Discussion: Is "Support Our Troops" a political message?

[MartinUtd]

When a sports team has merch with their logo's with "Support Our Troops" emblazoned on it, do you consider that a political message?

I'm not offended one way or the other on the topic but when I saw the following image on twitter it gave me pause and I reflected back on the hyper nationalism that seeped into all forms of media during the 2nd Bush presidency. Now, I know things work differently up here and there is not recruiting effort to feed bodies into an unjust war or anything like that; but it got me thinking: Does a statement as simple on the surface as "support our troops" have a deeper underlying meaning meant to evoke emotion? Is this marketers tapping into our deeper sense or tribalism? Or is it just a simple statement that's been misused in the past?

[Pint]

I don't consider it a political message, i do at times dislike the "donate your tickets" part as the majority of the time the club has a ton of unsold tickets they could also donate to them.

[eustacchio]

In before the lock.

[RealG-TFC]

Yea, but I'm one of those people that thinks any action is a political action (conscious or not).

Doesn't bother me though, I personally think by "support" it implies ensuring soldiers and their families get the proper care and support. I don't see it as dubious military propaganda.

It's also worth noting RPB refers to a Canadian military division no?

[eustacchio]

The idea is to support the people who are risking their lives even if you don't support the reason why they are risking their lives.

Hate the war, but not the soldier.

[Oldtimer]

In before the lock.

Thread locked. Too contentious and unrelated to our goals as a SG.