Is it reasonable to conscript the unemployed in the army?

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DanielW
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23 Mar 2024, 8:12 pm

A draft wouldn't help unemployment much anyway. Males ages 18-35, with no disability, health issues, a clean criminal record, limited tattoos, and are physically fit would be a very small pool to select from.

Even and otherwise eligible person with none of the above issues, like ASD or ADHD has to be off of any medication for a year to try for a waiver.



MatchboxVagabond
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24 Apr 2024, 12:50 pm

DanielW wrote:
A draft wouldn't help unemployment much anyway. Males ages 18-35, with no disability, health issues, a clean criminal record, limited tattoos, and are physically fit would be a very small pool to select from.

Even and otherwise eligible person with none of the above issues, like ASD or ADHD has to be off of any medication for a year to try for a waiver.

Also keep in mind that in countries like the US, the military is effectively a make work program for those that can't handle regular careers. Yes, I'm sure folks will be offended by it, but I remember how hard the recruiters were trying to get me to sign up, and it was pretty clear that people with other prospects were unlikely to fall for their tricks. It was pretty clear with the navy recruiter in particular that the recruiter was well aware that he was scraping the bottom of the barrel and that was in the late '90s before 9/11 and people had a much less cynical view of how the military was being run and what the potential sacrifices meant.

That's not to say that that's always the case, but it is a field where people are told what to do and generally expected to do it as instructed to do without much variation. Things that are generally not useful in civilian jobs where finding better ways of getting the task done is essential to the business operating properly.



Eurythmic
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Today, 2:06 am

I don't think it's reasonable at all.
Nor do I agree with conscription - as it is inherently sexist. And disempowers people (males anyhow, females are exempt) from making their own choices.

My dad was conscripted to fight for Australia. His number was drawn and he had no choice. For an insight as to what he went through listen to 1927's Compulsory Hero. "You've really got no say in it. You've gotta fight and that's the law".

I think if conscription remains a matter of law it should be enforced with no discrimination. Male, female, gender non specific. Doesn't matter. If you're called up you must go and fight, it's war without a choice (according to 1927).

With so many harping on about equal opportunity and the gender pay gap and the glass ceiling then why shouldn't things be equal? At present over 90% of people who die at work in Australia are males. Where's the outcry? Males have traditionally taken on more dangerous occupations and in return often earn more than females.

From my experience people do a very severe about face when it's females getting hurt people get riled up. People like my dad and both of my grandfathers who served came home with stab wounds, lead in them and shell shock. Alcoholism. Triggering sounds. Things that even now are still with them. They pay the price and suffer every day and night for things they were required by law to do.

Considering all of the fuss about equality is it it reasonable to single out those who are males (or identify as males?). If all of these sooks whinging about gender equality and empowerment see a few dozen females come home in body bags they will quickly change their tune. If they're men nobody really cares. My dad saw many of his fighting mates critically injured and die, and yet he's just supposed to get on with it?

Conscription tears away every part of "empowerment" that a person has and makes them nothing more than a robot of the government.

Military style discipline would do a lot to deal with the lazy people in our society and I think it holds a lot of merit to make them grow up and learn self discipline. But as far as conscription goes I don't think people who are already lazy and amotivated have much of value to offer to society. That ship has already sailed.

We are very much in the era of weak men:

“Hard times create strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men. And, weak men create hard times.”

When people are wringing their hands and throwing tizzes about "misgendering me" and "check your privilege" you know you're in the time of weak men. People in university classes disagreeing with the content of the class or getting triggered because they disagree with what is being said - then you know you're living in a time of weak men.

Do I think conscription should be abolished? Absolutely!
When people ask who is then going to defend the country - ask yourself why nobody wants to anymore.
Patriotism is dead.