[QUOTE=CarnalK]
The way you guys are distorting my little rhetorical sure reminds me of conversations I have had with people thinking of signing up for the military. essell “hey if I someone breaks into my house with an AK he’s getting shot”, Lemur thinks we are “all killers”, Jolly Roger thinks you’d probably be the type to shoot someone* or you wouldn’t have joined the Army in the first place!
Sure, everyone thinks they can shoot someone in “self defence”, but you guys are missing the central point that when you are in the military the idea of “self defence” gets pretty broad. Yeah, shooting that sentry in the back may be “self defence” because he’d shoot you if he had the chance, but that’s only because you invaded his country in the first place. So essell, while breaking into your neighbor’s house would you shoot them when they tried to defend themselves? Would you do all this solely on the orders of some authority figure?
*besides he’s got a gun! That’s no farmer! Afghani farmers don’t carry guns to protect their farm! At least Iowa farmers don’t, I know that for sure.
[/QUOTE]
What does this have to do with basic training? A rhetorical or hypothetical situation like the ones presented are kind of pointless. What does breaking into a neighbors house have to do with it? The OP was originally “does Basic training amount to brainwashing”. Now you’re presenting a thinly vieled argument about the war. My idea of self defense hasn’t been broadened by the military, despite what you may think, and you’ve twisted what I said a bit. Let me clarify it for you. *If you voluntarily enlist in the Army and don’t claim to be a conscientious objector its a fair assumption that you’ll be able to use deadly force when directed to do so. *Otherwise you wouldn’t join the Army in the first place. If you do, and don’t consider that you might be involved in combat one day, well, you’re really, really deluded. Seriously, we tell you that stuff when you sign up. I work for NATO currently, and out of the 20 + servicememebers I’ve met from NATO nations I haven’t met one yet that didn’t think they might have to fire at someone at some point.
And again, that has nothing to do with the OP. Whats happened here is people that have preconcieved notions about BCT are unwilling to change their minds about it even when people that have been there tell them otherwise. Creating a phantom situation doesn’t prove any point in this discussion. Do you have any thoughts on if BCT is brainwashing? If so, what basis are you using? If I or anyone else thats been through it disagree will you tell us its irrelevant (yeah, I know it was Gonzomax, not you that said that) or will you believe it? Because if you want to discuss the situation in the ME and farmers getting shot, thats for another thread.