View Full Version : WSJ Opinion Piece on Military Recruiting Gen Z.
Averageman
08-15-23, 18:26
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/the-military-recruiting-crisis-and-gen-z/ar-AA1fjDmm?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=d61abd22a5e040ab882b2bb1e476947f&ei=8
The military serves an important role in economic mobility for the working class. This often drives recruitment. I have peers who have been able to attend college only because of the GI Bill and other associated benefits, which have exempted them from the continuously spiraling college-debt crisis. Public support for college-debt relief and other similar measures have damaged this enlistment incentive. As the social safety net expands, the military will have to find other means of enticing potential recruits.
The convergence of anti-American sentiment and falling of physical-health standards has culminated in 80% of 18- to 24-year-olds being deemed unfit to serve, which has deepened the recruitment-retirement ratio.
According to the Reagan National Defense Survey, 62% of Americans believe military leadership has become overly politicized and decreased their confidence in the armed forces, and almost 60% say it is due to a lack of presidential competence. To combat this, the military must rescind its political posturing and affirm its core values: protecting American freedoms, not designing them.
Lost confidence in American institutions through this politicization should be deeply concerning. Four out of five young adults in the U.S. aren’t fit to serve due to being overweight, using drugs, or not meeting other of the military’s physical and mental standards. But it’s even more concerning that healthy people don’t want to join.
Good Article
In regards to the above statement , I guess that chicken has come home to roost !
I left for the Army the day after I turned 18. Next month will be 40 years (yikes!). I had always wanted to be in the military as a young kid, so I guess the decision was a given. That said, as a young guy now? Not sure what I'd choose to do.
I'd probably still do it though, sucker that I am.
Averageman
08-15-23, 19:27
I left for the Army the day after I turned 18. Next month will be 40 years (yikes!). I had always wanted to be in the military as a young kid, so I guess the decision was a given. That said, as a young guy now? Not sure what I'd choose to do.
I'd probably still do it though, sucker that I am.
I'm right there with you, I turned 19 on the German Border. I always wanted to be a Soldier also, it runs in the Family; however I think my Brother and I are the only Lifers.
Probably Still...
Yeah, I would do it too / again. But I certainly understand why people wouldn't want to do it.
I work with people at SOCOM (actually headed down there tomorrow) and the students going through SF training are highly motivated and seem to be immune from politics.
Yeah, I would do it too / again. But I certainly understand why people wouldn't want to do it.
I work with people at SOCOM (actually headed down there tomorrow) and the students going through SF training are highly motivated and seem to be immune from politics.
They would have to be.
Growing up I wanted to be a green beret and a cop (movies and tv), I would later understand that I probably couldn't be one and didn't actually want to be the other.
That said, if I grew up in the last 10 years I probably wouldn't want anything to do with either one.
Sadly I have encountered more people whose stated function is to be a bruja / brujo (current hip term for wiccan / witch) and actually believe they have powers and can cast spells than I have people who actually serve a useful purpose. Reminds me of all the filthy hippies in the 60s with a copy of the I Ching throwing pennies and thinking they possessed the secrets of the universe.
Averageman
08-15-23, 23:19
That said, if I grew up in the last 10 years I probably wouldn't want anything to do with either one.
I'm watching a couple of my Son's friends quickly become rich, Software and Specialty Tires (of all things).
None of those guys served and this is a Military Community, they sure went to work though.
More oung people are seeing that the military is just an extension of the government. Politicians decide where and who you fight (usually based on lies) and routinely sacrifice tactical objectives that cost lives for political objectives that only serve their own interests and egos and not the best interests of America or Americans. Thats not anti American it's just the truth.
I'm watching a couple of my Son's friends quickly become rich, Software and Specialty Tires (of all things).
None of those guys served and this is a Military Community, they sure went to work though.
Honestly the only people who belong in the military are those who want to be in the military. A lot of people, their talents lie elsewhere. Figuring out where you best fit can be one of the hardest things a person does with their life. And nobody in the military should be working with and depending upon other personnel who have no business being in the military in the first place.
More oung people are seeing that the military is just an extension of the government. Politicians decide where and who you fight (usually based on lies) and routinely sacrifice tactical objectives that cost lives for political objectives that only serve their own interests and egos and not the best interests of America or Americans. Thats not anti American it's just the truth.
Oh, I think it's been that way for quite a bit.
When WWII broke out, you ended up in real shitholes in the South Pacific full of diseases, rats and fanatical Japanese. Nobody was getting a posting anyplace wonderful.
And in WWII there were actually dumb ****ers in charge who contemplated NOT using the bomb in Japan despite the fact that it probably saved millions of lives. More than a few people actually wanted to go forward with a mainland invasion. We probably took some islands in the Pacific that could have easily been skipped, some we had to take but some we didn't. Thankfully we did island hop over some serious ones.
Much as I admire Churchill, his insistence that Italy was the "easy road" into Europe was way off base. Shortly after we "finally" took Rome, we landed in Normandy. Sure we tied down lots of German forces in Italy, but they killed our guys just the same, especially in places like Anzio where we didn't have our shit completely together.
As far as political objectives, we began that war because Germany (and Russia) invaded Poland. Yet somehow when it was all over, Russia was allowed to keep Poland. The liberation of Poland would have to wait several decades.
We freed France, and right after the war they threatened to fall under the communist sphere of influence if we didn't support them in their effort to reclaim their colony of Indochina, which is how we ended up in Vietnam. Political chess has been ****ing us and our fighting men for quite some time.
The big difference of course is we at least have a volunteer army these days.
Oh, I think it's been that way for quite a bit.
When WWII broke out, you ended up in real shitholes in the South Pacific full of diseases, rats and fanatical Japanese. Nobody was getting a posting anyplace wonderful.
And in WWII there were actually dumb ****ers in charge who contemplated NOT using the bomb in Japan despite the fact that it probably saved millions of lives. More than a few people actually wanted to go forward with a mainland invasion. We probably took some islands in the Pacific that could have easily been skipped, some we had to take but some we didn't. Thankfully we did island hop over some serious ones.
Much as I admire Churchill, his insistence that Italy was the "easy road" into Europe was way off base. Shortly after we "finally" took Rome, we landed in Normandy. Sure we tied down lots of German forces in Italy, but they killed our guys just the same, especially in places like Anzio where we didn't have our shit completely together.
As far as political objectives, we began that war because Germany (and Russia) invaded Poland. Yet somehow when it was all over, Russia was allowed to keep Poland. The liberation of Poland would have to wait several decades.
We freed France, and right after the war they threatened to fall under the communist sphere of influence if we didn't support them in their effort to reclaim their colony of Indochina, which is how we ended up in Vietnam. Political chess has been ****ing us and our fighting men for quite some time.
The big difference of course is we at least have a volunteer army these days.
There is no comparison in the level of corruption and lack of trust in government in 1940 compared to now.
Politicizing our Mil and government agencies has seriously damaged both. When I was enlistment age, I was horrified at the idea of getting blown up for some politician who could give a crap about me. So I never joined the Military.
Now days, it's still that risk... PLUS the lunatic left wing woke crap, and the forced vaccinations, etc. No chance.
Averageman
08-17-23, 04:43
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/opinion/commentary-it-s-time-for-a-national-security-strategy-for-military-recruiting/ar-AA1fnFIO?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=cee1c1cdb4d647fda99eb97f284bb5fa&ei=12
Our armed forces are shrinking in size and capacity. The current crisis in military recruiting qualifies as a direct threat to U.S. national security.
In just two years, the active duty Army has shrunk from 485,000 to only 452,000 troops. It expects to fall short of its recruiting goals again this year. The Navy and Air Force are predicting shortfalls as well. As a result, our nation will have under-strength Army formations, Navy ships and Air Force squadrons—at a time when America is depending on its military to a greater degree than in the previous three decades.
Yet many American are unaware that the military is facing a recruitment crisis. Indeed, other than the individual military services furiously racing to turn around recruiting trends, the White House and senior Pentagon leaders have been silent on the issue, not giving a single speech or interview on the topic.
Yet many American are unaware that the military is facing a recruitment crisis. Indeed, other than the individual military services furiously racing to turn around recruiting trends, the White House and senior Pentagon leaders have been silent on the issue, not giving a single speech or interview on the topic.
Why would they? This is what they want, Joe and the Hoe are not sitting around wringing their hands worrying about the state of military recruitment. Just like the irreversible damage being done with the millions of illegal immigrants swarming this country- no press releases there because that is what they want. I chuckle when I hear the talking heads discussing what needs to be done to fix the economy or curb rampant crime or stop illegal immigration or fix military recruitment because this is what they want. Creating crisis and chaos makes the weak minded cry out to the .gov to fix it- just take our money and freedom but fix it.
And the Marines are like, "recruitment crisis? What recruitment crisis?"
Yeah, I would do it too / again. But I certainly understand why people wouldn't want to do it.
I work with people at SOCOM (actually headed down there tomorrow) and the students going through SF training are highly motivated and seem to be immune from politics.
Not in my 24 years experience in SOF. We have them but do not talk openly about it as we are not supposed to. I can tell you that 99% of the men I worked with were very conservative in SOF. That 1% that was not either moved on or got out.
Not in my 24 years experience in SOF. We have them but do not talk openly about it as we are not supposed to. I can tell you that 99% of the men I worked with were very conservative in SOF. That 1% that was not either moved on or got out.
I think you articulated it better than I did. Everyone has their opinions, but you put them in your pocket and do the job; they don't define you.
One guy with whom I worked, former 18D now a civilian CRNA, is an extremely mouthy liberal. He is so polarizing after the Q word got out and no team would take him. He went straight from the Q to cadre for SFMS.
But most guys with whom I worked were fairly conservative.
And the Marines are like, "recruitment crisis? What recruitment crisis?"
Yeah, weeelll.......when you lower your recruitment numbers ahead of time it looks like you "met numbers" when you really didn't. The Marines aren't immune to any of this PC/woke bullshit, and by damned if the friggin' Air Force (of all services) has trouble recruiting you know full well the Jarheads aren't picking up the extras!
Diamondback
08-17-23, 18:16
You forget the most important thing: they WANT this because they want that sweet Chinese payola and to keep the money flowing they have to keep their paymasters in Beijing happy.
Yeah, weeelll.......when you lower your recruitment numbers ahead of time it looks like you "met numbers" when you really didn't. The Marines aren't immune to any of this PC/woke bullshit, and by damned if the friggin' Air Force (of all services) has trouble recruiting you know full well the Jarheads aren't picking up the extras!
The Marines did not reduce manpower numbers; DOD and congress did. That said, not only have they met goal, they are exceeding targets.
https://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/modern-day-marine/2023/06/29/marines-on-target-for-active-reserve-recruiting-and-retention-goals/
They do have critically undermanned MOSs, though.
The Marines did not reduce manpower numbers; DOD and congress did. That said, not only have they met goal, they are exceeding targets.
https://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/modern-day-marine/2023/06/29/marines-on-target-for-active-reserve-recruiting-and-retention-goals/
They do have critically undermanned MOSs, though.
I wonder how much (if any) is the belief that they’re more anti-woke than the rest of the mil? I’d assume that to be true, with USAF leading the charge in the other direction.
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You'd be surprised how flexible the standards can be when recruitment shortages are looming.
You'd be surprised how flexible the standards can be when recruitment shortages are looming.
LOL, truth. I remember all the waivers during GWOT. Some of those folks were....remarkable.
I wonder how much (if any) is the BELIEF that they’re more anti-woke than the rest of the mil? I’d assume that to be true, with USAF leading the charge in the other direction.
Key word there is "belief".....perception can become reality.
My first and foremost "woke" issue is women in Infantry and SOF roles (which started under Trump ironically). The Marines have that too. They also have the LGBQTXYZ shit going on like everyone else. I stated earlier that the USMC is not immune to the PC/woke crap and I stand by it. They just spin it differently. If someone thinks that they will join the Corps and not ever see two homo's holding hands or a 120lb bull dyke 0311 sweating under a ruck (and everyone else having to carry her shit) they are deluding themselves. It's ALL fvcked up and the Marines are infected with the disease just like the others.
Key word there is "belief".....perception can become reality.
My first and foremost "woke" issue is women in Infantry and SOF roles (which started under Trump ironically). The Marines have that too. They also have the LGBQTXYZ shit going on like everyone else. I stated earlier that the USMC is not immune to the PC/woke crap and I stand by it. They just spin it differently. If someone thinks that they will join the Corps and not ever see two homo's holding hands or a 120lb bull dyke 0311 sweating under a ruck (and everyone else having to carry her shit) they are deluding themselves. It's ALL fvcked up and the Marines are infected with the disease just like the others.
You’re just a gay hating old man, aren’t you? I’ve had some stellar performers that were homosexual and women, as subordinates and peers. Has yet to be an issue IME.
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You’re just a gay hating old man, aren’t you? I’ve had some stellar performers that were homosexual and women, as subordinates and peers. Has yet to be an issue IME.
You serious Clark? Maybe my sarcasm meter needs re-calibrated.
Just in case that wasn't joking around, no I do not buy into the LGBQTXYZ lifestyles shoved down our throats in recent years. I don't give a damn who you sleep with or what you do in your bedroom, but expecting me to revel in a public display of debauchery ain't gonna happen. Same as I feel about a guy and a chick making out in public----get a room for Pete's sake. Don't wear your sexuality on your sleeve. Statistically I'm sure there were gays in my unit but no one flaunted it so no one cared. There were no women in Infantry units when I was in so I can't say there was one who was a "stellar performer". For being a commissioned officer you think your reading comprehension skills would have easily noted that my point was if you join the USMC in 2023 and don't think you'll see the PC/woke crap you're deluding yourself. They are not exempt from all this, it's everywhere. They do, however, have an awesome Public Affairs effort.
As far as "old man" goes, got news for ya Sparky: once you're in your 30's you ain't young anymore either. You may be younger than someone else but your spring chicken days have sailed past. With a little luck you'll be "old" some day.
Your posting is beginning to remind me of that one douche who used to be on here, KalashniCock (Kev). Real similar. Military guy, dismissive, knew everything, Left-leaning too.
You serious Clark? Maybe my sarcasm meter needs re-calibrated.
Just in case that wasn't joking around, no I do not buy into the LGBQTXYZ lifestyles shoved down our throats in recent years. I don't give a damn who you sleep with or what you do in your bedroom, but expecting me to revel in a public display of debauchery ain't gonna happen. Same as I feel about a guy and a chick making out in public----get a room for Pete's sake. Don't wear your sexuality on your sleeve. Statistically I'm sure there were gays in my unit but no one flaunted it so no one cared. There were no women in Infantry units when I was in so I can't say there was one who was a "stellar performer". For being a commissioned officer you think your reading comprehension skills would have easily noted that my point was if you join the USMC in 2023 and don't think you'll see the PC/woke crap you're deluding yourself. They are not exempt from all this, it's everywhere. They do, however, have an awesome Public Affairs effort.
As far as "old man" goes, got news for ya Sparky: once you're in your 30's you ain't young anymore either. You may be younger than someone else but your spring chicken days have sailed past. With a little luck you'll be "old" some day.
Your posting is beginning to remind me of that one douche who used to be on here, KalashniCock (Kev). Real similar. Military guy, dismissive, knew everything, Left-leaning too.
I say all the time that I’m old. I definitely feel like it. But I’m not so set in my belief that anything other than it pisses me off. I know what you wrote but I can also read between the lines and your response confirms my initial analysis. I haven’t seen a single instance of the mil “expecting me to revel” in any relationship or sexual orientation. I also haven’t seen a single person flaunt being gay. Yes, people are. Yes, sometimes it eventually comes up. But the only times I’ve ever heard of gay acceptance being shoved down our throats, it wasn’t from the Army, it was from some guy on a forum that heard it elsewhere.
I’m sure it happens, all kinds of shit happens. Doesn’t mean that the mil is requiring everyone to go march in pride parades or whatever else some of you guys seem to think happens on a daily basis.
The political accusations are just dumb and I don’t think I’ve had a single instance where I’ve dismissed anyone (feel free to find one of my posts to correct me). I’ll debate you as long as you want on this or until you convince me that I’ve forgotten/misremembered something.
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Gays have been in the US military since General Washington was fighting the Limey's. Unless 'they' tried to make a pass at me (never happened) it wasn't an issue.
I do believe our society's wokeism yadda yadda yadda is influencing young people with regard to joining, but it certainly isn't the only thing.
Regarding women in SOF specifically, my jury is still out. I have seen some women in SOCM/SFMS, some have been stellar performers, others have been duds. We will see how that pans out.
Regarding the Marine Corps and recruiting, I don't know what magic sauce they have that the others seem to be lacking. I imagine part of it is that because it's a smaller branch their overall needs are smaller. Their PR machine is awesome, I am sure that helps, too.
I say all the time that I’m old. I definitely feel like it. But I’m not so set in my belief that anything other than it pisses me off. I know what you wrote but I can also read between the lines and your response confirms my initial analysis. I haven’t seen a single instance of the mil “expecting me to revel” in any relationship or sexual orientation. I also haven’t seen a single person flaunt being gay. Yes, people are. Yes, sometimes it eventually comes up. But the only times I’ve ever heard of gay acceptance being shoved down our throats, it wasn’t from the Army, it was from some guy on a forum that heard it elsewhere.
I’m sure it happens, all kinds of shit happens. Doesn’t mean that the mil is requiring everyone to go march in pride parades or whatever else some of you guys seem to think happens on a daily basis.
The political accusations are just dumb and I don’t think I’ve had a single instance where I’ve dismissed anyone (feel free to find one of my posts to correct me). I’ll debate you as long as you want on this or until you convince me that I’ve forgotten/misremembered something.
Fair enough.
I work for a .gov entity and the "Pride" emails go out from time to time. No, there is not a requirement to celebrate it (thank God) but there are/were posters around. I suspect that the .mil is similar. I never thought that it was forced participation but there is certainly an air of "don't go there or ruffle feathers". Like you said I'm sure it does happen but I have yet to personally see it.
The PC/woke crap quite frankly is a part of the recruiting problem, but IMHO the bigger part is generational. Not knocking the younger "kids" but they generally don't want to deal with getting up at o'dark thirty and having someone tell them what to do. Of course there are exceptions but today's society has largely become soft. Why go in the military when you can hang at mom's and play video games while working at a sub shop for party money. My best friend is dealing with this now....his step-grandson just graduated HS and talked a good game beforehand about the military, but has now announced he isn't doing that. He works at a Jimmy Johns and lives with my buddy and his wife. I'd throw his ass the fvck out, but my friend's wife (her grandson) said "He'll always have a place to live here." They own a second house and I told my buddy to move in there and let her deal with the new-age freeloader, but he won't do it. Oh well, he'll get tired of it eventually. The damn kid doesn't do shit around there either, no grass cutting, chores, nothing. And of course no rent.
Fair enough.
I work for a .gov entity and the "Pride" emails go out from time to time. No, there is not a requirement to celebrate it (thank God) but there are/were posters around. I suspect that the .mil is similar. I never thought that it was forced participation but there is certainly an air of "don't go there or ruffle feathers". Like you said I'm sure it does happen but I have yet to personally see it.
The PC/woke crap quite frankly is a part of the recruiting problem, but IMHO the bigger part is generational. Not knocking the younger "kids" but they generally don't want to deal with getting up at o'dark thirty and having someone tell them what to do. Of course there are exceptions but today's society has largely become soft. Why go in the military when you can hang at mom's and play video games while working at a sub shop for party money. My best friend is dealing with this now....his step-grandson just graduated HS and talked a good game beforehand about the military, but has now announced he isn't doing that. He works at a Jimmy Johns and lives with my buddy and his wife. I'd throw his ass the fvck out, but my friend's wife (her grandson) said "He'll always have a place to live here." They own a second house and I told my buddy to move in there and let her deal with the new-age freeloader, but he won't do it. Oh well, he'll get tired of it eventually. The damn kid doesn't do shit around there either, no grass cutting, chores, nothing. And of course no rent.
I honestly don’t think I’ve ever seen a pride anything. Different awareness emails about other months but I really don’t think I’ve seen that one.
I also get it about the generation, there is absolutely a large percentage of aspiring LTs that are just ****ing lazy IMO. I obviously can’t compare it to other generations, but this one is definitely frustrating.
There are hold outs though, not as many as I’d like, but lots and lots of promise in some. Those guys and girls absolutely earn the benefit of the doubt and while there’s a lot I’m not happy about with the direction we’re heading, we’re not as bad as many seem to think and there is absolutely still hope. The ones bringing hope deserve an optimistic view of the Army, it doesn’t do them any good to hear former guys talk shit without any bit of positivity. They have a hell of a challenge ahead.
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I honestly don’t think I’ve ever seen a pride anything. Different awareness emails about other months but I really don’t think I’ve seen that one.
I also get it about the generation, there is absolutely a large percentage of aspiring LTs that are just ****ing lazy IMO. I obviously can’t compare it to other generations, but this one is definitely frustrating.
There are hold outs though, not as many as I’d like, but lots and lots of promise in some. Those guys and girls absolutely earn the benefit of the doubt and while there’s a lot I’m not happy about with the direction we’re heading, we’re not as bad as many seem to think and there is absolutely still hope. The ones bringing hope deserve an optimistic view of the Army, it doesn’t do them any good to hear former guys talk shit without any bit of positivity. They have a hell of a challenge ahead.
My buddy is a retired SGM from 5th SFG. I'm surprised he is putting up with it, but he had a dysfunctional childhood so I think he would rather give the kid the benefit of the doubt that he never got. He did not talk about the PC/woke crap when he was trying to encourage the kid to go into the military, any branch. He avoided talking it down but to no avail (thus far). He approached it from the "HOOAAHH!" point of view as one would expect from a retired SGM but that didn't sell the product.
I try to shy away from being "generational" as the common refrain is "Oh yeah, you walked barefoot to school in a blinding snow storm, both ways". I get that part, but there is something lacking motivation-wise with some of these young kids, maybe a majority of them(?). To be sure there are a crapload who are hard-chargers, and I tip my bourbon glass to them. However, when I graduated HS (1983) the prevailing sentiment was to GTFO of your parent's control, to be on your own. To be fair I always wanted to go in the military since I was a little kid so for me personally it was probably a foregone conclusion. Nonetheless the day after I turned 18 I left for the Army; hell, I was in Delayed Entry my entire senior year of HS. To each his own but whether it's the economy, motivation, or general lackadaisical attitude today the recruiting numbers suck.
Can you imagine that if things got so bad, God forbid, that we needed to have a draft? Vietnam would pale in comparison to the whining, hand-wringing, and outright refusal we'd see today. They'd just delete the email or throw the letter in the trash, "I'm not going anywhere".
Averageman
08-20-23, 04:16
Gays have been in the US military since General Washington was fighting the Limey's. Unless 'they' tried to make a pass at me (never happened) it wasn't an issue.
I do believe our society's wokeism yadda yadda yadda is influencing young people with regard to joining, but it certainly isn't the only thing.
Regarding women in SOF specifically, my jury is still out. I have seen some women in SOCM/SFMS, some have been stellar performers, others have been duds. We will see how that pans out.
Regarding the Marine Corps and recruiting, I don't know what magic sauce they have that the others seem to be lacking. I imagine part of it is that because it's a smaller branch their overall needs are smaller. Their PR machine is awesome, I am sure that helps, too.
Homosexuals might have been in Washington's Army, Hell, they have been Soldiers since time began, but they were Homosexuals, they weren't Gay or Queer. They had decorum and class. No PDA's in Public, no Fairy Costume in the grocery store.
I wouldn't dismiss Alexander for being homosexual.
I get that part, but there is something lacking motivation-wise with some of these young kids, maybe a majority of them(?). To be sure there are a crapload who are hard-chargers, and I tip my bourbon glass to them. However, when I graduated HS (1983) the prevailing sentiment was to GTFO of your parent's control, to be on your own.
There are dozens of threads here bemoaning the state of things. Inflation, taxes, decaying culture, social security running out, endless wars, insane healthcare costs, and on and on. Young people are plugged in 24/7 at an early age and exposed to all of this. It's not really a mystery why they're unmotivated. Why bother if it's all going to be taxed, inflated, or stolen away? Hell, I'm one of the "old men" now at 37 and I have a hard time not being black-pilled most days, so it isn't exactly hard to figure out why younger generations aren't signing up to die charging hills for corrupt politicians in foreign countries they don't give a crap about. Yes, I do think they're that aware, and even if they aren't, the endless parade of demotivational content must have an effect at some point. Couple that with coddling parents keeping the lights on for them and there's absolutely no reason for them to do anything.
Averageman
08-20-23, 06:36
There are dozens of threads here bemoaning the state of things. Inflation, taxes, decaying culture, social security running out, endless wars, insane healthcare costs, and on and on. Young people are plugged in 24/7 at an early age and exposed to all of this. It's not really a mystery why they're unmotivated. Why bother if it's all going to be taxed, inflated, or stolen away? Hell, I'm one of the "old men" now at 37 and I have a hard time not being black-pilled most days, so it isn't exactly hard to figure out why younger generations aren't signing up to die charging hills for corrupt politicians in foreign countries they don't give a crap about. Yes, I do think they're that aware, and even if they aren't, the endless parade of demotivational content must have an effect at some point. Couple that with coddling parents keeping the lights on for them and there's absolutely no reason for them to do anything.
I don't think most of them could imagine "Charging a Hill" or fathom what generations of American Men have fought and died to make and keep America.
Why bother if it's being taxed, inflated or stolen away? I think a lot of these young Men have figured it out already. On the whole, I'm meeting a lot of very conservative young Men. I see them being successful not because of the status quo, but in spite of it. Establishing themselves and then looking for a Wife. I'm on the whole pretty proud of them for seeing through all of the BS.
There are dozens of threads here bemoaning the state of things. Inflation, taxes, decaying culture, social security running out, endless wars, insane healthcare costs, and on and on. Young people are plugged in 24/7 at an early age and exposed to all of this. It's not really a mystery why they're unmotivated. Why bother if it's all going to be taxed, inflated, or stolen away? Hell, I'm one of the "old men" now at 37 and I have a hard time not being black-pilled most days, so it isn't exactly hard to figure out why younger generations aren't signing up to die charging hills for corrupt politicians in foreign countries they don't give a crap about. Yes, I do think they're that aware, and even if they aren't, the endless parade of demotivational content must have an effect at some point. Couple that with coddling parents keeping the lights on for them and there's absolutely no reason for them to do anything.
Most of what I see seems to be the expectation (and growing reality) that they’ll get what they want regardless of how hard they try more than not wanting to be a pawn.
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Averageman
08-20-23, 07:50
Most of what I see seems to be the expectation (and growing reality) that they’ll get what they want regardless of how hard they try more than not wanting to be a pawn.
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It's been my observation that you either find a place in life or life will force you in to a place that you really might not like.
There are dozens of threads here bemoaning the state of things. Inflation, taxes, decaying culture, social security running out, endless wars, insane healthcare costs, and on and on. Young people are plugged in 24/7 at an early age and exposed to all of this. It's not really a mystery why they're unmotivated. Why bother if it's all going to be taxed, inflated, or stolen away? Hell, I'm one of the "old men" now at 37 and I have a hard time not being black-pilled most days, so it isn't exactly hard to figure out why younger generations aren't signing up to die charging hills for corrupt politicians in foreign countries they don't give a crap about. Yes, I do think they're that aware, and even if they aren't, the endless parade of demotivational content must have an effect at some point. Couple that with coddling parents keeping the lights on for them and there's absolutely no reason for them to do anything. My buddy I mentioned above is in that situation with his wife and her deadbeat grandson.
It's not just here. Maybe a week ago I saw a video about China's youth and lack of motivation, kind of like a f**k it attitude. They have a phrase for it: "Let it rot."
It's been my observation that you either find a place in life or life will force you in to a place that you really might not like.
I grew up with this understanding. But, the more I look around, the more I’m unconvinced that’s true for so many people and a lot of that is from the mil.
I don’t see the wokeness that so many think but there is absolutely a pathetic level of lacking true accountability. Just doing your job makes you a good Soldier at this point because so many people can’t/won’t even do that.
I don’t remember if I mentioned it here or not but there was a massive cheating scandal at CST Advanced Camp (formerly LDAC) this year. Over 100 cadets were involved, in varying degrees and levels of confidence, of cheating on land nav. As far as I can tell, they had to redo land nav and get a letter of concern (which means nothing). I believe none were eligible for recondo (top performing percentage of the group, worth more OML points), but that was it. I’m not aware of any being sent home, much less dis-enrolled from ROTC. My initial response was to kick the bulk of them out, regardless of recruiting shortfalls and how that ends up relating to money. With a little more reflection, I would’ve established a policy that prevented any of them (at least the mid to high level confidence ones) from scoring higher than capable (scoring is basically capable, proficient, and outstanding) overall. That would’ve set them far behind a lot of their peers and would’ve resulted in many getting ARNG/USAR and/or a less competitive branch that many may not have wanted. The Army still gets its people but they face consequences that likely have CAREER long effects.
Instead, they got a slap on the wrist. Cadet Command just directly told 100+ future LTs that it’s ok to cheat on their most important eval of a basic Soldier skill and indirectly said the same thing to thousands of others. Imagine how pissed off the ones that tried to do the right thing are, and how much more confident the cheating pieces of shit are. ****ing pathetic.
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