Sorry, but as an Iraq veteran myself I am getting tired of Veteran whining. Yes, we have significant issues and yes the VA and all the parties need to do a better job taking care of us. It took me 9 months alone to get my disability rating and VA benefits card - and many wait much longer - which is time that they aren't getting treatment.<p>The broader population only know about these issues through Jon Stewart or from recent press, but have no connection with it otherwise nor could they really care. Should they? I don't know, probably, but not necessarily.<p>Even within the military only those who are have been in the Army, or were deployed to a combat zone, really understand the significance of a CIB. So expecting anyone to recognize it, let alone start a conversation around it would be unexpected at the least - I know I wouldn't start a conversation around it. Putting it on display is hack and is looking for attention.<p>I don't think that the US population owes us anything, but many veterans don't agree. This is part of a broader conversation about how the US public sees and interacts with it's veterans and the military more broadly. At the end of the day though the Stolen Valor shaming, demanding veteran/military discounts just reeks of entitlement. Given that we have been an all-volunteer force over the past 40 years I don't think anyone can claim they didn't know what they were getting into, granting that there are shady practices with recruiting that go on.<p>In the end, I feel like stories like this just isolate veterans further. Rather than bring us more into the community as someone who has a unique experience and valuable point of view, it keeps the division between "civilian" and "military/veterans" alive and I think that is damaging on the whole.
Wow, what an amazing read. That guy is a great writer. It almost sounded like the narration of film noir.<p>Anyways, I had no idea that Uber drivers made so much money. $40-$50 an hour! That's incredible. I make the low end of that working as the tech lead of a ~15-person tech startup. I bet that car maintenance takes a big chunk out of his pay but still.<p>My first reaction to this piece was "what the fuck are you whining about? You make more than most people, and even more than me and my job is way harder than yours!"<p>Then again, I totally empathize with his alienation from his own job. It's hard, spending the precious hours of your short life on things other than what you're really passionate about. It sucks that our society rewards being a taxi driver more than creative things -- like this guy's amazing writing. I don't know what to do about that, and I feel his pain there.
When people call taxi they don't hope to see interesting human to talk with, they need a car to move them from point A to point B. This driver expects his clients to be wondered about him or his life, when they don't expect it and often don't want to spend their time to be somebody's psychotherapist.<p>It's sad he is so lonely, but taxi is not that place which should fix it - maybe dating sites.
Wow, that is a great read. It hits on a lot of points about our society these days.<p>Though I was surprised to read that very few people talk to him. I always chat up the taxi or uber or lyft drivers. You will meet the most fascinating of people.<p>The Nigerian Uber driver who also runs a West African Chamber of Commerce to facilitate trade and business among the local immigrant population. The motorhead Uber driver who explained to me how to drive a motorcycle from Atlantic City to Philadelphia in under 45 minutes. The Lyft driver who was in school getting a masters degree in physics. The taxi driver who is a fanatical Chelsea fan and almost comes to the bar with you on a Sunday morning to watch the games, but can't quite do it because the last time he did that they lost.
> Most of the time I'm completely invisible to the people I drive. Perhaps we're all conditioned not to speak to the hired help.<p>... or to strangers.
It's a good companion piece to the Fred Wilson blog post on the Gig Economy: if we took care of our veterans, if we treated poor people like we want to be treated, if we didn't make rules for the economy that let wealth grow at the expense of the poor: then Uber couldn't exist in their current business plan.<p>Saying "at least Uber lets people make some money" is an excuse for exploitation. It may be true, it may be better than nothing, but it's not actually a good solution.
You know what I think every time I see an article like this?<p>Did you <i>really</i> go to Iraq? Because the Iraq that I saw made me thankful as shit that I basically won the lottery of living in the developed world. Got some first world problems? Who cares. I have a CIB, too. But you know what I hate almost more than anything? People that shim their CIB into a conversation hoping to add more weight to their words.<p>Life is rough for the vast majority of people on the planet. Take your experiences in hand and be thankful you made it out of that shithole alive.
I find this mildly frightening, though hopefully that is just my imagination getting the best of me. A combat soldier who takes strangers around town all day, while thinking how much he identifies with the main character of Taxi Driver, a recluse vigilante who also kept a written diary of his thoughts before attempting to assassinate a politician.
Some background to this: the author, Colby Buzzell, is/was famous for his blog "My War" written while we was serving in Iraq. It was compelling reading to say the least, for example "Men in Black":<p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20041206093944/http://cbftw.blogspot.com/2004/08/men-in-black.html" rel="nofollow">https://web.archive.org/web/20041206093944/http://cbftw.blog...</a>
I'm glad that the author is working through his problems, or, at the very least, expressing them through some fantastic writing. He makes some very astute observations that I don't think many of us would have access to otherwise. He is also the vocal minority of vet Uber drivers. 99% of vet Uber drivers are simply shuttling people around with these sorts of thoughts stewing repeatedly in their brain; most likely with no creative outlet or release other than alcohol/drugs because the treatment options are far from adequate for PTSD-afflicted vets.<p>There's a shallow reason and a deep reason people like to read these stories about what it's like to be an Uber driver. The shallow reason is that these drivers usually have great stories about all of the strange, quirky people that come creeping out of the woodwork at night and put their real selves on display for the invisible taxi driver. The deep reason is that you like to see how bad these guys really have it, and then think to yourself "wow, I sure am glad that I don't have to do <i>that</i> for a living and work for that awful company that makes a lot of money employing/exploiting vets." A schadenfreude of sorts.<p>Anyways, I commend the author for sticking his neck out and writing about the problems he perceives. It has sparked a dialogue here, and seeded ideas in my mind, along with the many others that have read the article. You don't have to agree with his points, or even like the guy as a human being, but it's great that he's got us all thinking.
What a great piece that describes the new type existential despair seen in the modern world. How are we so isolated in spite of connectedness? The question of burning time, for money, for... what? How does one come to serve the haves who happened into success and wealth and prestige?<p>Still though, he makes more money than I do working as a computer engineer, which is a small consolation.<p>Anyway, outstanding read and I sincerely hope things improve for him and vets everywhere.
A nice piece of writing. Personally I hate feeling obliged to talk to bus drivers and taxi drivers but when a conversation happens it is often rewarding.<p>That said, whilst the tech industry is certainly booming, the average tech worker is not getting an uber to their house in Palo Alto. Even on $150k salaries they are living quite ordinary lives in small rented apartments in the city or maybe a townhouse an hour away on the commuter train.
What is this I dont even :/<p>>Stuck on my dashboard where everyone can see is my Combat Infantry Badge... destroy enemy with direct fire ..a conversation starter...no one notices<p>gee, maybe try some photos of a massacred village, or burned convoy full of children<p>>Our unit slogan had been "Punish the Deserving."<p>not psychotic at all<p>>my thoughts drift, inevitably, to the voiceovers from Taxi Driver that have been rattling around in my head for months<p>sign of pathetic VA hospitals psychiatric care. I hope someone will notice this article and take care of poor dude.<p>>You're either part of the "haves" who work in tech, talk about tech, cater to tech, or try to make a living off tech, or you're part of the have-nots, the people who aren't in tech and are being driven out of this town<p>Umm thats not how it works buddy. Haves and have-nots is about wealth. What you describe is education and skills. You are mixing cause and effect.<p>>Many who work in tech are living their lives as if it's the carefree Roaring 20s, while I'm more or less stuck in the Great Depression.<p>weird, its like people who decided to do something productive in life, instead of killing people on the other side of the planet, are actually doing something with their lives, instead of drinking until you fall under the bar while reminiscing 'countless "movement to contact" missions'.<p>>I'm the dark guy driving whitey<p>nice, thats just classy.<p>>A robot could do my fucking job<p>The way things are going robots will replace your previous job too.
>treating me like a machine while my thoughts drift<p>The simple truth is that for many people! they hire someone to do a job and would rather not talk while that job is done.
I totally sympathise with the man, and i believe that this is an extremely well written article. At the same time though i want to mention that plenty of times when i get on a taxi i'm super tired, maybe distressed and really in no mood to talk to anyone. Glaring outside of the window saying nothing is my favourite thing to do, but many people might prefer watching pictures on Instagram from their hometowns and smile. As someone else said "C'est la vie"
"Many who work in tech are living their lives as if it's the carefree Roaring 20s, while I'm more or less stuck in the Great Depression."<p>Of course, the roaring twenties were themselves times of relative inequality, and that name only describes the excitement, culture, and affluence of the urban rich of the era. The author seems to be describing the modern day euphoria over the power of the tech industry to make a new world as similarly one-sided.
Speaking with Lyft/Uber drivers myself, I hear there is a difference in culture between riders who choose between the two companies. Uber riders treat their drivers like taxis or "robots," while Lyft riders often converse with a fellow human being, who happens to be driving them around. It just sounds like this guy needs to switch companies.
Among the comments that address the passengers not engaging in small talk with the driver, I don't see one of the reasons I don't engage much with the driver: It's sometimes difficult and frustrating to have a conversation with someone who is facing away from you.
I'm looking forward to reading his most recent book: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Thank-You-Being-Expendable-Experiences-ebook/dp/B00WAT6Q5W" rel="nofollow">http://www.amazon.com/Thank-You-Being-Expendable-Experiences...</a>
A lot of this piece, which has some great bits of writing, is focused on the issues of the current generation of veterans. But a lot of the class and social mobility issues he describes are common to lots of people, not just veterans.
I have to talk to people all day long. When I take uber I get a few minutes of peace. My apologies to the uber driver that just really wants to share their life with me.
Summary: "I've defended big oil interests halfway across the world in a war started on a false pretext, please worship me". I get it, you're a veteran and you're proud of that, and maybe you even did everything as a worthy human being, but tone down on the ego.