scrubbedexpat099

kimilseung

Did you watch the section of a recent John Oliver on how the army pays NFL to host pro army celebrations at the games, like returning soldiers being reunited with their family? I always thought it odd propaganda, but never realized it was a paid for advert.

Bob

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scrubbedexpat091

Had no idea they paid for things like that. The military was a pest in high school, constantly trying to get me (and other students) to join. I always turned their offers down, then in 2000 I decided to give it a go, and pricks wouldn't take me, bother me for years to join, and then say no...pfft. In the end, probably better I didn't go into the military.

FlaviusAetius

We've seen much more grotesque (inappropriate? You have to be kidding - so easily offended!) recruiting posters in this country:

scrubbedexpat091

I just don't agree with using real photos of disasters for advertising.

What you posted looks like a cartoon, not sure what it's even supposed to be or mean.


I prefer the Canadian ads, not many around, but more professional. I am talking about modern times, not WW1 or WW2.

FlaviusAetius

Okay, so in the modern Army we should be trying to recruit people with neutral posters that don't give any compelling reason whatsoever for a person to give up his PlayStation and his comfortable room in his parent's basement to go and join the Army.

We have to walk a fine line with the recruiting posters: we don't want to offend sensitive souls in this country. Nor do we want our posters to offend those we might be thinking of killing, because that would only be giving a big recruiting tool to those whom we might be thinking of killing.

Finally, we certainly don't want to put boots on any ground where our sons and daughters might find themselves in danger. Got it.

SultanOfSwing

Apart from anything else, it's very misleading. The current military action is shifting its focus to Syria, which had nothing to do with 9/11 anyway. That being said, the picture isn't really offensive or inflammatory, but it is a bit pathetic that the army deems itself to have lost so much respect that it has to resort to emotional blackmail to get new recruits. **** it, why not bring back the draft - cut the advertising budget completely ...

The only knock on effect from 9/11 that anyone who was a kid in 2001 has to face today are the ridiculous things they have to do just to board a ****ing plane in the airport.

That was then though. Now it's more like "Follow me to an early death, your country couldn't give two shits about you, we'll just pretend we do until your 4 years are up."

FlaviusAetius

Agreed that we should bring back the draft. It would democratize the military and remove the whiff of taint that it currently has, i.e. that it is really a mercenary force.

Query: what do you think the odds are that the Left would support the idea of bringing back the draft?

SultanOfSwing

I was only joking. My son is 18 next year, I don't want him to be dragged off halfway across the world to risk his life fighting kebabs for a country that won't even so much as look in his direction if he needs help on his return. **** that right up it's own arse.

But, say, 2-3 years of National Service (i.e. joining the National Guard, Coastguard or some other form of domestic service), I have no problem with that at all. Plenty of people on the left would agree with me. We just don't think it's right to force young men to die for a fight we shouldn't even be in at all. This isn't World War II anymore, this is not in any way, shape or form a 'just' war.

FlaviusAetius

If your kid gets machine-gunned at a rock concert, trust me, that will make it a "just" war.

When I got my draft notice (before the era of "numbers") I, like everyone else had the choice: 2 yrs with the draft, 3 years with the Army, 4 with the Navy, Air Force or Marines. If they weren't oversubscribed, other choices included 4 years with the Coast Guard, or service with the National Guard or the Enlisted Reserve. So even in the Vietnam era, not everyone had to go "in country."

SultanOfSwing

How can you go to war with something that isn't even a nation state? ISIS is not a country. To fight them we don't need a war, we need surgical strikes. Patriot Games stuff. Send in the SAS and decapitate the snake - in, out, done. That's not the kind of fight we can staff with drafted rookies who don't know one end of an M4 from the other. A draft now would be counter productive.

If my son gets killed at a rock concert, it's more likely he'll be killed by an American, rather than ISIS.

sir_eccles

Couldn't you just defer it a few times then get a medical discharge like Trump did?

I'm with Sultan, statistically the shooter at the rock concert right now is likely to be a white male. See also this morning's other headline of a shooting at a protest march.

SultanOfSwing

Could always go for a section 8 ...

scrubbedexpat099

Navy seems a safe bet