Comment on Food served to US service men & women.

• raze2012@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

  We’re using “volunteer” very strongly in a society where we need to work to live.

  Put it this way: military recruitment is almost always inversely proportional to the economic wellbeing. I. E. When the economy sucks and people can’t find jobs, that’s when you often get the highest amount of recruits.

  That’s not even going into systematic issues that can lead to that; my mom was in ROTC to pay off her college and my uncles went in when my grandpa kicked them out of the house, almost as soon as they graduated high school.

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  But yes, back on point: yes, at any point you can be told you are going to be drafted. Just becsuse it’s not this specific boat doesn’t mean it won’t ever happen.

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  • Tomorrow_Farewell@lemmy.ml ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    Put it this way: military recruitment is almost always inversely proportional to the economic wellbeing.

    At least In the US, that is very much not true. The poor are actually underrepresented in the USian military. It is the well-of quantiles in the middle that are overrepresented.

    Also, no, you are not forced to join the USian military.

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    • raze2012@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      At least In the US, that is very much not true.

      usafacts.org/…/is-military-enlistment-down/

      It decreases overall, but you can definitely trace spikes in applicants with economic slumps. COVID is probably the big exception, for obvious reasons.

      The poor are actually underrepresented in the USian military.

      That’s why I focused on applications to military. They don’t let everyone in, and it’s well that many of the lower income applicants get passed up because they can’t pass the tests.

      Another family example: my cousin was passed up because he had tattoos. They have been more lenient on such policies this decade, though.

      you are not forced to join the USian military.

      If “respond to the draft or get arrested” is your interpretation of choice, then you are technically correct. But most societies would not call that freedom of choice.

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      • Tomorrow_Farewell@lemmy.ml ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        It decreases overall

        Yeah, so it is not true at least in the case of the USian shutzstaffel, contrary to the original claim.

        If “respond to the draft or get arrested” is your interpretation of choice

        The US isn’t doing a forced draft. These monsters sign up voluntarily.

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