Poll: Should National Service be introduced

[Hedberger]

We have it here in Sweden sort of. Nowdays only 7-8 thousand make it in each year though. It's a fairly good system for us since we aren't forced to go to an actual warzone. Most guys in my age that are fit and like being outdoors fight for the spots. It's actually a good experience according to my brothers. You learn self-discipline, teamwork etc. and you actually don't learn that much about combat except with assualt rifles. Two years sounds too much though, our longest traning for officers is one and a half year. In short it works rather well for us and i think it might work for you too.

 

[Haydyn]

I would, but I don't want to be in the armed forces with Obama in charge.

 

[Jandau]

As a military brat, being born to a service man, raised by them, and spending most of my live surrounded by barb wire. I may be slightly more bias to the concept of National Service than others.

My father left the army 6 years ago, and since then, I have been in civilian life. In my personal opinion, many of todays problems, I think could be partially, or even fully cured by National Service. it worked for our Grandfathers, and their dads, and so on.

2 years, discipline, friends, travel, possibly find a calling. It could help sort out yob culture, show the reality behind violence. I don't want to sound like the fascist everyone associates with National Service Nowadays.

Also, I am open to people showing my the downsides of it. Personally, I can't think of many, other than preference.

(I am not aware in concrete about other countries outside the UK, as I don't want to assume certain countries don't have it when they might)

In my country mandatory army duty (1 year) was in place up until a few years ago. It helped noone and only caused problems for young people looking to get jobs by stealing a year of their lives.

First of all, when do you propose it take place? At a specific age? So people are just supposed to put their life on hold (education, family, etc.) and join the arms? After a certain educational milestone? Oh yes, that's just what I want to do after college/high school: forget everything I learned and get molested by insecure overcompensating sargeants.

Then we get to the entire moral objection thing. Not only to violence, but also to being forced to serve. I already pay taxes and get ripped off by my country, I have no intention of wasting my life and screwing it up just to go do something that won't benefit me in the slightest. I don't owe my country anything, I pay for EVERY damn thing that they provide for me. When I no longer have to pay for healthcare, utilities and don't get taxed to death if I as much as fart, then we can talk about me giving back to my country and other such crap.

I can appreciate that you have grown up surrounded by military personell and might think it a good idea. However, many of us do not. Where you see discipline, I see psychological damage. Where you see friends, I see being forced to spend time with morons of all walks of life, as well as being separated from my actual friends and family. And where you see travel, I see opportunity to get shot. As far as I'm concerned, mandatory army service is something that should be implemented only in cases of emergency.

Having said that, I fully support government programs that encourage people to join the army by offering to cover the costs of education or providing employment benefits. Armed forces are needed at the moment, but it should be a career like any other, not something you're forced into because some people misguidedly think it's good for you.

 

[The_Night_Walker]

Giving Hormone filled Teenagers Guns wouldn't be a good idea

 

[Lord George]

Hmmm I don't think it would work so much, you might end up with a culture of yobs who are actually healthy and know how to fight as opposed to the weaklings you get nowadays who fall over if you so much as breathe too hard on them.

 

[Xrysthos]

In Norway the concept has been used ever since the end of WWII, and usually without it being a problem. 10 months is the usual duration, and the pay isn't great, but it's not horrible. The deal in Norway is however that they only accept those that get the highest test scores, let's say the 10,000 people with the highest scores out of roughly 100,000 people. Even though it is mandatory for males and optional for females, not a lot of males actually get accepted. I was sick at the time, so I didn't have to go. /flex

 

[Agent Larkin]

As a military brat, being born to a service man, raised by them, and spending most of my live surrounded by barb wire. I may be slightly more bias to the concept of National Service than others.

My father left the army 6 years ago, and since then, I have been in civilian life. In my personal opinion, many of todays problems, I think could be partially, or even fully cured by National Service. it worked for our Grandfathers, and their dads, and so on.

2 years, discipline, friends, travel, possibly find a calling. It could help sort out yob culture, show the reality behind violence. I don't want to sound like the fascist everyone associates with National Service Nowadays.

Also, I am open to people showing my the downsides of it. Personally, I can't think of many, other than preference.

(I am not aware in concrete about other countries outside the UK, as I don't want to assume certain countries don't have it when they might)

Problem is there is No British Empire for you to guard which was one of the reasons National Service worked.

 

[Aardvark Soup]

Absolutely not. I really wouldn't want to waste two years I could have just as well spend studying. Being constantly yelled at by some kind of colonel and potentially being send to Afghanistan aren't particulary atractive either.

 

[timmytom1]

Perhaps criminals could be offerd the choice of national service equivalent to their sentance (god knows what to do with the lifers though)

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

I agree totally with Enforced National Service, but not in the Military.

Everyone, no exceptions, should, at the age of 16, HAVE to sit on a checkout at Tescos/Walmart or the equivalent, for eight hours on a Saturday at Xmas.

At that point, you WILL realize how to treat people.

 

[Bluebacon]

Is it too much to ask 2 years of your life for your nation?

Yes it is. I could find a job, get married and settle down, and then suddenly I'm to throw 2 years away? Bollocks to that. Anway, getting a job and paying some taxes would be far more useful to the nation than joining the army for 2 years.

Edit: Getting a degree would be even more useful, as then I could do a better quality, and so even more useful to the nation, job.

I'm not particularly attached to my country in the first place. If I don't like it, I'll just move. It wouldn't be the first time.

 

[Judgedread]

Forcing people to join the military is a horrible idea many people want to go out and learn things in uni and get jobs, why force them to do something they don't want to do.

 

[mike1921]

NO! The world should eventually be rid of war. War is a bad thing. We do not want war. National service is adversary to that reasoning.

Also, some people are not suitable for war. War often leaves scars on someone's psyche. That may hamper their personal development, which is not exactly a good thin methinks.

War is acceptable under certain conditions (war that's a response to other war doesn't count). Also, it's part of human nature. The best we could do is starting wars for better reasons.

I agree totally with Enforced National Service, but not in the Military.

Everyone, no exceptions, should, at the age of 16, HAVE to sit on a checkout at Tescos/Walmart or the equivalent, for eight hours on a Saturday at Xmas.

At that point, you WILL realize how to treat people.

No exceptions? As in you could be in a hospital dieing of cancer and you have to work at walmart? Don't say no exceptions unless you already have some as part of your sentence or you mean dieing people should work at wallmart.

Also, fuck you if you think I'm doing 8 hours of work on a holiday when I didn't decide to, especially when I'd only be doing it because of idiot customers.



I'm not gonna let the government throw a two year wrench into my plans. So I find this idea horrible. And, since I think rights are the MOST important thing (give me liberty or give me death) for a government to provide, I think they're not doing their job right.

 

[spuddyt]

Is it too much to ask 2 years of your life for your nation?

Yes, it is.
"My" nation can go fuck itself.

It can find someone else to serve it.

^This
What the OP seems to fail to understand is that these days no one feels ANY patriotism (at least if they have half a brain) - the world is becoming more unified than people realise, simply because people don't give 2 shits if they are techinically in a different country if they can still live in the same place

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

Also, fuck you if you think I'm doing 8 hours of work on a holiday when I didn't decide to, especially when I'd only be doing it because of idiot customers.

And that's exactly why you'll be doing it, so you don't turn into another idiot customer. And no exceptions, given I've had a one armed man serving me in my local store.

 

[Zacharine]

Finland already has this kind of thing, though it lasts only 6, 9 or 12 months.

And I say hell yeah. Why?

Discounting any combat skills you'll likely never use, you learn some disipline, you learn that the man who makes decisions takes the responsibility, you learn that someone needs to be in charge (otherwise nothing gets done), you learn that whining helps no-one (not even yourself) and you discover some of your own limits (both physical and mental), and you're forced to learn some effin teamwork with people from a variety of social backgrounds.

EDIT: two years sounds a bit too long though.

 

[mike1921]

Also, fuck you if you think I'm doing 8 hours of work on a holiday when I didn't decide to, especially when I'd only be doing it because of idiot customers.

And that's exactly why you'll be doing it, so you don't turn into another idiot customer. And no exceptions, given I've had a one armed man serving me in my local store.

You don't get more retarded, you just never get smart, and according to the customer is always wrong thread, at 13 I'm smarter than a fairly large portion of customers. I don't like having to clean up the mess caused by people who never got smart.

 

[DragunovHUN]

2 years, discipline, friends, travel, possibly find a calling. It could help sort out yob culture

You know we have something eerily similar to this and the best part is its completely up to you. Its called college, give it a shot.

College? Discipline? Yeah right.