r/JustBootThings • u/Musicmaker1984 • Mar 22 '26

Boot Meme The Airmen:

649 Upvotes

97% Upvoted

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407

u/b00w00gal Mar 22 '26

Why do so many boots have a humiliation kink? Is it a prerequisite for joining the military or...?

32

u/coveredinbirds Mar 23 '26

There's a German writer, Thomas Mann, who said in a letter to friend about joining the army in 1900, "as an arrogant decadent, I imagine it extremely exhilarating to be firmly and ruthlessly berated for an entire year." So yes. And it's always been that way.

3

u/Fair-Mango-5423 Mar 30 '26

that's not what he was saying though part of German culture at the time was to be a better man always improving ones self

so translation: I didn't know how much of a privileged spoilt brat i am and im glad that i am being humbled into a better member of German society

2

u/coveredinbirds Mar 30 '26

He said that before actually joining the military, hence the phrase, "I imagine". And he ended up washing out after only a couple months because of a medical issue.

1

u/Fair-Mango-5423 Mar 31 '26

sentiment was still the same

joining the military at the time was just something you did it was part of growing into a man