If I was a parent of a son who was of Military Age...I'd tell him to SIGN UP!

[KoKo]

WHY? Because there's no future for Males in America..because Wall St. is going to IMPLODE under it's OWN CRIMINALITY! In the US MILITARY...you get alot of FREE STUFF...like EDUCATION PAID FOR, MED HEALTH BENEFITS...and PERKS because you are "SERVING" to keep the TERRAISTS FROM KILLING ALL OF US!

There are NO JOBS for MEN trying to support a Family here in the USA! You can get "Extra Degrees" but where will you end up ..these days? So...the MILITARY is the BEST PLACE...and it OFFERS FOREIGN TRAVEL and OPPORTUNITIES to be a JOURNALIST...for Wolf Blitzer!

If My Daughter were Graduating...I'd tell her to try to get into the Media as a Porn Queen (if she didn't have nursing skills or money to get in to a Top Harvard/Yale School, that would get her into Wall Street as a Financial Person of one kind or the other. If she bares her breasts (maybe enhanced with "implants") she could get on one of the MSM's REALITY SHOWS because she had problems with her Boyfriend, Ex-Hubbie or "SO" or PARENTS) and if the Program got enough views and is outrageous enough she could be featured on "Huffington Post" as one of their "Best and Brightest," and then she could write PITHY ARTICLES about her SITUATION and MAKE MONEY ON A BOOK DEAL?

This is the NEW AMERICA...THIS IS HOW IT WORKS!

Sell off our SONS TO WAR ENTERPRISE...and our DAUGHTERS TO PORN AND SENSATIONALISM... IF they want to make some Money to Compete with the Harvard, Stanford, MIT, YALE and the rest of the PhD's of the FAMOUS AND THE ENTITLED!

So...how do you tell your kids this?... It's shameful and horrible that this is what it is...imho!

Surely there a "steps inbetween" but it's pretty clear where things are going for our kids these days...

HOW CAN WE STOP THIS? :shrug:

[cliffordu]

1. Adjust your meds.

:shrug:

[sufrommich]

57. Was it the caps that tipped you off? nt

[Skittles]

2. women are in the military, in case you don't know

[leftstreet]

3. Tell 'em to run for office. Same perks but you don't have to see who you're killing

[Lydia Leftcoast]

4. If I had children, I'd tell them to get a marketable skill and emigrate

Seriously.

I would never advise a child of mine to join the military. I would not want them dying for corporate America and its bogus wars.

[Bicoastal]

12. "If I had children..."

Yeah, that's pretty much how all of these "We're All Doomed" songs begin.

[HeresyLives]

5. Why would anyone even THINK this, much less

tell it to their kids??

[demmiblue]

6. Nope... I would not encourage either of these avenues.

[Texasgal]

7. Errrrr...

[proudohioan]

47. I couldn't have put that any better!!

:rofl:

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

8. Cannon fodder is certainly becoming a growth industry in this country.

[madrchsod]

9. my granddaughter's boyfriend signed up right out of high school...

30,000 up front and another on the back end. school and va benefits... 0 job opportunities where i live.

[sad sally]

25. don't believe everthing the recruiters say...education benefits

aren't all "free," and appointments at VA hospitals aren't all they're made out to be. Yeah, a mortage is available from VA if you can find a seller willing to cover the closing and VA loan costs. Multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan away from the family wear on a family, but then there's a free burial plot in a VA cemetery if you don't make it home...
and to my way of thinking, as much as I like President Obama, I think he'll keep us at war for as long as he's in charge.

[Bicoastal]

10. Let's not freak out, shall we?

Sheez.

[Jennicut]

11. I graduated college with someone who became a porn star. She is hooked on drugs. Her life is

miserable. She lost her custody of her son. I would rather be poor then live that life. My daughters want to become teachers, vets, ballet dancers (hey, they are 4 and 5). I am not going to shit on their dreams. The goal should not be to make what a Wall St. Exec makes, it should be to make a decent living. And on that, we have a lot to address in this country. But I would rather fight to make things better then give up and tell my kids to go down either of those routes.

[ZombieHorde]

13. I am training my kids to be cannibalistic hobos. nt

[Codeine]

34. They'll need ninja skillz as well.

Too many Millenial cannibal hoboes are very one-dimensional in their skillset with poor zombie drive.

[ZombieHorde]

36. Good call. Cannibalistic Ninja Hobos they shall be! nt

[blondeatlast]

44. DUzy--along with the subthread. nt

[L0oniX]

49. Cannibals are people too.

[Walk away]

14. I always tell my nieces to marry some nice Northern European guys (or girls)..

and just get the hell out of here. Then I can visit in my old age.

[KoKo]

17. I can understand that...

Yep..

[demigoddess]

15. i grew up military and i know that you pay a big price for those perks. if you don't die,

you might end up with PTSD and drink yourself to death, or have mental problems the rest of your life, if you don't commit suicide, you will be on meds for years. Many come out of the military with no marketable skills. You may spend a lot of years on welfare or have to go back to school to learn a profession, or just eke by the rest of your life. If you served, you might also have health problems or die an early death as a result of wounds or the exposure to toxic chemicals which are more prevalent in the military than civilian life. Some thing else, overseas you may fall in love and marry a foreign bride, who after coming back to the States, has absolutely no respect for you, you were just a meal ticket. You lose all respect for yourself, and end up estranged from your own children. Your children may speak a language that you do not understand. Yeah, it is a great life, if you know the costs.

[Cid_B]

22. The benefits of a good outlook on life...

Sheesh...

It is far more likely to turn out positive. Like it is some foregoneconclusion that we are all doomed to PTSD and golden PX brides.

Honestly I think a good percentage of DUers wouldn't know what to do with themselves if they didnt have their griping/dooming/hating/etc...?

I think they might collapse in like black holes if it was taken away.



It's as if I was at the Eeyore convention. That one was so spot on I had to edit to stick it in later. HA

[Greyhound]

43. "just ignore it and it will all be OK" unless it's not and then we'll pretend you never existed.

:eyes:

The "power" of positive thinking got us here, congratulations.

[Cid_B]

50. I'll rephrase...

I suppose the part that is the collective depressed circle jerk that goes on here. If you've got a problem with how things are go deal with it. Crying doooooom to the intertubes doesn't really accomplish a whole lot.

[Greyhound]

52. Fair enough. n/t

:kick:

[Cid_B]

55. My English am not so good in urly mornings apparantly...

[Obamanaut]

42. Talk about a ray of sunshine! nt

[Andy823]

16. It is the republican plan!

No jobs means more people will join the military, more military means more wars can be waged in order to take control countries that have resources the big corporations want. Without soldiers they can't keep the wars going which in turn makes the rich richer. It's the "New World Order" that daddy Bush talked so much about, and this has all be planed in order to make it come to be. Now JR screwed things up but made up for it by taking the country into the worst recession in history. Wall street and the big banks were bailed out with taxpayer money which meant that president Obama would not be able to do much when he became president but try and get out of the mess Bush left. This would help the right wing blame all the problems on president Obama and the democrats thus allowing republicans to try and claim the high ground again and take back the power because after all most americans, according to the powers that be, don't remember just how terrible the republicans were, so they will gladly vote out the democrats so they can have "change"!

The sad thing is if democrats don't get a spine and stand up to the right, the right will win! People want "real" change, and if the democrats won't give it to them, then many will not turn out to vote in November. The only hope for change is fading away, unless democrats fight back and take control, and sadly that may not happen!

[Fumesucker]

18. You might wish to switch to decaf.. I understand it tastes nearly as good as the regular these days.

[chrisa]

19. I know what you mean, but...

You seem to be exaggerating the problem. I would imagine a low percentage of males actually join the military.

Women are affected by our culture, but so are men. Yes, our culture has alot of problems, but those can be fixed. We can stop it by improving women's body image and perceptions of themselves. As for the military, they're due for a massive slash in funding. Where does all of that money go (someone's bank account, I would imagine).

[KoKo]

20. Good Points...

I remember a time when Women's Rights were Important..around 1970's. Something Happened.

I remember a time when War Was NOT GOOD THING...somewhere around the 1970's. Something Happened..

If SOMETHING hadn't HAPPENED to change rights for our Men and Women ...Sons and Daughters here in AMERICA...I wouldn't have posted my rant..

But..somethings changed. How do we get back what we worked for...that we lost somehow along the way?

:shrug:

[proud2BlibKansan]

21. Awesome

Sorry some don't get it.

I love it :)

[Hippo_Tron]

23. Just a note, the uber rich don't generally have PhDs

In most fields a PhD prepares somebody to become a university professor. But the job market for tenure track university professors is terrible right now, particularly in the humanities, and some people getting their PhDs at the elite institutions you mention above are having trouble finding an academic job. And most university professors are not wealthy. Most make a comfortable living but very very few are actually wealthy.

[blue neen]

24. First of all, I'm not going to tell my child what to do for a job/career.

Everyone's son or daughter should have the freedom to make their own choices in life.

Secondly, women serve in the military and men are porn stars. Some of them even make it as White House "correspondents"! Remember Jeff Gannon? ;)

[classysassy]

26. The military of the past(1950-1970)

After high school,I enlisted in the navy,some of you old salts will remember the saying"join the navy ride the waves"after six years I got out of the navy and marries the most beautiful girl in the navy,we had three wonderful children,then I joined the air force,traveled all over the world,met some very nice people,my wife and kids enjoyed our travels and make new friends,after nine years got out and joined the army my wife divorced me and took the kids,spent the viet nam period in the states,remarried three times and retired,it has been "A wonderful life"would not change a thing,my kids and I are have a wonderful understand,all of my ex wives keep in touch,my present wife works,I stay home with our three pets,none of this would have happened if I had not joined the military,but the military has changed so much over the years,so I'll say to all you young people out there get a college degree and stay home.

[KoKo]

37. That's an incredible ride...and thanks for sharing..

your conclusion at the end. :hug:

[proteus_lives]

27. If I had a son of military age.....

I'd tell him to make his own decision and I'd support him either way.

[Iggo]

28. "HOW CAN WE STOP THIS?"

Starve the beast.

Start by not feeding your children to it.

(If you had children, maybe you never would've posted this tripe in the first place.)

[mvccd1000]

29. Good Advice.

Crazy reasons, but good advice, nonetheless. :)

I spent six years in the Navy. I visited 25 countries in Europe, Africa, South American, and the Caribbean. The skills I learned enabled me to get my dream job when I got out. I used the GI Bill to pay for my degree while working at my dream job. I used a VA Loan to buy my first home while working my dream job. When my dream job was downsized seven years later, I used my military experience and college degree to get a job that's not as much fun, but pays about 4x better. Now I support several friends who didn't join the military! :)

It sure seems to have worked out for me.

I guess that, like most things in life, it is what you make of it.

[madville]

30. My time in the military was beneficial

I did six years, went through some technical schools,got a college degree for free with tuition assistance (didn't have to use my GI BILL), tons of free dental work(wisdom teeth removed was a big one). The pay had gotten pretty good by the time I got out, I was taking home $3200 a month net as an E-5, not too shabby. The recent changes to the GI BILL allow me to transfer it to my son, so he can go to college/technical school in a few years with around $40,000 to use for it.

The technical skills and experience I gained have directly allowed me to obtain good jobs (plus many government jobs give hiring preference to prior military and a security clearance can open many doors).

A large majority of military jobs are not exposed to combat. I still believe it is a good option for many and like someone else said, it is what you make it, it's on the individual to take the college courses and utilize the other benefits available.

[gleaner]

31. I hope you are using hyperbole to make a point ,,,

If your son or daughter went into the military and went to war they could die. What future would they have then ? What future would you have then? The most primal instinct most humans have is to keep their young alive and healthy. Telling your child to go kill and perhaps die is the exact opposite of protection. It is cruel and unfeeling.

As to your wishes for your daughter, I can't think of too much worse than being a professional sex toy for all comers. That would be like living in Hell for most women and again, it goes against all the feelings most parents have for their children.

Yes, the future is bleak and life sucks, but selling your children or damning them to death in life doesn't help. This post does not help. It reflects badly on you as a parent and a human being. Please read what you write carefully before you post it. Sometimes it can give a really appalling picture of who you are that you don't intend or that you wouldn't want others to see if you did.

I don't know how to stop what is going on. My parents lived through the great depression and this must be similar. Somehow they survived. They were scarred but they did find a better life and everyone deserves the chance to try. Posts like this won't stop anything. In an effort to make a point you lose hearts and minds, and it seems to me we should be trying to gather hearts and minds around us to help each other, not to grandstand.

[KoKo]

39. Yes, I was. There isn't a "hyperbole" symbol here on DU...and Sarcasm didn't fit.

I am in agreement with you about how we are "Selling our Children." That was what I was saying in my post...in "hyperbole."

But, there were some good replies here..that it's good to read, too, about others view of the military.

I still can't get over the view we give our daughters of what it is to be a young woman here in America. I think it's an disgusting the images they get of themselves. I was of the generation that worked so hard against young women "sexual objects" and "bimbo heads."

[gleaner]

54. I'm glad the post was not as it seemed ...

I feel for the people in the military because many of the enlistees do it both because they feel it is the way to defend their country and out of financial need. You won't find many rich kids who will sign up to go to war. I am anti war, but not anti soldier. They are offering their lives for us and they are being killed for nothing. I am a Quaker and opposition to war is one of our most important values to live by. I could have flamed you but then I would never have known what you really meant, and I would not feel so good about you now.

I am a feminist and I was a feminist activist in the early 70s when I was young. I know how hard it was and how hard it still is for women to live and be viewed as equals to men, so we agree fully there.

I think we need to work as hard to teach our sons about the equality of women as we do our daughters. My mother, way ahead of her time taught my brother to respect women and treat them as human beings and not sexual prey. My father, unfortunately, taught him the opposite. So he is as much of sexist as my Dad was. Social roles need to stop defining who we are and what we do and how we think. We damage our boys too by teaching them that they can't show feelings, like things that are not considered "masculine" and that it is OK to treat women as objects.

Thanks for answering me and clearing things up. When you post it might be a good idea to preface what you write by saying what you have said here. In that context your post has a much bigger impact and people take that away with them and think about it. Take care, and I hope I didn't upset you. That was not my intention.

[juno jones]

32. Fortunately I am shit-assed broke

so my kid is getting a non-military leg up on his schooling known as a pell grant.

Just as well, he is probably not military timbre anyways. :shrug:

[Codeine]

33. The bong; step away from it. nt

[DemocratSinceBirth]

35. In Many Third World Contries The Military Is One Of The Few Paths To Success

And we are resembling a third world country, more and more, every day.

[KoKo]

38. That's part of the problem. Even though some posters here had excellent experience

with getting perks from their military experience (and it really is a good experience for many of our young) the Wars we are in are not. Because those wars are taking money away from things we need at home, like Education, Heath Care, Social Experience, Arts and Expression along with a tired, worn out broken infrastructure that needs to be repaired. Add in moving to Green Energy where many jobs could go that shouldn't go to War and Killing and that's where I'm coming from.

[mitchum]

40. The glorious opportunities of late stage capitalism

[pitohui]

41. why can't your daughter sign up for the military too?

i find yr post sexist and, ok, offensive

i agree that opportunities for the middle class are few and far between but we need to get over ourselves, every female in america isn't going to be able to make a living by flashing her ta-tas, that's just ridiculous

most of us, women, as well as men, have to learn something useful to do, trying to ride on our smile and our looks ain't gonna cut it

the top of the career chain for many a beautiful woman with implants is cocktail waitress, i would submit that there's more $$$ to be made and a brighter future to be had by actually trying to learn how to do something useful, be it in the military, be it in school

the porn industry is not doing all that well right now and if you think your daughter can fall back on selling her body, i think you might be in for a nasty surprise

if the military is a good opportunity for yr son, why not yr daughter?

[uppityperson]

53. I doubt you will get an answer

since most of us are on ignore by the OP

[Kievan Rus]

45. This is sarcastic, right?

[dysfunctional press]

46. what would your imaginary son have done to make you hate him so much...?

:shrug:

[L0oniX]

48. Of course you wouldn't want your daughter to join the military ...they all get raped...

and the military won't do anything about it.

[Echo In Light]

58. Oh, now that's just being "negative," and is another CRAZY "conspiracy theory!"

:sarcasm:

[Incitatus]

51. holy crap

[dionysus]

56. thorazine/evaluation stat.

[Romulox]

59. DUers don't get satire. Who'd have thunk it? nt

[kimi]

60. I'm a woman who served in the military.

It served me well, and I served it well.

It truly is what you make of it.