A staple of army surplus stores since the days Banana Republic was the Starbucks of olive drab, the Israeli Paratrooper Bag was marketed as the Swiss Army Knife of handbags. Beside the ludicrous notion that an airborne assault fighter would shoulder a single-strapped man-purse, the red logo of a winged parachute raises another incongruity. For what pretext does a nation’s defensive force have “paratroopers?” I know the US/UK imperial powers label their entire military as being for defense, but they’ve got client states to dominate. Every nation’s special forces are now synonymous with SWAT, basically unconstitutional deployment of paramilitary forces against their own populations. Even if we grant governments this tool of repression, they don’t use parachutes. Paratroopers are the advance team for an invading army, dropped behind enemy lines to demolish another’s defenses against the main assault. And that’s why Israel is so unsuccessful in defending itself, it’s attacking.
Not My Tribe
The Myth of Middle Ground
There is an advantage, once you’re no longer dropping through the air fast enough that it would be like gale-force winds, to having a pack up front, or at the hip of your dominant side, like if you’re right-handed on your right hip where you can dip your hand in and take out what you need… especially if you’re “Hunting wabbits” and need to be “vewwy vewwy quiet”.and taking off a backpack and rummaging through it is suddenly a fatal move…
For women a purse arrangement like that is sure, a fashion accessory but also extremely practical. If they’re shepherding a small herd of kids, some in diapers, they even use an extra purse for just that purpose.
unless the paratrooper bag is extremely cheap, there’s not much advantage and, as you said, a real drawback to having something that advertises for somebody’s armed FORCES.
The last word emphasized because it’s the most relevant. they force people to do what they’re told. We used to do shit like that in the 70s, wear cammie jammies with the rank stripes turned upside down, peace signs and dove-patches sewn on… That makes a GOOD statement.
Some but not all of the WingNuts get really upset about it and some even perennially try to ban such use of what they feel is their Trademerked, Copyrighted Symbols of their so-called Authority… the “authority” to FORCE people to do what we’re told. And very hypocritically say that they’re giving the people the “freedom” to obey THEM and, again, do what we’re told.
Look, GI Joes, I know y’all read this occasionally because you often try to frighten us into compliance with your doctrines…
That’s not “freedom” and not “authority”.
It’s a simple and direct form of Fascism.
And as I’ve pointed out, when I walked out the front gate of Sheppard AFB with my Honorable Discharge papers in my suatcase, that was the LAST instant you had any “authority” over me and I have been outside your command prerogative ever since.
You ain’t the boss of me.