<![CDATA[It's really freaky how armies depend on having a lot of really, really young &amp; impressionable soldiers.]]>It's really freaky how armies depend on having a lot of really, really young & impressionable soldiers.

They need these 18, 19, 20 year olds. They need easily frightened people who have not yet gotten practice making decisions about their own lives.

And boy, oh boy, are many soldiers easily frightened. It's a big part of what makes them so dangerous. They have to be frightened so that they can only think about killing to survive.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/topic/1900baa9-95ac-4ae1-8169-b20383f5e5a1/it-s-really-freaky-how-armies-depend-on-having-a-lot-of-really-really-young-amp-impressionable-soldiers.RSS for NodeWed, 08 Apr 2026 18:47:02 GMTTue, 31 Mar 2026 17:38:42 GMT60<![CDATA[Reply to It's really freaky how armies depend on having a lot of really, really young &amp; impressionable soldiers. on Wed, 01 Apr 2026 12:46:25 GMT]]>@artemis something I noticed in my mid-20s, before I was even an Old: that many teenagers I sometimes worked with would hesitate and freeze if given multiple options. But if you gave the same options and suggested one, they'd nearly always do that.

I never concluded that "the kids today can't do x!!! bloody kids!!", but "jesus, they're so used to having their agency denied that just having unexpected independence is paralysing"

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mas.to/users/sinvega/statuses/116329518570011771https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mas.to/users/sinvega/statuses/116329518570011771Wed, 01 Apr 2026 12:46:25 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to It's really freaky how armies depend on having a lot of really, really young &amp; impressionable soldiers. on Tue, 31 Mar 2026 20:37:27 GMT]]>@Chrisblue @artemis
The book is your best bet I think, CBC has done an excellent job of burying the documentary. Gwynne served in the Canadian, American and UK navies, and teaches at the Sandhurst Military Academy in the UK. He’s brilliantly insightful into a lot of what is happening in the world.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://fosstodon.org/users/GuitarSith/statuses/116325708419335695https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://fosstodon.org/users/GuitarSith/statuses/116325708419335695Tue, 31 Mar 2026 20:37:27 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to It's really freaky how armies depend on having a lot of really, really young &amp; impressionable soldiers. on Tue, 31 Mar 2026 20:17:06 GMT]]>@artemis
There’s an excellent book and CBC TV series by a fellow named Gwynne Dyer called War that he put together back in the 80’s. It covers how military indoctrination works and why it’s so effective. Basically they want males under the age of 25 because they’re utterly incapable of thinking for themselves, and can be easily moulded into highly effective killing machines.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://fosstodon.org/users/GuitarSith/statuses/116325628425645659https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://fosstodon.org/users/GuitarSith/statuses/116325628425645659Tue, 31 Mar 2026 20:17:06 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to It's really freaky how armies depend on having a lot of really, really young &amp; impressionable soldiers. on Tue, 31 Mar 2026 20:10:51 GMT]]>@artemis and to the extent they can get away with it, they won't just characterize it as a different culture…they will do as much as possible to paint it as an "inferior" one, add in as much racist and misogynistic drivel as they can get away with so they will already be in dehumanization mode.

Scared but "too manly" to admit it, AND filled with hubris about being "superior" "objective" and with an imaginary "one true gawd" on their side.. Thats what any nation needs in its young men (/s).

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mstdn.social/ap/users/115820536098538220/statuses/116325603834009106https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mstdn.social/ap/users/115820536098538220/statuses/116325603834009106Tue, 31 Mar 2026 20:10:51 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to It's really freaky how armies depend on having a lot of really, really young &amp; impressionable soldiers. on Tue, 31 Mar 2026 19:33:41 GMT]]>@artemis it's not just soldiers and cops, although soldiers and cops are by far the most obvious examples: "the West" secretly requires the traumatization of children. The children of "the West" must be broken, as forcibly and painfully as possible, in order for them to function properly in a system which depends upon pain and re-traumatization in order to control adult behavior.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://seattle.pink/ap/users/115855847980876292/statuses/116325457708091907https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://seattle.pink/ap/users/115855847980876292/statuses/116325457708091907Tue, 31 Mar 2026 19:33:41 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to It's really freaky how armies depend on having a lot of really, really young &amp; impressionable soldiers. on Tue, 31 Mar 2026 19:21:48 GMT]]>@artemis The UK allows 16-year-olds to join. Bleak.

(In fact applications are allowed from 15-year-olds, presumably ready to join as soon as they turn 16.)

And they market it even younger. "If you're not old enough to join, you can still get involved."

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://hachyderm.io/users/benjamineskola/statuses/116325410963945035https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://hachyderm.io/users/benjamineskola/statuses/116325410963945035Tue, 31 Mar 2026 19:21:48 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to It's really freaky how armies depend on having a lot of really, really young &amp; impressionable soldiers. on Tue, 31 Mar 2026 19:13:01 GMT]]>@artemis Thank you kindly.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://masto.hackers.town/users/drwho/statuses/116325376440960149https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://masto.hackers.town/users/drwho/statuses/116325376440960149Tue, 31 Mar 2026 19:13:01 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to It's really freaky how armies depend on having a lot of really, really young &amp; impressionable soldiers. on Tue, 31 Mar 2026 18:59:56 GMT]]>@drwho
Absolutely.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://dice.camp/users/artemis/statuses/116325325004017991https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://dice.camp/users/artemis/statuses/116325325004017991Tue, 31 Mar 2026 18:59:56 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to It's really freaky how armies depend on having a lot of really, really young &amp; impressionable soldiers. on Tue, 31 Mar 2026 18:59:40 GMT]]>@artemis Can I quote you on that?

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://masto.hackers.town/users/drwho/statuses/116325323949611187https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://masto.hackers.town/users/drwho/statuses/116325323949611187Tue, 31 Mar 2026 18:59:40 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to It's really freaky how armies depend on having a lot of really, really young &amp; impressionable soldiers. on Tue, 31 Mar 2026 18:42:59 GMT]]>@artemis I know you know this, but for a moment I got distracted and returned to reading this toot flickered through the thought you were talking about the police, because where I live a lot of neighborhoods don't speak English first. Same shit, often same scared boys, different borders.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://zeroes.ca/users/cwicseolfor/statuses/116325258356390854https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://zeroes.ca/users/cwicseolfor/statuses/116325258356390854Tue, 31 Mar 2026 18:42:59 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to It's really freaky how armies depend on having a lot of really, really young &amp; impressionable soldiers. on Tue, 31 Mar 2026 18:40:05 GMT]]>@vfrmedia
> in some EU nations a lot of gendarmes were conscripts

That is how I think it should be.
Although, there would still be career vets training them I suppose..

@artemis

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/adusum/statuses/116325246907553004https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/adusum/statuses/116325246907553004Tue, 31 Mar 2026 18:40:05 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to It's really freaky how armies depend on having a lot of really, really young &amp; impressionable soldiers. on Tue, 31 Mar 2026 18:37:24 GMT]]>@adusum

that is true in most "Western" nations with volunteer armies and police forces (don't forget though that some countries still have conscription, until recently even in some EU nations a lot of gendarmes were conscripts - although by 90s/00s there was *supposed* to be non-military options for everyone, some countries made that option harder by making you do extra year service or it paid less)

@artemis

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://social.tchncs.de/users/vfrmedia/statuses/116325236395546780https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://social.tchncs.de/users/vfrmedia/statuses/116325236395546780Tue, 31 Mar 2026 18:37:24 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to It's really freaky how armies depend on having a lot of really, really young &amp; impressionable soldiers. on Tue, 31 Mar 2026 18:35:09 GMT]]>@vfrmedia
The thing is, people self-select for a job having power over other people.

@artemis

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/adusum/statuses/116325227545913029https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/adusum/statuses/116325227545913029Tue, 31 Mar 2026 18:35:09 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to It's really freaky how armies depend on having a lot of really, really young &amp; impressionable soldiers. on Tue, 31 Mar 2026 18:33:21 GMT]]>@PhoenixSerenity @artemis if you're dead, you're worthy of praise. Come back sick/disabled...a burden.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://zeroes.ca/users/SallyFieldlight/statuses/116325220432674284https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://zeroes.ca/users/SallyFieldlight/statuses/116325220432674284Tue, 31 Mar 2026 18:33:21 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to It's really freaky how armies depend on having a lot of really, really young &amp; impressionable soldiers. on Tue, 31 Mar 2026 18:32:24 GMT]]>@adusum @artemis could equally be both (or gendarmerie in countries which have one).

Although in UK the youngest armed Police officer is going to be in mid 20s or older due to the training requirements, here its more likely to be excessive force used by public order units ("riot squad") when they have younger, scared officers.

Also seem two occasions where Roads Policing Unit officers have made sketchy manoeuvres on a busy roundabout putting themselves in a vulnerable position and others in potential danger, which seems to be sparked by a mix of fear and insufficient numbers/backup..

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://social.tchncs.de/users/vfrmedia/statuses/116325216737052933https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://social.tchncs.de/users/vfrmedia/statuses/116325216737052933Tue, 31 Mar 2026 18:32:24 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to It's really freaky how armies depend on having a lot of really, really young &amp; impressionable soldiers. on Tue, 31 Mar 2026 18:29:17 GMT]]>@SallyFieldlight
For those that come back in body bags - there's just a thank you for your service PR event.
They don't care about active duty or veteran lives.

@artemis

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://beige.party/users/PhoenixSerenity/statuses/116325204461690289https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://beige.party/users/PhoenixSerenity/statuses/116325204461690289Tue, 31 Mar 2026 18:29:17 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to It's really freaky how armies depend on having a lot of really, really young &amp; impressionable soldiers. on Tue, 31 Mar 2026 18:25:34 GMT]]>@artemis
Wait - are we still talking about soldiers or the old bill?
@vfrmedia

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/adusum/statuses/116325189875671281https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/adusum/statuses/116325189875671281Tue, 31 Mar 2026 18:25:34 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to It's really freaky how armies depend on having a lot of really, really young &amp; impressionable soldiers. on Tue, 31 Mar 2026 18:14:54 GMT]]>@artemis and when they come back disabled, disregard them just as you do all disabled bodies. Pretty much the government's MO.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://zeroes.ca/users/SallyFieldlight/statuses/116325147925959078https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://zeroes.ca/users/SallyFieldlight/statuses/116325147925959078Tue, 31 Mar 2026 18:14:54 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to It's really freaky how armies depend on having a lot of really, really young &amp; impressionable soldiers. on Tue, 31 Mar 2026 18:07:21 GMT]]>@artemis fascists like impressionable youth. it's harder to convince people who know better.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://beige.party/users/burnitdown/statuses/116325118205137547https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://beige.party/users/burnitdown/statuses/116325118205137547Tue, 31 Mar 2026 18:07:21 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to It's really freaky how armies depend on having a lot of really, really young &amp; impressionable soldiers. on Tue, 31 Mar 2026 18:00:04 GMT]]>Living in terror is not good for the individual soldier, not at all, but it may work out great for the people who are running the war if all their soldiers are fucking terrified.

That's one of the ways you can get them to do atrocities without even having to give the order yourself. Make them fucking terrified & filled with anger, then send them out with weapons drawn & let things just play out.

A scared person with a gun is the most dangerous person you'll ever meet.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://dice.camp/users/artemis/statuses/116325089562445907https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://dice.camp/users/artemis/statuses/116325089562445907Tue, 31 Mar 2026 18:00:04 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to It's really freaky how armies depend on having a lot of really, really young &amp; impressionable soldiers. on Tue, 31 Mar 2026 17:55:14 GMT]]>"Ok, so we're going to teach you to be absolutely petrified of these people whose language you do not speak & whose culture you don't understand & then we're going to send you out in very small groups to go house to house looking for nothing very specific. I'm sure you won't do any murders. Just don't forget that everyone wants to kill you, so you should kill them first."

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://dice.camp/users/artemis/statuses/116325070589470007https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://dice.camp/users/artemis/statuses/116325070589470007Tue, 31 Mar 2026 17:55:14 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to It's really freaky how armies depend on having a lot of really, really young &amp; impressionable soldiers. on Tue, 31 Mar 2026 17:50:42 GMT]]>@artemis They're also less likely to question illegal orders.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mstdn.social/ap/users/116138608027346017/statuses/116325052764140620https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mstdn.social/ap/users/116138608027346017/statuses/116325052764140620Tue, 31 Mar 2026 17:50:42 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to It's really freaky how armies depend on having a lot of really, really young &amp; impressionable soldiers. on Tue, 31 Mar 2026 17:45:48 GMT]]>They first take care to make sure the soldiers are fucking *terrified* of everything & everyone, & THEN they send them out.

Certainly seems to be how the Iraq war worked.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://dice.camp/users/artemis/statuses/116325033468386218https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://dice.camp/users/artemis/statuses/116325033468386218Tue, 31 Mar 2026 17:45:48 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to It's really freaky how armies depend on having a lot of really, really young &amp; impressionable soldiers. on Tue, 31 Mar 2026 17:43:25 GMT]]>You'd think they'd be looking for "courage" in their soldiers, but actually it's easier to get frightened people to do atrocities for you.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://dice.camp/users/artemis/statuses/116325024106834439https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://dice.camp/users/artemis/statuses/116325024106834439Tue, 31 Mar 2026 17:43:25 GMT