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The wimpification of America continues...

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LAS VEGAS —

Assailants shot six young people Tuesday at a school bus stop, wounding two critically, in a midday attack that followed a fight over a high school girl, authorities said.

This will be covered in another thread. I want to discuss violence.

Whatever happened to good ole’ fisticuffs? 1 on 1. Mano au Mano. We’d have half the school in a circle for the exhibition. Jump in on it uninvited & both sides would drag you out. Get your butt kicked and you lost any prize or disagreement that was at stake. Done. You stemmed the bleeding & vowed to work out and bulk up. But you didn’t lose your honor. Running away, using a weapon or hiding behind a girl would do that for you. My, times have changed.

No dodgeball, someone might get put out. No foot races, someone might lose. No baseball, someone might get hit by the ball. No footrace around the track, everyone’s a winner. No football, someone might break something. Get punched in the nose, go tattle to a teacher. Don’t defend yourself or you’re in the wrong as much as your assailant. ***?

Where are our warriors coming from? We presently have plenty of cheerleaders and fashion designers. There will some in the future. A veritable glut if current trends are an indication. A headstrong male is a Ritalin candidate from the third grade henceforth. Why?

I’m not talking about bullies. A bully shouldn’t be tolerated. Are there too many females in the school system? Does violence have no place in a modern society? Is passivity a virtue? Lie down & take it?

I don’t have the answers, I’m merely throwing this out for my bass playing brothers & sisters. I am raising a couple of teenagers, female & male and would like your take on it. My daughter is being empowered by the current system & I welcome that. She deserves the best. At the same time my son is being pummeled by the very same system & I am at a loss… It is a quantitative, palatable pummeling. What I would do for one, I could do no less for the other.
 
Let's have a war, so you can go and die.

Perhaps I should have included a smiley, but I thought I smeared on the sarcasm plenty thick to begin with.

I think 2 year mandatory service would be the best thing in the world for this country.

One of the biggest reasons why we have the greatest, most efficient military in the world is because it is an all volunteer force. Mandatory military service might "toughen up" our youth, but it would most certainly hurt the armed forces.
 
Perhaps I should have included a smiley, but I thought I smeared on the sarcasm plenty thick to begin with.



One of the biggest reasons why we have the greatest, most efficient military in the world is because it is an all volunteer force. Mandatory military service might "toughen up" our youth, but it would most certainly hurt the armed forces.
yes it would hurt the armed forces (slightly) but the overall perspective of America would change (in a positive direction IMO) and there would be a greater understanding of what is going on with America and our wars. People would have first hand information instead of the propaganda machine that is the media.

I also think it would enhance the respect that Americans have for their fellow American.
 
Actually, the band Fear. Did A Perfect Circle do a cover of it?

Yeah, that's the only version I'd ever heard, though I didn't care much for it. I just found this video of the original. Much better.

You must be the most amazing person ever.

In seven years of teaching high school I never met a single kid that didn't just absolutely love school and every single one of their fellow students. How interesting. . .
 
No dodgeball, someone might get put out. No foot races, someone might lose. No baseball, someone might get hit by the ball. No footrace around the track, everyone’s a winner. No football, someone might break something.
Is this actually true of schools today? At least some of this strikes me as hyperbole.
 
One of the biggest reasons why we have the greatest, most efficient military in the world is because it is an all volunteer force. Mandatory military service might "toughen up" our youth, but it would most certainly hurt the armed forces.

I agree with your point here.


oh. oops.

I mean...

+1

:rollno:
 
yes it would hurt the armed forces (slightly) but the overall perspective of America would change (in a positive direction IMO) and there would be a greater understanding of what is going on with America and our wars. People would have first hand information instead of the propaganda machine that is the media.

I also think it would enhance the respect that Americans have for their fellow American.

I don't agree at all. I keep tabs on every kid I taught that has joined the armed forces or attended Annapolis, West Point or the Air Force Academy. I have a few friends currently serving as well as my cousin and my younger brother.

For the most part, they don't have a "greater understanding of what is going on with America and our wars". They have a job to do and they do it. Most of them are bright kids and have opinions on what is going on and can certainly see the impact of what they are doing on an individual level, but none of them are in positions to really have a better "big picture view" than any other average citizen.

Also, the idea that all of these teenagers would "fall in line" and carry out their mandatory service in good fashion just doesn't jibe with me. There are far too many kids that either for attitude or ineptitude, I wouldn't want responsible for defending this nation. They wouldn't be changed by the military as much as the military would be changed by them. Massive amounts of pointless bureaucratic positions created to give these kids something to do while they while away their requisite months.

As for changing their outlook, sure, for most of them it would. But then again, taking on pretty much any job will change your outlook on life. Most policemen I know have a very dim and cynical outlook of people in general. Part and parcel with what they see and deal with on a daily basis. But I wouldn't want that to be the only viewpoint for everyone in this nation.

Not every person is cut out for military service. And IMO, what we'd gain as a nation for forcing them to serve is not worth what we'd lose in terms of having a well functioning military.
 
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