Oh the ironi(ng)
It's a pun!
I was reading this thing in the local newspaper today about how the army discriminates against women and other minorities (yes, women ARE a minority when it somes to the army). There was this chick who had been there and said that you got used to being called names etc. The bottom line was that they were looking for more tollerance. I found that to be quite ironic.
The main purpose of an institution such as the army, is to destroy the enemies of the nation, to kill. It is there to teach people not to freak out when bullets start flying so they will still be able to blow the head off the guy coming towards them. Contrary to popular belief, it is NOT a place for raising boys to be men and it is not a place where tollerance and compassion is promoted. In fact, one could easily argue that such qualities would be detrimental to the unit. Also, it fits the bill perfectly.
The Finnish army's hierarchy system is based on a Presussian model, which harks back to the beginning of the 20th century. Finnish young men were smuggled accross the border into Germany to get military training. These young men later returned to Finland and became officers in the "white army", which defeated the socialists in the civil war.
Army life and training is not normal. You are trained to do all sorts of crazy things, to kill and keep going. It is not what you would call a normal environment. To detract from the craziness, the Preussian model aims to pit one group against the other so the focus will be shifted. In the Swedish brigade in Finland this is particularly apparent in the "Pamin and Gumin" (those from Ostrobothnia vs those from the south). So in conclusion, the Finnish army has a history of doing this kind of thing.
Furthermore, for the army to be able to function it needs to instill an "us against them"-mentality. Basically, it replaces one unit (the family) with another (the squad, platoon, corps, whatever). Why do you think the young recruits aren't allowed to go home for the first two weeks? If you take away their family and "safety net" from home they are forced to find a new one. The military unit becomes, by default, their new family. A lot of people talk about the strong bonds formed in the army. This is not a coincidence. It is so by design. Why do you suppose you are called in at the age of 18? The main reason is because you are still "shapable", easier to control and not as quick to question.
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I was ironing a batch of laundry a few moments ago and noticed how much better the iron at home is compared to the one I have. Still, the one I have is great for the price (thanks sis').
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Going out again tonight. Hope it'll be a blast. I'll most likely fly solo as macko is at his grandmother's funeral, martin is in london and the others...well...they won't go anywhere without their chicks.
I was reading this thing in the local newspaper today about how the army discriminates against women and other minorities (yes, women ARE a minority when it somes to the army). There was this chick who had been there and said that you got used to being called names etc. The bottom line was that they were looking for more tollerance. I found that to be quite ironic.
The main purpose of an institution such as the army, is to destroy the enemies of the nation, to kill. It is there to teach people not to freak out when bullets start flying so they will still be able to blow the head off the guy coming towards them. Contrary to popular belief, it is NOT a place for raising boys to be men and it is not a place where tollerance and compassion is promoted. In fact, one could easily argue that such qualities would be detrimental to the unit. Also, it fits the bill perfectly.
The Finnish army's hierarchy system is based on a Presussian model, which harks back to the beginning of the 20th century. Finnish young men were smuggled accross the border into Germany to get military training. These young men later returned to Finland and became officers in the "white army", which defeated the socialists in the civil war.
Army life and training is not normal. You are trained to do all sorts of crazy things, to kill and keep going. It is not what you would call a normal environment. To detract from the craziness, the Preussian model aims to pit one group against the other so the focus will be shifted. In the Swedish brigade in Finland this is particularly apparent in the "Pamin and Gumin" (those from Ostrobothnia vs those from the south). So in conclusion, the Finnish army has a history of doing this kind of thing.
Furthermore, for the army to be able to function it needs to instill an "us against them"-mentality. Basically, it replaces one unit (the family) with another (the squad, platoon, corps, whatever). Why do you think the young recruits aren't allowed to go home for the first two weeks? If you take away their family and "safety net" from home they are forced to find a new one. The military unit becomes, by default, their new family. A lot of people talk about the strong bonds formed in the army. This is not a coincidence. It is so by design. Why do you suppose you are called in at the age of 18? The main reason is because you are still "shapable", easier to control and not as quick to question.
--------------------
I was ironing a batch of laundry a few moments ago and noticed how much better the iron at home is compared to the one I have. Still, the one I have is great for the price (thanks sis').
-------------------
Going out again tonight. Hope it'll be a blast. I'll most likely fly solo as macko is at his grandmother's funeral, martin is in london and the others...well...they won't go anywhere without their chicks.
posted by Jonas @ 4:13 AM
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