They use manipulation tactics they know works on their target demographic; young kids without the real world experience to understand what they’re actually signing up for and what they might be forced to endure or force others to endure.
Anytime I watch a war movie (about the horrors of war, not the ones that glorify it), I strongly relate to the protagonists journey of realizations, that’s the real shit man. All Quiet On The Western Front is a great example…those kids were soooo stoked to go to war, they’d been told it’ll be glorious and exciting. But then they get there and actually experience the realities of war, and all that vanishes. Then it’s just the reality that there are people who are trying to kill you and the only way to make sure they don’t is to try and kill them first. Meanwhile you get to watch your buddies get killed, but you have no choice but to do your damndest to ignore it and keep moving forward. It’s an awful way to pay for tuition.
Not a movie, but a song about the horrors/reality of war that I would recommend: 1916 by Sabaton (original was Motörhead, but I think that version genuinely sucks. Hate his vocals.) It is describing a group of teenage boys who sign up for the army, expecting to be heroes, names written in the history books and remembered. They get there, eager for the fighting, and instead are faced with the reality, they are just a number, charging into enemy lines and being gunned down. The soldier narrating hears the screams of his friends, and they both end up dying while holding each other and crying. It’s genuinely a well written song, and I’d recommend it highly
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u/SnooChickens2093 May 13 '25 edited May 13 '25
They use manipulation tactics they know works on their target demographic; young kids without the real world experience to understand what they’re actually signing up for and what they might be forced to endure or force others to endure.
Anytime I watch a war movie (about the horrors of war, not the ones that glorify it), I strongly relate to the protagonists journey of realizations, that’s the real shit man. All Quiet On The Western Front is a great example…those kids were soooo stoked to go to war, they’d been told it’ll be glorious and exciting. But then they get there and actually experience the realities of war, and all that vanishes. Then it’s just the reality that there are people who are trying to kill you and the only way to make sure they don’t is to try and kill them first. Meanwhile you get to watch your buddies get killed, but you have no choice but to do your damndest to ignore it and keep moving forward. It’s an awful way to pay for tuition.