• pack_of_racoons@sh.itjust.works
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    20 hours ago

    So they could go to school? Have heathcare? Not starve? Most people in the military fall into two camps:

    1. Are a dumb shithead

    2. Are poor

    Many just joined as poor kids (<21) because that was the best or only option for them.

    • AmbitiousProcess@piefed.social
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      20 hours ago

      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.

    • Doc_Crankenstein@slrpnk.net
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      15 hours ago

      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.

    • StarvingMartist@sh.itjust.works
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      20 hours ago

      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

      • Doc_Crankenstein@slrpnk.net
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        15 hours ago

        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.