The point he is making is that there is not a big difference between working for a company that contracts with the government or using said companies product. And I would agree.
I’m saying there’s nothing wrong with the civilian side of a firm like Boeing and there’s nothing wrong with using their civilians planes. But that doesn’t mean you need to support all of Boeing activities, including ‘defense’.
Spideynw, I partially agree. Still I don’t think that people working in the civilian and mostly voluntary private sector are in the same moral position as people working for the military and their ‘private’ contractors.
You cannot be an Engineer and say NO. The government is a huge huge buyer. Maybe half of the US market is directed to military applications, domestic and abroad. There is literally nothing you can do that won’t find its way into a military product. This includes so called civilian products.
Military technology is not what it use to be. There is a lot of civilian off the shelf technology in very sophisticated military systems. You cannot escape it! Just like you cannot reach work without driving on a government road!
Well, since I don’t consider the money to be “stolen,” and I don’t consider all combatants to be necessarily “innocent,” then I guess I’ll just have to maintain my belief that the issue is not all black and white as you seem to believe.
Okay. So AMD and Intel are no different than lockheed martin - hey! even McDonald’s probably work for the military …
I think some military bases have McDonald’s in them. 
But you had a black and white answer.
Do all combatants have to be innocent to make war unjust?
And why wouldn’t the money be stolen? Do you believe people would pay taxes if no one threatened them with jail if they did not? Certainly taxes are not voluntary.
You may call this black and white, but they are honest questions that deserve an honest answer. Rothbard certainly would not have supported war or taxes.
I already do. I work for an avionics company that has lots of government contracts, though the bulk of our business is private business jets and such.
I suppose this still makes me a war mongering child murdering statist to some here though.
You are the same guy who enjoy war movies IIRC ?
I worked on this here laser plane…
Very, very wrong.
You should understand that, any commercial exchange benefits both parties involved. Therefore, working for a business not only enriches you, but it also enriches the business, making it stronger and more capable than it would be otherwise. By working for the military-industrial complex, you contribute your time, and your brainpower, to make it more powerful. You are contributing to the problem.
Not only that, but you put yourself on the wrong side of history. Working as an employee for the Dark Side, you prosper when it prospers, and you suffer when it suffers. When World War Four erupts, you will see a windfall, but when the Global Anarchist Revolution puts an end to war, you will be thrown on the street. Naturally, it will not take long before your beliefs and principles change to match those of your benefactors.
If our ancestors believed that, we would still have chattel slavery and the Inquisition and we would not have civil liberties, free enterprise, or representative government. Progress has been made, and it will continue as long as we strive for it.
And just how did we get rid of slavery? Oh yeah, it was through war. And how did we get representative government? Oh yeah, it was through war. And how did we get our civil liberties? Oh yeah, it was through war. Could you please explain how those examples are supposed to help your argument?
Yes, and surely you can see how enjoying war movies is not the same thing as enjoying or supporting war.
No, no, of course not. One may enjoy seeing collectivism and destruction of life and property in film while at the same time thinking that maybe it is wrong…
But does it matter anyway ? Isn’t it completely clear that ‘morality’ is a wholly subjective phenomenon ?
For some reason I had a feeling that the distinction between enjoying fictional stories portraying war and the actual occurance of war wouldn’t reach you way up there on your high horse…
I also enjoy the Godfather and other organized crime movies. Does that mean I don’t think that organized crime is in fact good and not at all wrong? Well it must because otherwise I wouldn’t enjoy watching those fictional movies!
Well, I’m just wondering … The godfather was a bloody boring movie …
… But war movies … dunno. Art for me is about portraying the beautiful and the true … So I wonder … What sort of artistic value does the depiction of mass murder have ? Or do you watch anti-war movies ? I don’t think you do… but I may be wrong.
You also said something about war being ‘good’ for making people feel closer ? A sense of ‘community’ ? Or am I making that up ?
I disagree. I thought it was an excellent story and the acting was amazing.
It provides a certain context for a particular story to develop.
Also art does not have to only portray the beautiful, it just has to appeal to the senses or emotions. Correct me if I am wrong, but I always thought sadness, suffering, etc were all part of the spectrum of human emotions. In fact, portraying these things is portraying the true, and conflict, suffering, struggle, and sadness, are all a part of reality and will continue to be regardless of what social system is in place. If you don’t like this fact and can’t deal with that, then by all means feel free to stick to your art about rainbows and flowers and utopian happy endings.
And fwiw I do enjoy anti-war movies, but this probably isn’t going to stop you from continuing to assume to know what I like, is it?
No, I said that there are more to war movies than just the war itself. There are stories that take place in the context of the war that often involve sacrifice, brotherhood, etc. You realize that war movies aren’t just old footage of real war, right?
Ah yes ! That was it. Brotherhood.
Yes and?
Or do you not really have any point?