So I was watching BookTV and caught an interview with the co-author of AWOL. His basic premise is that the upper classes of American society no longer contribute to military service due to a holdover of the Vietnam protests and self-interest dressed up as moral objections to Iraq, gays in the military, etc. In short, they feel that "their kind" no longer fight wars and that they can leave it to others to do so and that this is having a detrimental effect on our civic society.
I have to admit, this struck a nerve with me. Believe it or not, every now and again I get the notion in my head of joining the military. I'm a lazy middle-class kid who's never worked a day in his life. America has been good to me and I've given back practically nothing. Joining the military would help me redress this balance. Plus, maybe it would "make a man" out of me.
The truth is, though, I'm too gay and too sensitive and too soft to be in the military. I'd never make it out of boot camp. But I have to admit to feeling a little guilty about that. While thousands of my contemporaries bravely and ably serve their country (many dying in the process), I'm too chicken to join them.
1 comment:
You make a good point about the class-bias of the military. On the other hand, there are some pretty compelling reasons not to join a military that does some morally wrong things.
There are other ways to contribute to society.
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