They recruit high schoolers without other options.
I worked in one of the worst high schools in the nation. There were recruiters in our cafeteria every day. They gave me periodic tables with National Guard branding (which you can be sure I used, because I only had 1000 prints a month, and 500 of those had to be on my own paper.)
Imagine - you aren’t going to be able to get into or afford college. Your dad is in jail. Your mom is working three jobs, none of which provide your family with health insurance. The places that are hiring are McDonald’s and Walmart.
The only people that you know in your community that have insurance and can afford a house - they are former military. You have already seen people go down extremely dark paths - you probably do know someone who joined a gang and you might have attended their funeral. Your pastor tells you that the military will teach you discipline and protect your from that fate.
There are other reasons too. The military is really the only route you have for college if you don’t have the financial resources.
I don’t think you imagine yourself killing people either. Most of what the military does isn’t directly related to combat.
The military is also very good at propagandizing to the youth.
They primarily target young men who don’t know what they’re going to do with their life, then send them marketing materials (and even officers to their school) trying to tell them how much freedom and travel they’ll get if they join, and how it’ll build them into big strong well-respected men.
So even for the people who I wouldn’t say are dumb or even economically struggling, they can get roped in with false promises of things like the ability to get stronger and do work to help their community be safe, then in actuality just get deployed later on to fight the same people in their community when they protest.
It’s called having the courage to do it anyway knowing you will face repercussions for doing it, because it is the right thing to do.
Sadly, this basic concept seems to be a forgotten relic of the past. Too many people in this country are just fine with sacrificing others if it saves their own skin.
Don’t project your own flaws onto me. Just because you would be a coward who will allow themselves to be controlled by petty authority doesn’t mean everyone would.
Oh no, they are sad about shooting and exploding civilians heads with their fists? :(
Why did you join the army then?
They recruit high schoolers without other options.
I worked in one of the worst high schools in the nation. There were recruiters in our cafeteria every day. They gave me periodic tables with National Guard branding (which you can be sure I used, because I only had 1000 prints a month, and 500 of those had to be on my own paper.)
Imagine - you aren’t going to be able to get into or afford college. Your dad is in jail. Your mom is working three jobs, none of which provide your family with health insurance. The places that are hiring are McDonald’s and Walmart.
The only people that you know in your community that have insurance and can afford a house - they are former military. You have already seen people go down extremely dark paths - you probably do know someone who joined a gang and you might have attended their funeral. Your pastor tells you that the military will teach you discipline and protect your from that fate.
There are other reasons too. The military is really the only route you have for college if you don’t have the financial resources.
I don’t think you imagine yourself killing people either. Most of what the military does isn’t directly related to combat.
I think this video might be an interesting perspective too.
So they could go to school? Have heathcare? Not starve? Most people in the military fall into two camps:
Are a dumb shithead
Are poor
Many just joined as poor kids (<21) because that was the best or only option for them.
The military is also very good at propagandizing to the youth.
They primarily target young men who don’t know what they’re going to do with their life, then send them marketing materials (and even officers to their school) trying to tell them how much freedom and travel they’ll get if they join, and how it’ll build them into big strong well-respected men.
So even for the people who I wouldn’t say are dumb or even economically struggling, they can get roped in with false promises of things like the ability to get stronger and do work to help their community be safe, then in actuality just get deployed later on to fight the same people in their community when they protest.
I needed all those things and was a poor kid growing up, and I still didn’t sacrifice my integrity by signing up to join an oppressive military force.
No excuses to justify the oppression of others just so you can avoid being oppressed yourself.
It’s really really easy to just say “yeah idiots just don’t do it” when you could get in very serious trouble for doing that
It’s called having the courage to do it anyway knowing you will face repercussions for doing it, because it is the right thing to do.
Sadly, this basic concept seems to be a forgotten relic of the past. Too many people in this country are just fine with sacrificing others if it saves their own skin.
I bet you my life savings in the exact same situation you would fold immediately
Don’t project your own flaws onto me. Just because you would be a coward who will allow themselves to be controlled by petty authority doesn’t mean everyone would.
Spoken like a true keyboard warrior, often those with the biggest mouths do the least
Again buddy, don’t project your own insecurities onto me just because you have no real argument