> I'm sorry, but these defence companies are the reason that you can enjoy a liberal democracy that protects your LGBQT+ rights.
Are they really, though? Did Lockheed-Martin sponsor the Stonewall rioters? Did any arms company threaten to cancel supply contracts if the US didn't introduce nationwide gay marriage? Did they withdraw support from anti-trans legislators? How come countries without a huge military-industrial complex also have LGBTQ+ rights - often even stronger ones than the US?
And what about people living in other countries? The US has supported quite a lot of tyrannical regimes - often by aiding overthrowing democratic governments. Those arms companies are directly aiding authoritarian governments in oppressing their citizens. Do those people not deserve the same freedoms you enjoy?
Your comment might make some sense if defense companies were actually used for defense. You know, like Japan's Self-Defense Force, which is constitutionally forbidden from using threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes. But that's not the world we live in. The US military is primarily used to start wars and oppress people, and the very recent developments in Ukraine do not change several decades of history.
> How come countries without a huge military-industrial complex also have LGBTQ+ rights - often even stronger ones than the US?
I'm guessing these countries already have existing ties to the 'west' and would be militarily protected by them. How many countries have both strong LGBTQ+ rights and also categorically wouldn't be militarily aided by the US/the west in case of war?
There are many small progressive countries without a strong MIC, but rely on others for protection and use their existing MIC. For example most NATO countries.
Are they really, though? Did Lockheed-Martin sponsor the Stonewall rioters? Did any arms company threaten to cancel supply contracts if the US didn't introduce nationwide gay marriage? Did they withdraw support from anti-trans legislators? How come countries without a huge military-industrial complex also have LGBTQ+ rights - often even stronger ones than the US?
And what about people living in other countries? The US has supported quite a lot of tyrannical regimes - often by aiding overthrowing democratic governments. Those arms companies are directly aiding authoritarian governments in oppressing their citizens. Do those people not deserve the same freedoms you enjoy?
Your comment might make some sense if defense companies were actually used for defense. You know, like Japan's Self-Defense Force, which is constitutionally forbidden from using threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes. But that's not the world we live in. The US military is primarily used to start wars and oppress people, and the very recent developments in Ukraine do not change several decades of history.