Young Men and Behavior

[Heinz]

Back in the last century, we had the draft and mandatory military service. I believe it made a lot of young men grow up. The biggest difference I can see in behavior between then and now is the lack of discipline and the support that every bizarre idea that comes into your head should be treasured and developed.

Drill sergeants had a way of altering your outlook. The experience also weeded out those who truly needed psychological help.
I think we should bring it back and extend to the women also.

The free lunch, everybody gets a participation prize, and we have an online forum for whatever weirdness you want to pursue, is not working out so well for society.

We have some sick puppies running around out there

 

[SupportTheSecond]

I've always had the thought that a 2 year mandatory service requirement would be a good thing to do.

Other people keep saying that the various branches of the military don't want to deal with outcasts and losers but at one time it was a common option for judges to offer as an alternative to jail.

 

[smoothshooter]

While I would like to see some sort of Mandatory Service requirement for all able-bodied and able-minded citizens, it would be unenforcible with the current attitudes of most younger people today. There would not be enough prisons to hold even a fraction of those who would refuse to serve.
Belgium used to have a system I admired 20 years ago when I had to go over there for short periods of time while in the military.
Recognizing that not everyone is suited for military service discipline, all Belgian males aged 17 to 25 years old were required to do either 1 year in the military, or 2 years performing other public service such as cleaning windows on public buildings, doing grounds maintenance in the parks and around public buildings, picking up trash, etc.
Or at least that's what I heard from more than one source.

 

[bigwheelzip]

While I would like to see some sort of Mandatory Service requirement for all able-bodied and able-minded citizens, it would be unenforcible with the current attitudes of most younger people today. There would not be enough prisons to hold even a fraction of those who would refuse to serve.

Belgium used to have a system I admired 20 years ago when I had to go over there for short periods of time while in the military.

Recognizing that not everyone is suited for military service discipline, all Belgian males aged 17 to 25 years old were required to do either 1 year in the military, or 2 years performing other public service such as cleaning windows on public buildings, doing grounds maintenance in the parks and around public buildings, picking up trash, etc.

Or at least that's what I heard from more than one source.

The Swiss do something similar, with a decade of military reserves or civilian service.

Military service in Switzerland


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[F4phantom]

Unfortunately there are too many psychotic people out there who would only use it as a means to an end. (sarc)

 

[UncleEd]

The question is what would the military
do with huge monthly influxes of
recruits? Many might have skills that
are needed, others a motivation to
just be good soldiers for their country
and a whole lot more who would be
dead weight for two years.

If it ever happens, I sure wouldn't
want to see a lot of jocks exempted
because they have "bad knees" or
"swollen pinkies" because of injuries
sustained in their sports.

And I'm sure there'd be a lot of early
fatherhoods to gain exemptions.

Now, if the world got into an all-out
war, that'd be a different matter.

What is being proposed is a social
welfare system to teach the young
good manners they never learned
from their parents or school teachers.

 

[SAFireman]

The Israelis have it right....military before college, no exceptions, everyone serves - some way, some how.

 

[Sam McCord]

You all are not taking into account that the military today is NOT the military of yesteryear. The woke military we have now would do nothing but reinforce the troubling behavior cited by the OP.

 

[F4phantom]

What is being proposed is a social
welfare system to teach the young
good manners they never learned
from their parents or school teachers.

Yes! We need more moral training and what it means to be an adult and this comes from a mother and father.

 

[BLACKHAWKNJ]

Between the high divorce rate and the high rate of illegitimacy fatherlessness has become the norm. I recall a news story I read in the New York Times back in 1984 about the Navy's Basic Training Center at Great Lakes, the article stated that 60% of its recruits came from broken homes, while the services have long been a way for young males to escape from female dominated families it also means they grew up without proper male role models and a lot of us veterans found that officers and NCOs were often poor examples to follow. Then there were the "judge and sheriff recommended " enlistments. Johnny Walker of the Walker Family spy ring was one of those. It has been suggested that something like the French Foreign Legion, with its tough discipline, rigorous training, faiirly strong peer pressure-and frequent deployment to hot spots-is what we need.

 

[Heinz]

UncleEd

"What is being proposed is a social
welfare system to teach the young
good manners they never learned
from their parents or school teachers."

Is that how you felt about boot camp?
__________________

 

[30-30remchester]

A co-worker said that the marine corp. got the boy out of him.

 

[smoothshooter]

You all are not taking into account that the military today is NOT the military of yesteryear. The woke military we have now would do nothing but reinforce the troubling behavior cited by the OP.

A former Army recruiter told me a few years ago they figured they only had about 8% of the young people population to choose from for military service.
The rest were not eligible because of behavioral and drug problems, lack of social development skills, criminal history, and long-term prescription drug dependency for drugs prescribed by doctors for ADD and other behavior issues.
Not to mention bad attitudes about America from years of being taught in school that we and our Founders are basically evil and the cause of most of the world's problems.
Odds are that at least 80% of the people reading this post have children and/or grand children being taught the same things in high school and college.

 

[arjay]

A professional military can't use them and why in the world would you give guys like these that kind of training?

 

[UncleEd]

UncleEd

"What is being proposed is a social
welfare system to teach the young
good manners they never learned
from their parents or school teachers."

Is that how you felt about boot camp?
__________________

Back then the Cold War was very hot
and getting hotter, millions were in
the military at any one time. The
great Communist menace seemed
to be everywhere. No, basic
training was not just a way to
"straighen out" young men.

 

[llowry61]

I agree with BlackhawkNJ - the breakdown of the family unit is a significant problem in our society today.

When the parents are a problem, then the kids will be an exponential problem.

Look at people on the road today and the lack of willingness to work together so all can be safe and get where they are going.

Today the prevailing attitude is me first and everyone else can wait.

Prime example, the two-lane drive through at McDonalds.

 

[charlie sherrill]

Yes! We need more moral training and what it means to be an adult and this comes from a mother and father.

Ain't gonna happen if Mom is a teenager and Dad ain't around.

 

[GaryS]

In addition to the lack of discipline instilled by the schools, this is a major factor. Study after study has shown that boys raised by a single female parent have far more difficulties and get into far more trouble than boys raised by two parent families.

If they are influenced by their peers who are raised in the same manner, then it's even worse.

The military stopped being a reform school for wayward young men decades ago and I expect it will remain that way.

Ain't gonna happen if Mom is a teenager and Dad ain't around.

 

[BigBoy99]

Prime example, the two-lane drive through at McDonalds.

What are you talking about? The McDonads I'm familiar with have a single lane drive thru.

 

[fiasconva]

The draft and the military did do a good job of straightening out some of the screw ups in my small hometown but I also remember that the real screw ups even ended up getting kicked out of the military quite a few times. It didn't take long for them to end up behind bars too.