US Military to underage kids: "Would you like some candy?"

[CptStern]

US military recruiters were recently found to be using ridiculously creepy/creative tactics in order to get the youth of America interested in signing up for a tour of duty. It seem that during a recent Halo 2 tournament at a GameStop in Manchester, New Hampshire a large number of sub-18-year-old kiddies were turned away due to strict contest regulations (and the possiblity of hardcore teabagging action). Never one to turn away a chance at free bodies, the military recruiters apparently set up a similar event of their own nearby and ushered the crestfallen kids into their foreboding van/gaming tourney.

Obviously it isn't illegal for the military to set up a gaming event, but as children under 18 aren't lawfully able to sign contacts such as the one allowing Uncle Sam to give them guns and ship them to the desert. As much as they won't be punished OR should be legally -- cue kneejerk liberal reaction -- their tactics here are downright Orwellian.

When the Air Force personnel are quoted as saying "Our target market is identical to that of video game stores" you begin to realize exactly how far intertwined with the military their PR wonks have become, so it should come as no surprise to see such morally reprehensible tactics from one arm of an entity we as citizens purportedly have control over.

I think the Military should just cut to the chase and offer up FREE chloroform coated candy

http://www.destructoid.com/military...-at-halo-event-creep-everyone-out-46721.phtml

 

[Raziaar]

Well... I don't like the tactics the military uses to recruit young people. My cousin was recruited into the marines quite a while ago, and he's just recently been shipped off to Iraq. I'm furious about that.

However... to be fair, kids these days really know what they're getting into. They're saturated heavily with opinions from the left and the right, about how great the military is, how horrible the military is. How they'll get to kill terrorists... how they'll get shot at and potentially shoot innocents that might scar them for life.

Kids these days are more aware of their environment than ever before. It's foolish to say(unfortunately), that kids are being lured blindly. They know what they're getting into... and even though they might be doing it for the wrong reasons(money, adventure, etc), they still choose to do it.

 

[Atomic_Piggy]

What next? Conscription?

 

[CptStern]

Well... I don't like the tactics the military uses to recruit young people. My cousin was recruited into the marines quite a while ago, and he's just recently been shipped off to Iraq. I'm furious about that.

hope for the best

However... to be fair, kids these days really know what they're getting into.

dont agree ..more than 80% of american soldiers stationed in baghdad as of 2006 believed saddam was responsible or had something to do with 9/11 ..you'd think the guys on the front lines would have their facts straight

They're saturated heavily with opinions from the left and the right, about how great the military is, how horrible the military is. How they'll get to kill terrorists... how they'll get shot at and potentially shoot innocents that might scar them for life.

Kids these days are more aware of their environment than ever before. It's foolish to say(unfortunately), that kids are being lured blindly. They know what they're getting into... and even though they might be doing it for the wrong reasons(money, adventure, etc), they still choose to do it.

i really dont agree that they know what they're getting into (in some cases), why else would the military use video games as a recruitment tool? the thinking is that if they like shooting people virtually they might like it in real life


anyways I'd rather this thread was a little more light hearted than the usual "recruitment of cannon fodder" type discussions these threads usually become

 

[joule]

Well... I don't like the tactics the military uses to recruit young people. My cousin was recruited into the marines quite a while ago, and he's just recently been shipped off to Iraq. I'm furious about that.

What makes you so furious about him being Iraq?

 

[Raziaar]

What makes you so furious about him being Iraq?

Because I don't want him to get shot at. I don't want something to happen to him that would potentially change his life forever... or ours if he were to die.

I've stopped supporting this war a while ago. One of the biggest factors that helped me lean towards the other persuasion was when he joined the marines. Suddenly things became personal for me and it helped me lock a lot of things into place that I never really saw very clearly on before.

You know, the crappy thing is... his situation is very cliche. He got married to his high school sweetheart before being shipped out... and on top of all the other trauma he's going to have to face, he has to worry about that too.

 

[Sir Phoenixx]

dont agree ..more than 80% of american soldiers stationed in baghdad as of 2006 believed saddam was responsible or had something to do with Iraq ..you'd think the guys on the front lines would have their facts straight

You mean the former president of Iraq had nothing to do with Iraq?

 

[CptStern]

You mean the former president of Iraq had nothing to do with Iraq?

doh!!!

fixed

 

[Glirk Dient]

I don't see anything very wrong with this. Pretty much every recruiter I have seen/been to has events going on for recruitment. Events that get kids who are almost of age to join to be interested in the military work very well. Stuff like this has gone on got a very long time. My recruiter usually had BBQs, paintballing, baseball games, airsoft, laser tag, monster trucks and the list goes on. This is nothing out of the ordinary.

I don't see whats wrong with this, if it were 10yr olds they were targetting then it would be wrong. However they were targeting sub 18 yr olds which is the exact target they want to advertise to.

I am not sure what you are expecting the military to do here. They use effective marketing aimed at their prime market and its wrong? No one is forcing them to sign up either. Not to mention there is a myriad of literature on the internet that gives you a realistic view of the military...both leftist and right. If your going to sign away 4 years of your life you had better understand what your getting yourself into and understand that it might be an awful lot worse than you think. You are the one signing it is your responsibility to understand what your getting yourself into.

Sorry Stern...I just don't see what the big deal is or what you would rather have the military do.

 

[<RJMC>]

holy shit stern have 27100 post!

 

[kirovman]

I remember when an army officer came to our school and gave a talk about joining the army.

He grimly said "If you join the army, you're likely to die" and walked away.

This was pre-afghanistan.

holy shit stern have 27100 post!

holy shit less than 10 minutes later, he's got 27195 posts now. That's some mean posting.

 

[Ridge]

Ive got 1 buddy who in April got back from a year in the desert...I talked to him once via satphone, but he had to leave as they were coming under fire...needless to say, I was concerned about him...Hes USMC.

Another buddy of mine is Army, and now hes serving a year over there and should be back sometime early next year...I also worry about him.

My Marine Corps buddy ships out again in June for another year...

These are my two closest friends that still live here.

 

[Raziaar]

I remember when an army officer came to our school and gave a talk about joining the army.

He grimly said "If you join the army, you're likely to die" and walked away.

This was pre-afghanistan.

Though fortunately it's not true. If it was most of the people in the army would be dead. Even in WW2 for the united states, the ratio of dead to living wasn't very spectacular.

And for many countries, you had a greater chance of dying as a civilian than you did as a soldier.

And speaking of that, wikipedia had this disturbing pie chart for WWII casualties.

 

[Krynn72]

I think the Military should just cut to the chase and offer up FREE chloroform coated candy

I'd sign up for some chloroform candy!

 

[Sudano]

In my school, we have recruiters there once in a while, of all the branches, and then the other day there was some guy saying don't give them your information or something? wtf? sry to be a bit offtopic.

 

[Raziaar]

My god... look at this.

http://spe.atdmt.com/ds/GCASTAIRFAE...ptaea0150000339ast/direct;ai.31459276;ct.1/01

That's the current gamespot background advertisement. lol.

 

[B.Calhoun]

Someones gotta do the dirty work of the world.

 

[Gunner]

How is this a surprise? They pretty much demonstrated their intentions with AA years ago.

 

[Sudano]

Though fortunately it's not true. If it was most of the people in the army would be dead. Even in WW2 for the united states, the ratio of dead to living wasn't very spectacular.

And for many countries, you had a greater chance of dying as a civilian than you did as a soldier.

And speaking of that, wikipedia had this disturbing pie chart for WWII casualties.

Well, thats because of hitler in WWII, most of those were Jews, and who ever else he killed in the camps.

 

[Polaris]

No, most of them were East European civilians, I guess. Jews were after all, civilians in countries controled by Nazis.

To topic: I don't see anything wrong with US Army recruit or promotion actions.

 

[Raziaar]

Well, thats because of hitler in WWII, most of those were Jews, and who ever else he killed in the camps.

Jews killed in the holocaust only make up a small percentage of total civilian deaths in WWII.

This is from the same wikipedia article.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_World_War_II_casualties_by_country#Casualties_by_country

China is number 1 and Russia number 2 for number of civilian deaths. Nearly 16 million and 12 million respectively. That's just batshit insane! The numbers are greater than their military losses... and for China it shows nearly 4 times as many.

 

[Sudano]

That's amazing, I never knew the numbers were that high...

 

[15357]

Heh, over here we don't have recruiters. All we get is a call from manpower services saying: "You have been assigned to army frontline infantry/combat police. report to training depot xxxxx on date xxxxxx."

anyway, i don't see anything wrong ith this, s the military use of non-adults is till legal.

 

[<RJMC>]

Heh, over here we don't have recruiters. All we get is a call from manpower services saying: "You have been assigned to army frontline infantry/combat police. report to training depot xxxxx on date xxxxxx."

lol

dam10charstupidthingImagoingtokillmunro

 

[Atomic_Piggy]

Heh, over here we don't have recruiters. All we get is a call from manpower services saying: "You have been assigned to army frontline infantry/combat police. report to training depot xxxxx on date xxxxxx."

anyway, i don't see anything wrong ith this, s the military use of non-adults is till legal.

But thats immoral. Completely. No better than what north korea do.

/runs