Mandatory military service

[Olivia]

What do you think about mandatory military service? ALL citizens must enlist in the army / military at age 18 for example.

For or against?

 

[Nebulous]

Against. I thought this was the land of the free. Forcing me to do something like that would be taking away my freedom. Also placing me in a situation that might get me maimed or killed? No thanks.

 

[Black Angel]

Against, especially considering our military and how things are done in this country.. and ESPECIALLY as a military brat and as someone who is a proud descendant of Black and Native veterans (and warriors before this country became the U.S.) who served honorably in every war this country has ever had, and still got treated like shit when they came home.

I have ancestors that had no choice but to stay in the countries they were stationed in because the racism here, was so fucked up. These were people who served bravely after being gaslit in this country for centuries about how important it was for them to serve their country, meanwhile, they got treated like shit during basic, during deployment, and throughout their entire careers and then called the N word (or lynched) when they came home. And on top of that, because they were Black, they were segregated from White soldiers and were not allowed to enjoy the same benefits that White veterans got to enjoy when they finished their service, such as the G.I. Bill and others meant to help those who served their country.

And yet, this country STILL gaslights Black people about joining the military to this day. The recruits don't show up to the homogenous PWI schools, with tons of funding, they show up at the overcrowded schools where its mostly a BIPoC student body, where they lie constantly about the benefits of the military, what happens when you're deployed, the kinds of girls/guys you'll meet and to the parent's they always make sure to say "if your child doesn't sign up after graduating, then they will either be dead or in jail before they can legally vote." (they ALWAYS save that golden nugget for the parents) I have heard this same exact lie repeated by 4 generations of family members who served when asked why they went in.

I even heard MY recruiter start to say the same damned thing, before I cut him off and finished his sentence. They would not stop calling me for 2 years.. even AFTER I moved out at 18.

I have heard from veterans and those that are active duty in my family say that there really isn't much of a difference between the way you are treated there vs. prison, and that isn't even touching on the rampant rapes and the corruption that protects its perpetrators.. I have seen the debates play out between the vets, the formerly incarcerated, and those who ended up in both places because of PTSD and other issues make the same exact points regarding their positions. I have seen heated debates quickly evolve into conversations in which they traded horrible stories about the shit they went through inside.

So no, I don't think that military service should be required if you are a tax paying civilian, (undocumented or not) instead, it should be mandatory for the rich assholes who just want to use their [religiously exempted, tax dodging] money to fund endless wars and toxic media propaganda to turn the people against each other and then use us as toy soldiers in them. If they want to play war games, then it is only fair that they be the toy soldiers in them.

It is so ironic how whenever it comes to us, we are always encouraged to do things that harm our bodies for the consumption of others.. be it for entertainment, like sports, tv or music, or for the military.. these were always the options presented to us but we are never encouraged to think or be creative or go into academics even though we are usually much smarter than we are given credit for (or how we're stereotyped..) we have built this country and put so much of ourselves into it, and we are still treated like shit here.. and worse, the history of our contributions and those of our ancestors is being actively erased.

And this was the reason I fought as hard as I did to make sure that NONE of my siblings ended up in the military.. even though they have friends who did and ended up far worse. They were no longer able to take accelerated classes because of "No Child Left Behind" (when the mediocrity complained that their kids feelings were hurt because their friends were moving to different classes and they were not.. most good parents would get their kid a tutor and catch up, like mine did, but not the mediocre) becoming law but their school was eager to get them into a football program and said that they can get a sports scholarship (and they'd be heroes to the school because it would bring in tons of publicity, deals and endorsements..) I told them that if they keep their grades up, then they won't need a sports scholarship to get into college and can get a regular one instead. They would be heroes to their families for inspiring present and future generations to do the same.. and they can do it all without the risk of permanent brain or bodily injury for a school that will forget them after they graduate.

They listened and now I have one sibling that works in medicine, another that works in fashion and another starting his own IT business.. all college graduates with bachelor's degrees.

 

[MrDawn]

Against. I thought this was the land of the free. Forcing me to do something like that would be taking away my freedom. Also placing me in a situation that might get me maimed or killed? No thanks.

My family is really against this. A few years after 9/11 happened, my grandfather and my mom thought a lot of the high school seniors including myself were going to get drafted and join the war effort.