The heated tensions between the United States and North Korea have already pushed plenty of people into extreme territory in terms of a possible war. While some are keeping cooler heads, others are ready to bring back the draft, teach people how to survive a nuclear attack, calling on God to support the president, and piling on for a possible conflict. If you’re willing to stand up against the idea of a war where millions die, opting for diplomacy instead, you’re weak. It’s basically the political version of Christopher’s intervention from The Sopranos.
Many have joined the growing storm for war over the past few days, even taking aim at the Anne Frank Center for posting anti-war messages, but Tomi Lahren’s addition to the discussion might be the leader for worst at the moment. She takes it in a different direction by adding millennials to the mix after she watched someone apparently have trouble placing a heavy bag into the overhead compartment on a flight:
As I watch millennial men struggle to lift their bags into the overhead bin I am reminded how f'd we are if there's a draft.
— Tomi Lahren (@TomiLahren) August 9, 2017
While the idea of a draft is far away from reality at the moment, the idea that millennials are somehow weaker than their predecessors — especially since Lahren is a millennial herself — didn’t sit well with many people. Obviously any stance from Lahren is going to inspire some heated responses, but this one invited criticism from veterans and civilians alike:
https://twitter.com/andylassner/status/895469184070565889
Because of all the “put your huge carry-on bags in the overhead bin” military tests? https://t.co/5vVSsCChSs
— Salvador Hernandez (@SalHernandez) August 9, 2017
https://twitter.com/rjsmith169/status/895424300139687936
Because all men in the 1940s were Hulk Hogan. **sigh** https://t.co/ouI3bdjTvI
— Joseph Karam (@Joseph_Karam) August 10, 2017
1M+ young people served honorably in Afghanistan & Iraq. Thousands killed. Many more wounded. What in God's name are you talking about? 👎🏼
— Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) August 9, 2017
Also, as John Haltiwanger points out, 2/3 of active military are under the age of 30:
https://twitter.com/jchaltiwanger/status/895442824145063936
https://twitter.com/jchaltiwanger/status/895444104938758144
And on top of that, Brandon Friedman points out that six millennials have been awarded the Medal of Honor for their actions in Iraq and Afghanistan. Worse yet, we currently have soldiers fighting and dying in wars that started when they were only 10 years old. A group of people boiled down to a tired idea and comparison to a group of people who may have faced the same criticism in their day.
Six millennial men have been awarded the Medal of Honor for actions in Iraq and Afghanistan, four posthumously https://t.co/OJbBTN3DmJ
— Brandon Friedman (@BFriedmanDC) August 10, 2017
It also brings up Lahren’s recent comments about Trump’s proposed transgender ban and its effect on troop levels in the military.
If you're worried about there not being enough competent people in the army, maybe it's not a great time to ban experienced trans people https://t.co/9lpSiPyMno
— Jennifer Wright (@JenAshleyWright) August 10, 2017
None of it makes Lahren look good, which is an especially frustrating way to celebrate her 25th birthday. So to respond to the criticism, Lahren resorts to a classic method of deflection and calls the entire thing a joke:
First of all, take a joke. Second, you're right and those who have joined the military voluntarily would not be drafted. Eric meet my point. https://t.co/to7Rdr4QOB
— Tomi Lahren (@TomiLahren) August 10, 2017
She then moved on to other topics like retweeting why Liberals should support Trump’s border wall and Hillary Clinton’s emails for some reason. That’s likely more palatable than pushing for war with North Korea, but not by much.