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Driving for Uber as an Iraq War Vet

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Re: Driving for Uber as an Iraq War Vet

#51

Post by rasz_pl »

What is this I dont even :/

>Stuck on my dashboard where everyone can see is my Combat Infantry Badge... destroy enemy with direct fire ..a conversation starter...no one notices

gee, maybe try some photos of a massacred village, or burned convoy full of children

>Our unit slogan had been "Punish the Deserving."

not psychotic at all

>my thoughts drift, inevitably, to the voiceovers from Taxi Driver that have been rattling around in my head for months

sign of pathetic VA hospitals psychiatric care. I hope someone will notice this article and take care of poor dude.

>You're either part of the "haves" who work in tech, talk about tech, cater to tech, or try to make a living off tech, or you're part of the have-nots, the people who aren't in tech and are being driven out of this town

Umm thats not how it works buddy. Haves and have-nots is about wealth. What you describe is education and skills. You are mixing cause and effect.

>Many who work in tech are living their lives as if it's the carefree Roaring 20s, while I'm more or less stuck in the Great Depression.

weird, its like people who decided to do something productive in life, instead of killing people on the other side of the planet, are actually doing something with their lives, instead of drinking until you fall under the bar while reminiscing 'countless "movement to contact" missions'.

>I'm the dark guy driving whitey

nice, thats just classy.

>A robot could do my fucking job

The way things are going robots will replace your previous job too.

Re: Driving for Uber as an Iraq War Vet

#52

Post by nmeofthestate »

aaronem wrote: post #24
pkkim wrote: post #6

"Many who work in tech are living their lives as if it's the carefree Roaring 20s, while I'm more or less stuck in the Great Depression." Of course, the roaring twenties were themselves times of relative inequality, and that name only describes the excitement, culture, and affluence of the urban rich of the era. The author seems to be describing the modern day euphoria over the power of the tech industry to make a ne…

Isn't it? No one in Silicon Valley gives a damn about anyone outside it, or indeed outside their own social and professional circles. There's nothing intrinsically unusual about this, of course, but it lends a certain sardonic amusement to an outsider's perspective on the "changing the world" rhetoric which SV has taken beyond mere cliché to what may be a new and previously unimagined realm of banality.

>No one in Silicon Valley gives a damn about anyone outside it

Seems unlikely.

Re: Driving for Uber as an Iraq War Vet

#53

Post by s_kilk »

PuffinBlue wrote: post #11
EugeneOZ wrote: post #4

When people call taxi they don't hope to see interesting human to talk with, they need a car to move them from point A to point B. This driver expects his clients to be wondered about him or his life, when they don't expect it and often don't want to spend their time to be somebody's psychotherapist. It's sad he is so lonely, but taxi is not that place which should fix it - maybe dating sites.

I think you've mis-read the tone, or just plain don't understand/have experience of the military mindset. This isn't a pity piece, he not expecting something from his passengers or expecting them to wonder about him. In fact, I'd say that's the whole point of the piece - how he knows he an outsider, a nobody in a world of somebodies, a dispassionate observer, one who recognises his own lack of humanity to his charges…

>> ...don't understand/have experience of the military mindset.

I think this describes where I am now. I just don't fully understand where they're coming from, because I have little experience of it. And so sometimes ex-military personnel can seem to me to be un-necessarily confrontational/combatitive in their approach to life and people.

Can you (or anyone else reading this) recommend some good reading material to help understand the position of current-generation military veterans?

Re: Driving for Uber as an Iraq War Vet

#54

Post by toolsadmin »

Summary: "I've defended big oil interests halfway across the world in a war started on a false pretext, please worship me". I get it, you're a veteran and you're proud of that, and maybe you even did everything as a worthy human being, but tone down on the ego.

Re: Driving for Uber as an Iraq War Vet

#55

Post by hackuser »

methodover wrote: post #2

Wow, what an amazing read. That guy is a great writer. It almost sounded like the narration of film noir. Anyways, I had no idea that Uber drivers made so much money. $40-$50 an hour! That's incredible. I make the low end of that working as the tech lead of a ~15-person tech startup. I bet that car maintenance takes a big chunk out of his pay but still. My first reaction to this piece was "what the fuck are you whini…

> I had no idea that Uber drivers made so much money. $40-$50 an hour

He said he didn't make that much.

Re: Driving for Uber as an Iraq War Vet

#56

Post by toolz »

rasz_pl wrote: post #51

What is this I dont even :/ >Stuck on my dashboard where everyone can see is my Combat Infantry Badge... destroy enemy with direct fire ..a conversation starter...no one notices gee, maybe try some photos of a massacred village, or burned convoy full of children >Our unit slogan had been "Punish the Deserving." not psychotic at all >my thoughts drift, inevitably, to the voiceovers from Taxi Driver that have been ratt…

This is how I imagine most people who lead with, "I'm a veteran", think.

It boggles my mind that someone feels deserving of respect because they found themselves in a low income situation and joined the military because of it.

Relative to other low income, low skill, employment opportunities, joining the military is rather safe. Compare it to entry level construction workers for instance.

So I'm supposed to pay tax dollars for your salary and then give up my seat on a plane because you're working just like the rest of us?

By the way, thanks to everyone who is a contributing member of society. That goes for roofers, factory workers and military members alike, but please don't ask for special treatment from me, because I'm not likely to give it to you.

Re: Driving for Uber as an Iraq War Vet

#57

Post by onedev »

aaronem wrote: post #24
pkkim wrote: post #6

"Many who work in tech are living their lives as if it's the carefree Roaring 20s, while I'm more or less stuck in the Great Depression." Of course, the roaring twenties were themselves times of relative inequality, and that name only describes the excitement, culture, and affluence of the urban rich of the era. The author seems to be describing the modern day euphoria over the power of the tech industry to make a ne…

Isn't it? No one in Silicon Valley gives a damn about anyone outside it, or indeed outside their own social and professional circles. There's nothing intrinsically unusual about this, of course, but it lends a certain sardonic amusement to an outsider's perspective on the "changing the world" rhetoric which SV has taken beyond mere cliché to what may be a new and previously unimagined realm of banality.

I certainly care about people outside of SV. I'm in SV.

Re: Driving for Uber as an Iraq War Vet

#58

Post by roymurdock »

rasz_pl wrote: post #51

What is this I dont even :/ >Stuck on my dashboard where everyone can see is my Combat Infantry Badge... destroy enemy with direct fire ..a conversation starter...no one notices gee, maybe try some photos of a massacred village, or burned convoy full of children >Our unit slogan had been "Punish the Deserving." not psychotic at all >my thoughts drift, inevitably, to the voiceovers from Taxi Driver that have been ratt…

A small portion of the country has to make the ultimate sacrifice (health & mental stability) in order to keep people like you safe, happy, stable, and employed.

Any number of events could have led you down the same path. What if your parents had died while you were young? What if you were born poor & the military was your ticket to decent pay and an education? You're lucky that you get to live the life that you do.

You should show some respect and practice a little empathy rather than picking on a lonely, disenchanted, divorced, PTSD-afflicted vet who was ordered by your government to kill your enemies.

Re: Driving for Uber as an Iraq War Vet

#59

Post by protomyth »

illumen wrote: post #18
test1235 wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are therapists expensive?

Hopefully they are covered by the medical system.

from the VA? nope, you get more drugs than is wise after you wait over a year for the paperwork.

At this point, closing all the VA centers and paying for the same medical insurance that Congress gets for our veterans would be cheaper and better.

A lot of the problems is the US's approach (or lack thereof) to Mental Health issues. We attack symbols instead of dealing with the actual problem that we have some folks with broken brains. Some of those folks are veterans and the US needs to deal with the breakage. The current system is a disaster. Lord help our Native American Veterans who not only get to deal with the VA but also IHS.

Re: Driving for Uber as an Iraq War Vet

#60

Post by toolz »

s_kilk wrote: post #53
PuffinBlue wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you've mis-read the tone, or just plain don't understand/have experience of the military mindset. This isn't a pity piece, he not expecting something from his passengers or expecting them to wonder about him. In fact, I'd say that's the whole point of the piece - how he knows he an outsider, a nobody in a world of somebodies, a dispassionate observer, one who recognises his own lack of humanity to his charges…

>> ...don't understand/have experience of the military mindset. I think this describes where I am now. I just don't fully understand where they're coming from, because I have little experience of it. And so sometimes ex-military personnel can seem to me to be un-necessarily confrontational/combatitive in their approach to life and people. Can you (or anyone else reading this) recommend some good reading material to h…

I'm relatively confident I can, even as an outsider, give you some insight on their situation. All my closest friends were in the military in different branches even and they all shared a pretty similar story.

They spend years of their life excluded to mostly just people in their team. They chant words of brotherhood and tell tales of hardships and emotional struggle. They daily reaffirm to each other that their only hope for life is to rely on their brothers inside of this team they are on. They are given uniforms, they are given mottos and they are regularly put through emotionally and physically demanding situations. This is just the training phase.

The sign-up for such a job is promised acts heroism and tales for the grandkids, but then after all that hard training and attitude altering for this promised adventure, you end up sitting on your ass and doing mundane crap in another country. In an attempt to keep your dreams relevant you start making up hardships and talking about your brothers who died in combat (usually people they've barely even met) and then you come home and find out people don't think you're quite the hero you we're promised you would be.

You come home and find employers pissed they had to make special accommodations for you and you come home expecting people to pat you on the back. You come home with promises of bonuses you never got because the military lied to you and the VA doesn't give a shit about you.

You joined up as a bright eyed young man looking for adventure and spent so much time being fed that bullshit that when you come back home it's hard to cope with the fact so many people lied to you.

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