the Department of Defense is really wasting its time and surely never has gotten a single recruit through coercive messaging
The coercive messaging over the last 20 years has only gone up while recruitment has only gone down. There's definitely some value in the Pentagon reminding people that a career in the military exists. But if I had to guess how many people signed up to join the Navy after walking out of the the latest Top Gun versus how many joined the Navy because a recruiter showed up at their school and directly propositioned them, I'd consider a 1:100 spread generous on the side of direct recruitment.
You’re hyperbolizing what I said into something I never claimed.
Starship Troopers -> provoked me into joining the military -> So now I'm participating in war crimes...
Which step did I hyperbolize?
I’m supposing Reese’s Pieces didn’t sell a single additional bag of candy after E.T. was a hit.
Selecting a particular brand of candy to eat is not comparable to dedicating the next five years of your life to indentured servitude.
But you're right. We've definitely hit :wall-talk:
The coercive messaging over the last 20 years has only gone up while recruitment has only gone down. There’s definitely some value in the Pentagon reminding people that a career in the military exists. But if I had to guess how many people signed up to join the Navy after walking out of the the latest Top Gun versus how many joined the Navy because a recruiter showed up at their school and directly propositioned them, I’d consider a 1:100 spread generous on the side of direct recruitment.
It's possible that recruitment would have gone further down without such marketing gimmicks within entertainment. We don't live in that universe to know for sure, nor do we live in the universe where my most ignorant older cousin joined the military anyway, without that movie inspiring him, with him still quitting halfway through nursing school. Maybe a "material conditions" invisible hand would have caused spikes in Reese's Pieces sales with or without E.T. coming to theaters, spikes in bacon consumption with or without Epic Meal Time glorifying it, and "fight clubs" were inevitable with or without Brad Pitt's movie. Who's to say?
My argument is that it's a more extraordinary claim to say that there's no influence of any meaningful sort.
Which step did I hyperbolize?
Starship Troopers -> provoked me into joining the military -> So now I’m participating in war crimes…
Yes, my older cousin may very well have done those but I don't know the full extent of his participation. All I know is he was "doing his part!" :im-doing-my-part: last time he called me all those years ago.
Selecting a particular brand of candy to eat is not comparable to dedicating the next five years of your life to indentured servitude.
I think it's very optimistically presumptive of you to believe no one ever, ever makes long term commitments that start from brief impulsive decisions. Vegas marriages don't real either, I suppose.
The coercive messaging over the last 20 years has only gone up while recruitment has only gone down. There's definitely some value in the Pentagon reminding people that a career in the military exists. But if I had to guess how many people signed up to join the Navy after walking out of the the latest Top Gun versus how many joined the Navy because a recruiter showed up at their school and directly propositioned them, I'd consider a 1:100 spread generous on the side of direct recruitment.
Starship Troopers -> provoked me into joining the military -> So now I'm participating in war crimes...
Which step did I hyperbolize?
Selecting a particular brand of candy to eat is not comparable to dedicating the next five years of your life to indentured servitude.
But you're right. We've definitely hit :wall-talk:
It's possible that recruitment would have gone further down without such marketing gimmicks within entertainment. We don't live in that universe to know for sure, nor do we live in the universe where my most ignorant older cousin joined the military anyway, without that movie inspiring him, with him still quitting halfway through nursing school. Maybe a "material conditions" invisible hand would have caused spikes in Reese's Pieces sales with or without E.T. coming to theaters, spikes in bacon consumption with or without Epic Meal Time glorifying it, and "fight clubs" were inevitable with or without Brad Pitt's movie. Who's to say?
My argument is that it's a more extraordinary claim to say that there's no influence of any meaningful sort.
Yes, my older cousin may very well have done those but I don't know the full extent of his participation. All I know is he was "doing his part!" :im-doing-my-part: last time he called me all those years ago.
I think it's very optimistically presumptive of you to believe no one ever, ever makes long term commitments that start from brief impulsive decisions. Vegas marriages don't real either, I suppose.
How are the bricks on your side? :wall-talk: