[lbo-talk] Hersh on Bush & Iran

[Alex]

--- info at pulpculture.org wrote:
>  From what C's saying, this 'rape culture' and demeaning of women is coming 
> from the top-down and whatever comes from recruits is simply allowed to 
> exist and flourish. A lot of it's a constant barrage of information warfare 
> aimed at these kids, to get them to distrust any ties they might have back 
> home. Hence, the constant talk of how their girlfriends, back home, are 
> fucking around on them. The intention is to break them of their 
> individuality, make them suspicious of any other form of solidarity that 
> might compete with the Marines, softening them up to be committed to the
> unit.
> 
> I.e., in boot camp, you don't refer to yourself as "I". You speak about 
> yourself in the 3rd person and you are repeatedly punished until you break 
> yourself of any habit of referring to yourself as *I*. If you're vomiting 
> from heat exhaustion on Parris Island and a drill sergeant ask you what 
> your major malfunction is, you aren't even allowed the dignity of screwing 
> up and saying "I'm sick" and getting help. YOu have to say it in the third 
> person and you can keep puking 'til you get it right.

I have a friend who was in the Marines who would tell me all kinds of stories
like this.  Although it seems disturbing and abusive to me, they seem to mold
your whole identity to be dependent on them so, when he left (actually got
discharged so they could avoid paying the health cares costs for an injury they
caused), he kept wanting to go back and eventually ended up in the National
Guard.  I suppose training people to kill is itself abusive.  Why not expect
the whole range of awful behavior?

-Alex

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