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Palantir Wants to Reinstate the Draft

reason.com

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Re: Palantir Wants to Reinstate the Draft

#91

Post by sph »

mrhottakes wrote: post #49
robotburrito wrote: post #37

Doesn’t ycombinator and hacker news have links with this company? Makes it hard to maintain the hacker ethos when this entire site seems so closely linked with such forces.

The hacker aesthetic has always been largely reactionary and hyperfocused on the individual and individual freedoms. See also the politics of "generation X"

The saddest thing of our age is that "reactionary" and "individual freedom" is equated to authoritarian movements that are anything but.

The hacker aesthetic has always been anarchist in nature, until the rich Californians decided that a hacker is an entrepreneur that participates into the game of capitalism. To be fair, even the concept of libertarianism was an offshoot of anarchism, until the Americans decided that it means right-wing party politics of the rich elite. Words don't mean anything any more, any concept that can equated to its opposite if it rewards one with internet points.

Re: Palantir Wants to Reinstate the Draft

#92

Post by nsvd2 »

Drupon wrote: post #80
causal wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I like the idea of civic engagement / service in theory too, but I feel like the Vietnam war was a demonstration of possible failure modes when draft is in place: a lot of poor kids died, some rich kids allegedly used parental influence to dodge the draft. No incentive for leaders to avoid war while loop holes remain for their own interests.

People greatly overestimate the number of Vietnam vets who were drafted.

For maybe people, even one would be too many.

Re: Palantir Wants to Reinstate the Draft

#93

Post by Kit-Triv »

_doctor_love wrote: post #20

Other countries have compulsory military service, for example Finland. Generally speaking I am a fan of the idea that everyone should be required to do some kind of community service for 2 years once they turn 18. Military service would just be one option, could be other kinds of civic engagement. This can really help people feel connected to their society and understand that there is something to show up for. BUT -…

I would do it as a civic corps like the military in structure and pay but for civil projects and work experience. Enable our youth to learn on the job and actually value that experieence.

Re: Palantir Wants to Reinstate the Draft

#94

Post by gordonhart »

chromacity wrote: post #63
_doctor_love wrote: post #20

Other countries have compulsory military service, for example Finland. Generally speaking I am a fan of the idea that everyone should be required to do some kind of community service for 2 years once they turn 18. Military service would just be one option, could be other kinds of civic engagement. This can really help people feel connected to their society and understand that there is something to show up for. BUT -…

> Generally speaking I am a fan of the idea that everyone should be required to do some kind of community service for 2 years once they turn 18. Why? I get the warm-and-fuzzy angle of "instilling civic responsibility", but you're effectively instilling that at gunpoint: the government forces you to do this, else you go to prison. Is that really such an enlightened thing to do? It takes away two years of your life, po…

> the government forces you to do this, else you go to prison

You'll never guess what happens if you choose not to pay taxes.

Re: Palantir Wants to Reinstate the Draft

#96

Post by CobrastanJorji »

_doctor_love wrote: post #65
chromacity wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Generally speaking I am a fan of the idea that everyone should be required to do some kind of community service for 2 years once they turn 18. Why? I get the warm-and-fuzzy angle of "instilling civic responsibility", but you're effectively instilling that at gunpoint: the government forces you to do this, else you go to prison. Is that really such an enlightened thing to do? It takes away two years of your life, po…

> why should they also be able to draft you for some free labor if there's no war or other emergency going on? You can only prepare for a fire before it starts.

Sure, but you also don't keep 1.3 million firefighters idling in case of a really big fire.

Re: Palantir Wants to Reinstate the Draft

#99

Post by _doctor_love »

Kit-Triv wrote: post #93
_doctor_love wrote: post #20

Other countries have compulsory military service, for example Finland. Generally speaking I am a fan of the idea that everyone should be required to do some kind of community service for 2 years once they turn 18. Military service would just be one option, could be other kinds of civic engagement. This can really help people feel connected to their society and understand that there is something to show up for. BUT -…

I would do it as a civic corps like the military in structure and pay but for civil projects and work experience. Enable our youth to learn on the job and actually value that experieence.

That's what the ideal would look like in my opinion too. Like the Peace Corps.
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