Persepolis, you had it mild.

The army and coast guard were both pretty easy going - but the marines were staging push up contests and other manly crap with, I must say, pretty decent prizes for a high school crowd.

There were more than a few cases where I had to re-explain the truth to a few of my friends after they got done talking with a military recruiter. The crap that got put in their minds was amazing. My favorite was that the national guard rarely is involved in other nations. *At a time when quite a few guard units are over in Iraq, mind you*. Or that you can choose a non combat role after basic. You can refuse service in Iraq, etc. The list went on and freaking on.

The fact that your conversations can be summed up in a Question-Response-Statement formula is amazing.

When I had the unfortunate experience of needing a pen for my next class, I made the mistake of trying and grabbing one from their cup. It took no less than five minutes to back away from the conversation with tact (I refuse to just tell people off, Its not my style, and saying no over again didnt work.)

My favorite was their continued use of false dichotomy. It was either college or the army for a future. And even if you chose higher education - they had their witty response about the free money. Of course - we just had an article on Fark that shows how much they respect that.

Whatever... Im on the chicks side - indoctrinating our youth before they go through the neuronal cropping in the teen years is retarded. They just arnt made for that shiat yet. If I was my parent, I wouldnt have trusted myself with a god damned butter knife at that age, much less my future.

Persepolis:

Everyone from every angle is trying to indoctronate you ever sicne you are a kid. Thank God we have brains and are able to think for ourselves.

One problem. When the FFA tried recruiting me - I had very little chance of dieing. When the future teachers association people tried imparting with me the value of public service as a teacher - I didn't need to sign a multi year contract with prison time if I didn't show up.

And moreover, the science club didn't outright lie to me over and over again about the benefits of joining, nor did they offer large monetary upfront enlistment bonuses.

Furthermore, no member of any other orginization who ever promoted themselves at my school EVER paid new recruits to try and recruit me. My freind who did join up tried getting me to join because he would get and extra one thousand dollars - which he said he would split with me if I joined.

They are sick bastards with no freaking morals. If you want to not care - go ahead. I praise the people who do.

P.P.S. I like to think of myself as smart, at least back in highschool - but for farks sake - Do you really, really, really, think that high schoolers are prepared to make these kind of decisions in a high pressure social environment? My point being, I dont think we have the brains and are able to think for ourselves, and in fact, most research in social psychology tends to point otherwise.

People are herd-oriented. We are easily pressured, and we generally do not enjoy thinking for ourselves. And even if people do get tricked in to joining up deserve it for not researching the matter fully - its still a shame, and they need protected.

Im not even saying to ban the buggers - just make sure they arnt lieing pricks with no limits.

Persepolis: Heck, agree to agree it seems.

Indeed. However, I still think that letting recruiters go on with their asshattery because personal choice is important is slightly odd.

Personal choice should not negate moral standards on the side of the people putting up those said choices. If anything, knowing that people have personal choices should make their obligations to moral standards higher and more precise.

Let it be a choice, put the real facts out, and stop the idiotic recruiters from giving the whole dam system a bad reputation.

I'm not generally against the system. But I hate this part of it with a passion.

Persepolis:

Fair enough - I'm probably being a bit of an activist asshat on the matter, but the lady has justifiable reasons to be worried about it. Even if the situation at hand isnt quite what happens after they hit highschool.