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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

#71

Post by hellofunk »

surge wrote: post #48
hellofunk wrote: post #19

I find this mildly frightening, though hopefully that is just my imagination getting the best of me. A combat soldier who takes strangers around town all day, while thinking how much he identifies with the main character of Taxi Driver, a recluse vigilante who also kept a written diary of his thoughts before attempting to assassinate a politician.

He identifies with the character, but the movie is an exaggeration or taking the mindset to an extreme. Many people identify with the main character from Fight Club, and quote it often, but none of us are developing split personality disorders or fighting with ourselves in a bar parking lot or starting an underground fighting club. What should frighten you is that being an Uber driver is the best employment option fo…

Actually, what frightens me even more is that anyone in the world should ever be a veteran of a war.

Re: Driving for Uber as an Iraq War Vet

#74

Post by AndrewKemendo »

Sorry, but as an Iraq veteran myself I am getting tired of Veteran whining. Yes, we have significant issues and yes the VA and all the parties need to do a better job taking care of us. It took me 9 months alone to get my disability rating and VA benefits card - and many wait much longer - which is time that they aren't getting treatment.

The broader population only know about these issues through Jon Stewart or from recent press, but have no connection with it otherwise nor could they really care. Should they? I don't know, probably, but not necessarily.

Even within the military only those who are have been in the Army, or were deployed to a combat zone, really understand the significance of a CIB. So expecting anyone to recognize it, let alone start a conversation around it would be unexpected at the least - I know I wouldn't start a conversation around it. Putting it on display is hack and is looking for attention.

I don't think that the US population owes us anything, but many veterans don't agree. This is part of a broader conversation about how the US public sees and interacts with it's veterans and the military more broadly. At the end of the day though the Stolen Valor shaming, demanding veteran/military discounts just reeks of entitlement. Given that we have been an all-volunteer force over the past 40 years I don't think anyone can claim they didn't know what they were getting into, granting that there are shady practices with recruiting that go on.

In the end, I feel like stories like this just isolate veterans further. Rather than bring us more into the community as someone who has a unique experience and valuable point of view, it keeps the division between "civilian" and "military/veterans" alive and I think that is damaging on the whole.

Re: Driving for Uber as an Iraq War Vet

#75

Post by cgriswald »

PuffinBlue wrote: post #33
vacri wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> he not expecting something from his passengers That the author is passing judgement on the non-talkers shows that he is expecting something from them. Like when he talks of his Combat Infantry Badge, and the only two options available are 'not notice' or 'notice and not care'. Plenty of people would notice and care a lot , but not want to get into a discussion that they think would lead to an argument. He's basical…

>That the author is passing judgement on the non-talkers shows that he is expecting something from them. In fact you are judging the writer through the window of your own experience. You see judgement, but he didn't actually judge anyone. What the writer did was comment on behaviour, about how people didn't notice the thing that was of pivotal importance in his life but instead the black and white version of the Uber…

You claim he isn't passing judgment by pointing out he is commenting on behavior; but then you follow that up with his interpretation of that behavior, which is a judgment.

I also think he happens to have made the wrong judgment. People talk about the Uber badge not because it is familiar or important to them, but because it is a conversation starter that is safe. A conversation about a medal earned during war time is not a "safe" conversation. It can lead to a lot of uncomfortable places.

Re: Driving for Uber as an Iraq War Vet

#76

Post by hluska »

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…

On Killing by Dave Grossman is a little outdated, but still an excellent read about how the military conditions soldiers to become killers. I'd strongly recommend it.

Re: Driving for Uber as an Iraq War Vet

#77

Post by methodover »

hackuser wrote: post #55
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.

The article said...

> According to my weekly reports from Uber emails, I average anywhere from $40 to $50 an hour doing this shit—by my count, it's less.

You know, when I read that I thought he meant "it's less" in the sense of "It's not worth that much to me" rather than literally, "Uber's average wage statistics are incorrect." But I'm probably totally wrong.

If I'm wrong, it's weird that Uber's calculations are wrong there. I wonder if they're like, not calculating time spent waiting for a fare?

Re: Driving for Uber as an Iraq War Vet

#78

Post by eropple »

nicboobees wrote: post #20
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.

God forbid we should actually interact with our fellow humans. I guess the next step down this path is to replace waiters etc with robots - again reducing the amount you have to interact with other humans. When I get in a taxi, I actually enjoy talking to the driver, asking about the local area, the news, and making both our days a tiny bit more interesting. As the world population increases, and cities grow and grow…

I find that it depends quite heavily on the city in question. I live in Boston, where a lot of folks do generally keep to themselves, and it does suck sometimes (if I could get a good gig in a city that wasn't worse--hello, New York, hello, San Francisco--I would), but there are plenty of cities that emphatically don't feel this way. Portland, Oregon comes to mind. Both Dublin and Galway, in Ireland, too.

Re: Driving for Uber as an Iraq War Vet

#79

Post by tosseraccount »

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…

society rewards being a taxi driver more than creative things

The best creative people make a lot more than the best tax drivers.

"Society" does reward them.

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