Reply #19: taking bullets for people

[noamnety]

Having served, this is an issue I've given some thought to - a lot of people in the army really do have to consider if they would take a bullet for someone, even if it never comes down to that.

On another forum, there was a post by someone that has stuck with me firmly - this was from someone who wasn't raised in the US, who was raised in a country going through civil war. She said that what she notices about Americans is that they are always quick to defend people with privilege, that's who they identify with, and way less quick to show that same passion toward defending those who are oppressed. We don't identify with them in the same way. I think this is why so many working class people vote republican - they identify with the upper middle class/rich and kinda sorta view themselves that way (but for a few twists of fate), even though that's not who they have the most in common with.

We we are quick to daydream about scenarios where we "take a bullet" for our heroes - and so often "our heroes" are people in positions of power.

Two statements:
I would take a bullet for Obama.
I would take a bullet for a gay person who is a victim of a hate crime.

I think Americans/democrats in general are quicker to identify with the first sentence and are more likely to have even imagined that scene, to have thought about their loyalty in that way. But it's the second sentence that is far more likely to happen, and it's that second person who the real victim and is more in need of people standing up for them with that sort of passion.