• I_Has_A_Hat@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    Yes, everyone knows if the majority of the military is untrained and lacks critical thinking skills, they could never successfully oppress their population.

    That’s why African Warlords with armies full of child soldiers famously never commit unspeakable atrocities on their citizens.

    • BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today
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      2 days ago

      That’s a silly analogy. American soldiers do not have the same life experiences as African child soldiers. It’s ridiculous to think that both types of soldiers would react the same way.

      All soldiers have the potential to commit atrocities, and many will, but a lot of American soldiers will refuse to commit atrocities against their fellow citizens.

      • I_Has_A_Hat@lemmy.world
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        1 day ago

        a lot of American soldiers will refuse to commit atrocities against their fellow citizens

        Tell that to Kent State.

        American soldiers are soldiers. Soldiers follow orders. Soldiers without critical thinking skills follow orders without question.

        • BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today
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          22 hours ago

          Which is one of the reasons that any will hesitate to fire on Americans. The reputation of the National Guard was very badly damaged by the aftermath of Kent State, and it took decades before any trust returned.

          It’s been a long time since that happened, and hopefully there are still a few in leadership that remember that an instant of satisfaction from pulling the trigger will lead to decades of repercussions.