The Taste of Blood

[malthaussen]

56. Who does, these days?

In the US, that is. And I've always worried that military training, which necessarily involves making soldiers confident of their abilities and equipment, may tend to make a military solution seem simple, to those we intend to sacrifice in it. It would be counter-productive to teach young soldiers that war sucks, after all. I still remember the interview with the kid in the first Gulf War who said "This is nothing like a video game." Then again, what are drones if not exactly like a video game? Yet even some drone pilots are starting to lose morale when they see the carnage they can cause by twitching a finger.

Alas, we both know that a number of poor, ignorant young fools are salivating at the opportunity to "get out there and kick somebody's ass." And many old, ignorant fools are champing at the bit to send them "there."

-- Mal