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David wrote:^ If by a shake-up you mean, for instance, millions of us get indiscriminately slaughtered in another world war, I think I might pass on that.
Yes, that kind of shake up is in the "never again" category.
I still find it mind-blowing, those vast ranks of bone-white stone in Flanders and the Somme and Verdun, and the massive monuments at Menin and Thiepval, cataloguing the names of men, so young, who were minced into the mud and never even found. They are the cathedrals of hell. I do not know that anything on this earth fills me with the same terrible awe. Never again.
But an accurate one IMHO. No insult intended, I don't think you'd last long in general population in prison whereas in the army you go through basic training before being posted anywhere and have a number of options other than combat
Every dead body on Mt Everest was once a highly motivated person, so maybe just calm the **** down.
While our jail conditions are indeed violent and unacceptable, we do seem to have a relatively small number of prison deaths in this country (about 1 for every 1000 prisoners), so I think that's pretty unlikely. Whether I'd get through it without being physically or sexually assaulted is another matter... but then, hey, seems like one has to expect that in the army too.
"Every time we witness an injustice and do not act, we train our character to be passive in its presence." – Julian Assange
I did a couple of 4 hour terms in lock up for D&D back in the day and I've spoken with a few people who've done time, I've also spent time with army grunts over a beer or 30.
Do you have any first or second hand experience of either or do you just base your opinions on what you read in your media of choice?
Every dead body on Mt Everest was once a highly motivated person, so maybe just calm the **** down.
^ No doubt there are pockets of abuse in the army : though ca 2000 alleged cases in 50 years is not an epidemic. Put 100,000 or so people from all walks of life in a pretty masculine (and yes, somewhat authoritarian) environment, and this risk of criminal behaviour will certainly exist. Still, compared to the average boy's school across the period, it is probably relatively limited in scale.
Anyway, none of that substantiates your initial sweeping comment that the army is "designed to break people". I work with plenty of people who have served in the military. On the whole, they are rather less broken than many of the inner-city radicals I used to know. I think you might find that your ideology is substituting for evidence and experience.
David, you just really don't like authority do you!
I've known a fair few people in the military in different divisions of it, including both of my parents, both were British RAF and served in Germany in the 50s. and your ideal of it is full of crap. Quite insulting actually. (My grandparents allowed my father to become a monster not the RAF). I was even engaged to an Aussie RAAF member.
As for jails, well I can only think of two people I know that have been to jail. One is a real tough bastard, and he refuses to speak of it.
And I'll tell you what, I know which 'broken' men I'd want to stand with if the shit ever gets real. Cheers
You cant fix stupid, turns out you cant quarantine it either!
