Army duty

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In most European countries it is abolished or suspended for unlimited duration (and as far as I know in the States and Canada as well?). However some people campaign to re-introduce the army duty.

Are you pro or contra?

Those who are proponent of army duty: how many years, and should both genders be included like it is in Israel for example?




Personally I strongly object against army duty. Partially out of pascifist believes, and partially because I feel like nobody should be obliged by a government on what to do with a specific timeframe of his life. In the end, army duty is the government taking a specific time from your life which you cannot spend by free choice on whatever you consider useful (be it working, traveling, studying, ...). For those reasons alone, I am against army duty, other than that I don't see any specific use or advantage.

Also, the army duty only involving men (like it was in many European countries) is against the equal treatment of genders IMO. But I am not campaigning to get women into the army, I am campaigning to permanently abolish army duty and leave army jobs open to those who voluntarely apply only.

the people own the government, the government doesn't own the people.

Although I did my army time during a war I was lucky enough to spend most of my time in army training schools and when I graduated the war was over. I hated the stupid regimentation of the training but nevertheless it was one of the most interesting times of my rather long life and I learned a great deal. I am very grateful never to be put in severe danger or having to kill anybody. It was an unusual experience I never would have had otherwise and I am grateful not to have suffered from it but I consider myself unusually lucky.

I say that as soon as someone graduates from High School, or turns 18 (whichever comes last), they should immediately be sent off to endure a 90-day basic military training camp. There they would learn to usual marching, firearms, hand-to-hand, first aid, and calisthenics; but they would also learn teamwork, respect for authority, responsibility, and earn a sense of accomplishment.

The alternative would be a society full of people who have no respect for each other, much less for authority, and who feel that they are entitled to whatever they want without ever having earned it.

If someone excels at the military life, then they could be sent on to officer's training. The rest would be reservists, able to be called up on short notice to defend their country, provide aid and assistance in natural disasters, and be a healthier and more law-abiding citizenry all around.

It is an illusion that obeying authority is something coming from army duty. I have seen several people so revolted by their army officers that they revoked authority totally after their duty whereas they showed much more respect for authority prior to their bad army experiences.
Also, authority has to be respected not at all times but only when that authority is doing a decent job. To just swallow a command without thinking twice as if it were a dogma, is not a good thing IMO.

And finally, to respect superiors and other people is something that also depends on your upbringing so parents and schools play a large role in this. It is not like you need an army duty for that.

I don't see authority issues as any pro-army duty argument personally. It can work wrongly as well, if your direct superior in the army is a terrible person it could cause an aversion to authority and thus result in exactly the opposite you want to achieve by enforcing military duty.

As someone who was subject to army authority for two years I can say conclusively that respect for unearned authority is one of the stupidest human systems I have ever encountered. Respect has to be earned, not granted and the army is the place to teach people to stop thinking for themselves even to the point of committing suicide on the orders of a military a**hole because if you don't, you get shot or thrown into prison. It is totalitarianism at its most naked and I hated it.

I know for a fact that if I end up in a basic training scenario I'm going to immediately be the next pvt. pyle...

So, no...

I will leave this debate to a mind far greater than any on this forum.

"He who joyfully marches to music rank and file, has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would surely suffice. This disgrace to civilization should be done away with at once. Heroism at command, how violently I hate all this, how despicable and ignoble war is; I would rather be torn to shreds than be a part of so base an action. It is my conviction that killing under the cloak of war is nothing but an act of murder."

"I am not only a pacifist but a militant pacifist. I am willing to fight for peace. Nothing will end war unless the people themselves refuse to go to war"

"Heroism on command, senseless violence, and all the loathsome nonsense that goes by the name of patriotism -- how passionately I hate them!




Thankyou Albert Einstein how we need more like you.

I didn't know I could love Einstein any more.

Ah Malsane now I'm getting jealous