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Obama administration weighs making women eligible for military draft

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A draft doesn't force men not fit to serve to go.

So that's my question..what's considered fit? Like do they have to pass a certain number of standardized physical tests and mental evaluations? *not sarcastically asking this btw*

Also, what if someone is the sole provider or parent figure for their child? Do these people also get exceptions?


Edit: nvm here are the rules for deferment. It seems if you have someone who is dependent on you..then you can apply for deferment.

https://www.sss.gov/About/Return-to-the-Draft/Postponements-Deferments-Exemptions
 

Foffy

Banned
Eh fuck that. I'm sorry but I don't think it should be okay to force anyone to fight in a war that they don't believe in.

Also, would there be exceptions to some women? For example would you force pregnant women to serve?

I get what you're saying, but the whole point of this is that if this were to be imposed onto others - a draft - it's not going to be selective to just men.

You and I can still be non joiners to the futility of warfare regardless.
 

Two Words

Member
So that's my question..what's considered fit? Like do they have to pass a certain number of standardized physical tests and mental evaluations? *not sarcastically asking this btw*

Also, what if someone is the sole provider or parent figure for their child? Do these people also get exceptions?

I mean, it's no different than answering the questions of men being fit. Men who are excessively overweight don't serve. Women who have a growing human inside them don't serve.
 
T

Transhuman

Unconfirmed Member
Having a standing army and reserves is more stupid than drafting.

And drafting is pretty fucking stupid.
 
Wrong direction, should look at eliminating the draft instead :\

I'm from a country that did just that, and I'm not sure it was a good idea after all. When I compare adults who did military service to others who didn't, I find the guys who did it to be, on average, more disciplined and more mature. Experience build character, and military service can bring a healthy dose of reality to people who had it too easy in their teens.
 

Foffy

Banned
I'm from a country that did just that, and I'm not sure it was a good idea after all. When I compare adults who did military service to others who didn't, I find the guys who did it to be, on average, more disciplined and more mature. Experience build character, and military service can bring a healthy dose of reality to people who had it too easy in their teens.

How about they build character in less violent, egocentric, and ultimately barbaric behavior that promotes nationalistic poison?

You can probably get similarly disciplined and mature people if you left them to meditative retreat, or worked in altruistic non-profits without any of the filth.

Cultivate focus.
 
I'm from a country that did just that, and I'm not sure it was a good idea after all. When I compare adults who did military service to others who didn't, I find the guys who did it to be, on average, more disciplined and more mature. Experience build character, and military service can bring a healthy dose of reality to people who had it too easy in their teens.

And what about all the negative effects that the military has on a person? What about the suicide rates of veterans? What about the PTSD? What about the fact that both men and women are sexually assaulted by their superiors and this often goes unreported and not taken seriously?

People act like an undying and complete obedience to authority is a positive trait. You take away people's autonomy and right to object to things they believe immoral. "Oh, you you this is morally wrong, too bad, it's orders."

If you want to join the military, fine by me. But please let's not force others who don't want to fight a war they don't believe in..into doing so.
 

Aselith

Member
we'd still have a 10M person army. why the hell would we need an army that big? how would even support an army that big?

It's fairly obvious we need to fulfill our destiny and become an empire. It's finally time under Emperor Trump. ITS TIME ITS TIME ITS TIME MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN
 

JoseLopez

Member
How about they build character in less violent, egocentric, and ultimately barbaric behavior that promotes nationalistic poison?

You can probably get similarly disciplined and mature people if you left them to meditative retreat, or worked in altruistic non-profits without any of the filth.

Cultivate focus.
The military isn't just battle roles and most roles are actually quiet applicable to every day life. Another thing most people I've met that joined the military didn't do it to be nationalistic but to get a livelihood or go to college.
 

Freshmaker

I am Korean.
If you can figure out how to get all the fast food workers who are fighting for $15 / hour to graduate college, we can talk.

How about giving them predictable hours so they can actually attend college? Schedules that exist before the end of the week?

Nah. It's just because they're lazy.
 

MC Safety

Member
Yes, yes. Keep the draft. Have unskilled, slovenly civilians fight in your military. It shall make recolonizing you that much easier for us.

There is no draft. There is a pool of selection for a potential draft that does not yet include women.

We also train soldiers before sending them to war.

Draft armies saved Europe twice, if I recall.
 

Foffy

Banned
The military isn't just battle roles and most roles are actually quiet applicable to every day life. Another thing most people I've met that joined the military didn't do it to be nationalistic but to get a livelihood or go to college.

That's still tragic, and what I'd consider a failure of this society. Especially the college problem.
 
Sure, why not? It probably won't result in anything and it will give the MRAs one less thing to bitch about.

Totally against any mandatory military service, though. Two years can make a huge difference in the academic community, where you're already unlikely to get a professional job until your mid-thirties at the earliest. Same with medicine.
 
I'm for the Heinlein approach: you can only vote if you've served in the military.

That would leave out a significant portion of the population. People who have disabilities. Pregnant women. Single mothers and fathers who can't leave their children. People taking care of dying parents. People who are not mentally fit enough. People who are not physically fit enough.

Are you seriously suggesting these people be barred from voting?
 

John Dunbar

correct about everything
as someone who is from a country that has mandatory national service, anyone lucky enough to live in a place that does not have that nonsense but wants to have it is out of their fucking mind.
 
The military isn't just battle roles and most roles are actually quiet applicable to every day life. Another thing most people I've met that joined the military didn't do it to be nationalistic but to get a livelihood or go to college.

Yeah but why not simply use the money you would spend on what others have in this thread proposed (2yr minimum military service after 18) and help people pay for their college tuition instead?
 
Everyone is talking like the military is so valued in our society. Is that why there's so many homeless veterans? Seems like people care up until the point that it no longer serves their agenda.
 

Flai

Member
Exactly. It's 2 years. It's nothing. And kids might learn some respect and basic life skills for once, which is something too many people are not getting at home anymore.

2 years is nothing? What the fuck? I'm just about to finish my 6 month mandatory military service in Finland and that's a really long time considering that most of the people aren't very motivated. Nevertheless, I think that half year is easily enough to learn the skills needed.

Besides, you realise that two year long mandatory military service for every male (and possibly female?) in USA would be really fucking expensive. USA should probably decrease the military budget, not increase it.
 
as someone who is from a country that has mandatory national service, anyone lucky enough to live in a place that does not have that nonsense but wants to have it is out of their fucking mind.

My thoughts exactly, and there isn't mandatory national service where I live.
 

LordJim

Member
as someone who is from a country that has mandatory national service, anyone lucky enough to live in a place that does not have that nonsense but wants to have it is out of their fucking mind.

I am so lucky it dropped to less than a year here.
I was so close to having to serve 18 months.
 

Scarecrow

Member
That would leave out a significant portion of the population. People who have disabilities. Pregnant women. Single mothers and fathers who can't leave their children. People taking care of dying parents. People who are not mentally fit enough. People who are not physically fit enough.

Are you seriously suggesting these people be barred from voting?

I'm mostly just kidding. I do like the part where serving in a team like you would for the military can help you see past your own interests for the betterment of the group. Such an experience can help people obtain an objective viewpoint, a healthy mentality when heading to the polls.
 
On topic, this is a good thing. Bolstering the potential draft pool could conceivably be the difference between victory and defeat in a hypothetical future war.

I do like the idea of mandatory service, even though the concept of serving in our current military disguts me. Mandatory service means a ready and waiting workforce for all kinds of fantastic problems at home. Frankly, I wish that was a greater focus for our current military. We could easily have modern infrastructure, maybe an industrial drone fleet for FEMA, nice, helpful things like that. I would have been happy to work on some sort of basic engineering project at 18, especially if all my friends were going in too and we all got paid. Even if it was just pouring concrete for a new bridge, or whatever.
 

Da_Bears

Neo Member
The left should be all for mandatory service and see it as a jumping off point for free education through the GI bill. it will also teach many people proper use of a gun and, hopefully, respect for what a gun is capable of.

Then the left can start pushing for more gun control through no gun unless you have served. That will get rid of all guns in the old, conservative evil righties hands. Because now, the populace is a well regulated militia and if you did not serve you are not part of the militia.

Besides the fact it will teach all hand to hand combat, thus eliminating the need for concealed carry because everyone will be a black-belt ninja star throwing hero.

We also have the potential health benefits. Fatties will have to lose weight to get in shape and skinnies will have to bulk up a bit putting on muscle.

How can this not be a win-win for all but the gun nuts?
 

Jobbs

Banned
I'm pro draft. If middle class kids had to go fight these dumb wars, they wouldn't happen to begin with. It'd be a non starter. Iraq invasion would never in a million years have been possible if middle class kids had to go over there.
 
The left should be all for mandatory service and see it as a jumping off point for free education through the GI bill. it will also teach many people proper use of a gun and, hopefully, respect for what a gun is capable of.

Then the left can start pushing for more gun control through no gun unless you have served. That will get rid of all guns in the old, conservative evil righties hands. Because now, the populace is a well regulated militia and if you did not serve you are not part of the militia.

Besides the fact it will teach all hand to hand combat, thus eliminating the need for concealed carry because everyone will be a black-belt ninja star throwing hero.

We also have the potential health benefits. Fatties will have to lose weight to get in shape and skinnies will have to bulk up a bit putting on muscle.

How can this not be a win-win for all but the gun nuts?

Because none of that would happen

I'm pro draft. If middle class kids had to go fight these dumb wars, they wouldn't happen to begin with. It'd be a non starter. Iraq invasion would never in a million years have been possible if middle class kids had to go over there.

Tell that to Vietnam. A draft just means more poor kids going to war to die.
 
Wrong direction, should look at eliminating the draft instead :\

Not sure why everyone is flipping out over this comment. As a volunteer army the draft is completely useless, as we have more than enough solders than we'll ever need. I doubt we'll ever get into another situation where we get into a war so bad that we'd need to start drafting people.

Also lol at mandatory conscription. We're not some tiny nation in a volatile region that needs it.
 

Foffy

Banned
Except we got this small problem with people in this country
universe
that this will be a terrible idea down the line

Isn't it terrible as is? People lining up for "freedom" when they themselves have only conceptualized it to fight the relative "enemy" which itself breeds another generation of that game.

Defend what is accountable. We should be defending reality, not concepts called nations, which themselves cause problems with reality. Map not the territory and all that jazz.

How much division has man erected against the rest of his species bathed in nationalism?
 

potam

Banned
ITT: people with no idea about the military, the draft, warfare, reality, etc..

Edit: also nations created warfare. World was peace and hugs and cookies before nations
 

Sulik2

Member
Sending men and women would probably be less socially disruptive than only sending men.

Because we don't live in a polygamous society, ever 18-year-old who dies in war means that another 18-year-old will likely be unable to have children. We halve our potential population shrinkage by sending both men and women.

That's not true. Women control population growth not men. IE: One woman two guys. One baby a year. Two woman one guy two babies a year. It's gross but if you want to repopulate after a war with mass casualties you want more women alive.
 

ArtHands

Thinks buying more servers can fix a bad patch
Not sure why everyone is flipping out over this comment. As a volunteer army the draft is completely useless, as we have more than enough solders than we'll ever need. I doubt we'll ever get into another situation where we get into a war so bad that we'd need to start drafting people.

Also lol at mandatory conscription. We're not some tiny nation in a volatile region that needs it.

It'll be a good training period on how to handle weapons better.Weapon safety and stuffs.

With so many people walking around with a concealed carry guns around and people waiting for every moments to break into your house with guns, i say the mandatory conscription is a good idea.
 

Darkangel

Member
American Revolution
Civil War
WW2

Does another nation have the ability to say that it had three good, meaningful wars in its history? Probably, but I haven't read their histories enough to say for sure, so take that.

You forgot Korea.

I guess it's called the forgotten war for a reason.
 

DY_nasty

NeoGAF's official "was this shooting justified" consultant
this is really just a formality

draft isn't ever actually gonna happen again unless we get invaded by aliens or something
 

Enco

Member
Instead of having the draft, maybe we should require 2 years mandatory military service upon turning 18 or graduating high school.
Lol. Read your user title and it makes your views clear.

Pretty silly idea. I'd rather continue with my life and goals than put it on hold for a waste of 2 years.
 

Parch

Member
Mandatory military service isn't exactly uncommon. Lots of countries do it. A country doesn't need to be at war to have a draft. And a draft isn't a new concept for the US either.

All it's going to take is an American government that thinks the country would benefit from mandatory service. I'd say the civil, military, and political situation in the US is volatile enough for it to be a consideration.
Don't be so sure that a US draft is "impossible".
 

aeolist

Banned
bottom line: talk to anyone who has been through this in their own country. ALL of them came out the better for it, and they will admit it to you straight up

have you been part of the us military? because i know a few people who have and wouldn't call it a positive experience at all
 
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