LeninsLinen

This extends to demonization of the troops

This is where you lost me. I only ever seen this get brought up when it comes to defending the "troops". Funny how it's always like this. If someone complained about Communists "demonising cops/ICE" they'd rightly get made fun of as a lib who is indifferent to the nature of these positions. But it's specifically a sticking point for you that Communists aren't saying "thank for your service" to a glorified contract killer.

Also no, American troops aren't responding to their material conditions. The vast majority come from fairly well-off backgrounds and enlist with the view that it's a chance to have an "adventure" or to "serve their country" (a country founded on slavery and colonialism). If I had to guess, the truth that you're indifferent to what the soldiers did abroad because it didn't happen to you is a fact that is deeply uncomfortable to you.

I'd say it would be quite difficult to foment anti-war sentiment in the same way as the Vietnam War era. The West capitalised on 9/11 and was able to very effectively sell the Iraq War (and subsequent wars) to the public because of this. I don't think there was anything quite like that even in red scare terms for Vietnam.

Plus, another crucial difference is that Vietnam War-era America had conscription with roughly one-third of America's military personnel being conscripts who were drafted, it's generally a lot easier to get people to be against something when it obviously infringes on an individual's ability to choose to not participate without consequence. Nowadays though, it's an all-volunteer force that is very unlikely to be receptive to the same messaging.

I personally don't believe that conceding on basic principles to gain ground with people who are fundamentally opposed to anti-imperialism will have a positive effect. At that point, you're essentially just preaching labour zionism.

I'd say it's uncontroversial and true. The armed forces of the US largely exists to maintain America's imperial dominance abroad, there is nothing valorous about going to the global south to murder the world's poorest for your own personal gain. Vets themselves have often admitted to signing up of their own volition to either have an "adventure" or to make money in some way murdering foreigners. Mike Prysner attempted to shift responsibility by laying blame on Bush, but the reality of it is that he and his friends ended up there of their own volition. Nobody sent them but themselves, there was no draft nor conscription. Plus, even if there was conscription, conscientious objectors are a thing. If people in apartheid South Africa and America during the Vietnam War could do it, there is zero reason for why it wouldn't be viable now.

Here's something that'll come off as "moralistic" and "unscientific" to the stormtrooper apologists here, but it is not in fact okay to murder foreigners in a totally unjust imperialist "operation" and you should expect no sympathy when you're injured or killed by the very people you enthusiastically signed up to murder. The only way you could disagree with this is if you view non-white/non-American lives as less valuable.

Just watch all the anti-Parenti smear campaigns that are going to startup again and how the most uninformed people will take every word as infallible gospel.

No idea who this is, but I'd say most people have a mostly incoherent worldview. Your average reactionary or lib probably doesn't think about politics on anywhere close to the level of MLs or even the average hexbear user.

If you have a problem with this but not people making the same arguments to defend the IDF or US armed forces, it can only be because you don't see non-American lives as equal in value.

Not that BE is good of course, he's a radlib who happens to uphold the correct political line occasionally.

Unsurprising to say the least. Frankly, I kinda doubt most engagement on that site is organic but I'm also willing to believe that the majority American userbase of reddit is lib enough to just uncritically accept this as gospel without further investigation.