Poll: Compulsory Military Service

[Vault101]

To those who say that conscription teaches young people self-discipline: What about all those healthy, mature and well adjusted young people who don't need to be taught self-discipline? Why should they give two years of their lives for something that's not going to benefit them because some other young people aren't as motivated as they are?

because younger people must be punished for the crime of being young people [sub/]because young people are scary[/sub]

 

[CpT_x_Killsteal]

Mmmm being forced to serve the rich old corrupt men in my government, no thanks.
It's like compulsory patriotic brainwashing.

 

[Parasitic_Chick]

No one should be forced into the military. I can see why the government might do something like this but if you get to many people who just simply don't want to be apart of it it's eventually going to backfire.

 

[newfoundsky]

Compulsory service of some kind... yes. I think it would do a world of good for our disconnected culture (US) ...however, I don't think that service should necessarily be military. That should be one of many options.

Barring disability, it should have to involve communal living outside of your birth state, but any sort of humanitarian aid organization could fill that requirement nicely (Red Cross, church missions to impoverished regions, et cetera), and it would result in better-rounded people, in my opinion.

Also, it would be a universal job opportunity for impoverished people.

I really like my birth state and don't want to go, and I'm not a humanitarian. Do you make me go, or make me volunteer? Do the parents have a say? If I'm 18 do they still have a say?

Compulsory anything is a punishment.

 

[Jadak]

Depends how you define 'service'. In terms of actual full membership, potentially getting deployed in situations where you might actually be in danger, no. I do not feel anyone has any right to force me to enter a dangerous situation.

But... Mandatory basic training? Local stuff? Then yeah, maybe.

 

[hazabaza1]

Could it be a good thing?
Fuck man, I dunno. Maybe? There's so many variables, the biggest one being whether or not my country is currently at war.

Would I want it to happen regardless?
Fuck no. I've recently had to spend some time around an army guy, and while I know not everyone is the same, etc etc, his attitudes would be shared by a broad amount of the people I'd be around constantly, and it might cause me to end up going on some horrific shooting spree.

Not that extreme of course but you get it.

 

[Imperioratorex Caprae]

I don't have much of an opinion on that, because I've already been in service once and I regard the experience as highly educational in the ways of discipline and focus, and teamwork. But its also subjective.

 

[loc978]

Compulsory service of some kind... yes. I think it would do a world of good for our disconnected culture (US) ...however, I don't think that service should necessarily be military. That should be one of many options.

Barring disability, it should have to involve communal living outside of your birth state, but any sort of humanitarian aid organization could fill that requirement nicely (Red Cross, church missions to impoverished regions, et cetera), and it would result in better-rounded people, in my opinion.

Also, it would be a universal job opportunity for impoverished people.

I really like my birth state and don't want to go, and I'm not a humanitarian. Do you make me go, or make me volunteer? Do the parents have a say? If I'm 18 do they still have a say?

Compulsory anything is a punishment.

You wouldn't need to stay away long. Most National Service programs only require 6 months to a year.

Do you consider school a punishment? I consider our compulsory elementary, middle and high school an insufficient primary education. The idea of national service is taking what you've been taught into controlled exposure to the real world. There's a damned good reason that people who never leave their home town are branded ignorant by those who have traveled.

As for "not being a humanitarian"? What do you mean? Do you not want people to be helped, a la the sociopathy that is Ayn Rand's... for lack of a better word... philosophy? Because that sort of thing is a huge problem with our society, one doing immeasurable damage right now. If you believe those who aren't helping themselves (whether from lack of ability or lack of willingness) should be left to fend for themselves... they will. Against you. Not everyone left out in the cold to die simply dies, and those who leave them out are generally (might I add, deservedly) marked for death by those people. Refusal to provide humanitarian aid is the primary cause of organized crime.

 

[Savryc]

No way in hell. I have no desire to kill my fellow human beings on the whims of the out of touch, inbred, toffee nosed Westminster scum. The only marching I'd do is down to the capital, to shove my conscription orders down Cameron's throat.

 

[briankoontz]

So the parliament of my country (Slovakia) has recently been discussing whether or not to bring back national service. I feel sort of divided over this: on the one hand, I quietly support national service (because in my opnion it helps with breaking down class and race barriers and introduces a sense of discipline that doesn't go away easily), but on the other, Slovakia's government is legendarily adept at fucking things over, and the last time national service was introduced, there were several casualties, ranging from hazing induced suicide to just plain being hazed to death.

So, yeah. National service, yay or nay?

In the United States military service is largely class-based - poor people serve in the military in order to get wealthier at the cost of possible death/injury as well as possibly having to kill other people while wealthier people don't have to (and therefore rarely do) dehumanize themselves for money.

War is the male equivalent of prostitution - selling the sanctity of one's body. Most prostitutes are poor for the same reason that most soldiers are poor - they wouldn't do what they do otherwise.

Compulsory military service would never be accepted in wealthy countries unless they became virtual fascist states, like Israel. Even in less powerful countries compulsory military service doesn't make a lot of sense, since one of the primary enemies of the state is it's own population, so compulsory military service would be asking the population to dominate itself, a bit of a stretch even in the current feudal world.

 

[Lil devils x_v1legacy]

After Hearing about what happened in Vietnam, Under no circumstances should someone be forced to fight. They are a danger to their own unit, nation, and the mission. Now there may be other positions available, however, I would think it unethical to force someone to do something against their will simply for being born within man made borders.

 

[seaweed]

I like the idea.

I think being sent off to war should stay optional, but military service itself would be fine.

 

[TheIronRuler]

So the parliament of my country (Slovakia) has recently been discussing whether or not to bring back national service. I feel sort of divided over this: on the one hand, I quietly support national service (because in my opnion it helps with breaking down class and race barriers and introduces a sense of discipline that doesn't go away easily), but on the other, Slovakia's government is legendarily adept at fucking things over, and the last time national service was introduced, there were several casualties, ranging from hazing induced suicide to just plain being hazed to death.

So, yeah. National service, yay or nay?

In the United States military service is largely class-based - poor people serve in the military in order to get wealthier at the cost of possible death/injury as well as possibly having to kill other people while wealthier people don't have to (and therefore rarely do) dehumanize themselves for money.

War is the male equivalent of prostitution - selling the sanctity of one's body. Most prostitutes are poor for the same reason that most soldiers are poor - they wouldn't do what they do otherwise.

Compulsory military service would never be accepted in wealthy countries unless they became virtual fascist states, like Israel. Even in less powerful countries compulsory military service doesn't make a lot of sense, since one of the primary enemies of the state is it's own population, so compulsory military service would be asking the population to dominate itself, a bit of a stretch even in the current feudal world.

.
Wait, I live in a fascist country? That's weird. I haven't noticed. We've got GPD and growth to rival Europe's medium sized players and a strong economy, but we're also a country with a lot of dirt-poor citizens thanks to the gutting of the welfare system we get since the 90s. Army is a requirement, as is our situation at the moment. We don't dominate ourselves with tanks on the street, if that's what you're asking. Not yet, at least.
.

So the parliament of my country (Slovakia) has recently been discussing whether or not to bring back national service. I feel sort of divided over this: on the one hand, I quietly support national service (because in my opnion it helps with breaking down class and race barriers and introduces a sense of discipline that doesn't go away easily), but on the other, Slovakia's government is legendarily adept at fucking things over, and the last time national service was introduced, there were several casualties, ranging from hazing induced suicide to just plain being hazed to death.

So, yeah. National service, yay or nay?

.
I'll say meh on the whole, since I'm through this and it sucks big time. It's not bad per-se, but I could have done a lot better. Waste of time if you ask me. Slows total growth in country.
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No thanks, I don't like the idea of forcing people into a job they don't want to do, especially for a country like here in the UK where an invasion isn't particularly likely in the near future. A small, professional army is good enough for our needs, I don't see the point in wasting money on sending a bunch of young adults to do drills in some muddy field and run around in circles while being barked at. If we were going to have a national service, we might as well give people options and make it something useful to society, like helping out the emergency services, giving extra support in schools, doing government paperwork etc.

.
But the Argentinians! They're coming for your gold, you must defend the shores of Albion!

A National Service program is a swell idea to help young adults find a direction in life and be exposed to other areas of life and society.
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The military is one of those professions where you really need the people in it to want to be there, otherwise you end up with soldiers who have low morale and who will desert the first chance they get. We (the UK) have some of the best soldiers in the world because they're all professionals who choose to put their lives on the line to defend our country and its interests.

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It does help that you've got practically the best training facilities in the world for your soldiers.
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The only modern nation that I know of which has compulsory military service is South Korea. They aren't doing too badly and it's understandable due to the precarious position they are in.

Personally however my feelings can be summed up with following song:

<youtube=f0fxfog_ShY>

It's extreme, but I really don't want to serve in the military. Then again I haven't ever been in the military, but frankly I just won't mix well in the military.

EDIT: In peacetime sure, mandatory service is good for discipline, but in wartime it's a different story. I guess it's also because the local military have sent badly trained men and even boys to their deaths with barely any training. Otherwise they were executed.

Things like that sort of seep into the the social attitude towards the military.

.
We're also running about in circles in the army, with our 3 years of jail time service.

Discipline? You've got to be shitting me. Like the blokes above me said, conscripted soldiers have a lower moral and I can guarentee you that our discipline in my unit is shit. Maybe I just came in with a bad crop.

 

[Rabbitboy]

I think it depends on the situation if you are under threath invasion and you need fill uniforms then yes. However my military expertise is nonexistant. And like some people (most whom are better qualified to give their opinion on this subject) already said the motivaition of conscripts is debateble. In peace time it just seems like a massive waste of resources while those people could be out there earning money, paying taxes and contributing to society.

At the moment conscription in my country isn't abolished just suspended though an invasion is unlikely at the moment.

 

[spartan231490]

Depends on how it's implemented. Take Switzerland, that's a great program that has done worlds of good for the country.

 

[JoJo]

.

No thanks, I don't like the idea of forcing people into a job they don't want to do, especially for a country like here in the UK where an invasion isn't particularly likely in the near future. A small, professional army is good enough for our needs, I don't see the point in wasting money on sending a bunch of young adults to do drills in some muddy field and run around in circles while being barked at. If we were going to have a national service, we might as well give people options and make it something useful to society, like helping out the emergency services, giving extra support in schools, doing government paperwork etc.

.
But the Argentinians! They're coming for your gold, you must defend the shores of Albion!

A National Service program is a swell idea to help young adults find a direction in life and be exposed to other areas of life and society.

Hah, the joke is on the Argies, Ex-PM Brown sold off our gold reserves at rock-bottom prices some years ago!

Perhaps National Service could beneficial for certain youths but I can't get past the mandatory aspect, everyone is different and there's plenty of people who would find it a waste of time if they already have a set career goal in mind. Maybe just for kids who are on jobseekers for six months or more, those who have nothing better to do

 

[Thaluikhain]

War is the male equivalent of prostitution - selling the sanctity of one's body. Most prostitutes are poor for the same reason that most soldiers are poor - they wouldn't do what they do otherwise.

Quite the generalisation there, though your basic point isn't without merit.

There's one big different, though, in that people are supposed to be thankful for soldiers, and in reality quietly forgetting about them. Prostitutes tend to be, ignored at best, more likely actively vilified.

 

[Tono Makt]

So the parliament of my country (Slovakia) has recently been discussing whether or not to bring back national service. I feel sort of divided over this: on the one hand, I quietly support national service (because in my opnion it helps with breaking down class and race barriers and introduces a sense of discipline that doesn't go away easily), but on the other, Slovakia's government is legendarily adept at fucking things over, and the last time national service was introduced, there were several casualties, ranging from hazing induced suicide to just plain being hazed to death.

So, yeah. National service, yay or nay?

In theory, it could be a great thing. Gives everyone in the country something in common beyond "We were all born in this place.". It ensures that in a time of war the nation can call upon an entire adult population who have been trained to fight - even if that training is decades old, some of it will still be part of the person. There are other things too, naturally, but I'm going to stop there.

I wouldn't support it in Canada. Not because I think Canada doesn't need a strong military (I do; we're going to need one sooner or later, once the USA finally realizes it can't field the largest and most expensive army in the world. Canada gets away with having a tiny, poorly equipped army because we know the USA won't let us fall to an invader. We share too large of a land border to have the Russians or Chinese or whatever future boogeyman crops up take us over.) or that I think military service is not worthwhile (I do; I never served myself and I think I would have greatly benefitted from going into the military for a few years after high school instead of drinking my way through failing at university for 5 years). I simply don't trust our politicians to institute it for non-political reasons.

 

[Vault101]

In the United States military service is largely class-based - poor people serve in the military in order to get wealthier at the cost of possible death/injury as well as possibly having to kill other people while wealthier people don't have to (and therefore rarely do) dehumanize themselves for money.

War is the male equivalent of prostitution - selling the sanctity of one's body. Most prostitutes are poor for the same reason that most soldiers are poor - they wouldn't do what they do otherwise.
.

I don't think joining the Military automatically eaquals a death sentence or even SEEING combat...there are many roles within the military, not all of them involve combat

of coarse even then I guess your at risk if your in a war zone...but still

also while I sort of see your point for some the military could be a good thing, even if it is seen as a "last resort" type thing

 

[Ldude893]

Coming from one of the only two cities in China with a semi-sovereign government and any semblance to free speech, and considering all that the Chinese government has done and what they're trying to do to my city, fuck no.