -- and of course I am not -- what I think we rightfully think is that nobody should be beholden to shitty practices and standards.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago

Eh, if I've learned anything living in a shitty little town; you are special. A deeply distressing number of people have no morality, standards, or thoughts of their own.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Being an anti-authoritarian is narcissistic. That's why I developed the theory of anarcho-narcissism.

https://medium.com/@viridiangrail/anarcho-narcissism-b647c8062173

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

If you want to call it a theory then I suggest working to have it peer reviewed. Otherwise, just call it a hypothesis. I see issues with it, personally, but I'm just one person and am not an expert. I'm finishing my undergrad in psych, but the rest of my comment is based purely on recreational study following experts in personality disorders and extensive therapy myself.

Main thing I'd note is that most people will show some level of narcissistic traits, but meeting the full criteria to label anyone anti authoritarian as narcissistic goes against the point you make in the first few paragraphs that we shouldn't be so quick to throw the term around. Feeling entitled to better pay on it's own can be justified, especially if it's in tandem with wanting fellow workers to receive that same benefit. Quite empathetic, actually. Turning off empathy in specific settings also suggests it's not a pervasive trait, which is an important piece of the DSM that was not mentioned.

I definitely see the argument that some anarchists will meet the criteria. And I agree with a good, maybe even majority of the points, like reducing stigma. Plus, it's expensive to get through an offical peer review process, and you're right that many folks with NPD could never afford that. But I think it would help to at least include some expert opinions and case study examples to support what seems to be mostly anecdotal testimony. Or if you have been diagnosed yourself, build on that as a primary case study example (cuz you do call yourself one, but it's not clear if you went through an assessment for it).

Super interesting idea, though - I'm gonna save it to reread and mull it over some more. Props on getting it published, for sure!

Ninja edit: Holy shit this turned into a much longer comment than I intended, sorry!

[–] [email protected] 23 points 1 year ago

That dude was a G. His whole fucking life.

[–] [email protected] 22 points 1 year ago (1 children)

As a dude that served, fuck yes

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago

As a dude that’s been served, fuck yes.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago

Sounds like Jack O'Neill. With 2 Ls 👌.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (2 children)

How is that not dishonorable?

[–] [email protected] 29 points 1 year ago

It's army speak for "spc4 was smarter than most first Lt."

[–] [email protected] 21 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Honorable and dishonorable are official designations for the US military, and a dishonorable discharge is tantamount to a criminal conviction for many professional purposes and veterans benefits.

My brother was a huge fuckup in the Marines, but they waited until he sprained his knee and then gave him a medical discharge, which doesn’t carry the same stigma as a dishonorable.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago

The commander must have liked HST at least a little bit to have gone through the trouble of an administrative discharge, but not even downgrade from "honorable" to "general".

Usually if somebody is a minor pain, everybody just waits it out until their contract ends and denies them the ability to sign a new one. If they are pain enough to discharge early through a pure admin discharge (as opposed to medical), there is usually enough hard feeling for a downgrade.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Dunno, dishonoring the US military seems like a badge of honor

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Honestly, you gotta be a real piece of shit to get a DD normally, think rape or murder... Well, enough rape and murder they don't cover it up.

That or smoke some weed.

Either way, "less than honorable" is the 'easiest' way to get rid of a complete fuck up.

The real monsters have an honorable though.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Drug use on its own usually doesn't result in a court martial, which means it normally isn't a DD.

Drug use would be a less severe separation like an OTH or general discharge.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

So either you're a bad, bad person or a totally normal person who did nothing wrong. Sounds like a useless label, then. Like a felony.