Heard this oddity on the radio today
NPR had a report today stating that rural soldiers suffer 30% more casualties, in the current conflicts, than do city folks. Ok, I can believe that since there are roughly twice as many rural kids that join the military and stay in than there are city folks. If you account for the percentage differential then actually you are statistically much less likely to be KIA as a rural soldier than as an urban one. That is not what the sociologist professor/commentator deduced from it. He claimed that more rural kids join because rural folks are poorer and thus the burden of war is unequally carried on the backs of the poor country kids when they join up to escape dismal poverty.
I think more rural kids join because they are brought up to be patriotic and more prone to self-sacrifice for the good of the family, town, country or whatever they are needed for. The average income for rural folks is generally lower than in cities, but things cost less in a rural area and people are much more self-sufficient. They don't need as much cash income to live good. Now if you look at a city, on the whole the average income is higher, but you have 3%-5% of folks earning 70%-80% of the income while the rest are eeking out a living or on assistance of some kind. So this guy is manipulating the statistics to do what? Make rural kids stop joining the military? I am not sure what his motivation was, but he is apparently either an idiot or assumes that his tenure is enough to make folks believe his BS. I think I will have to give the station a call tomorrow and stand up for my country raised brothers and sisters who are doing the job that windbag doesn't have the stomach for.
I think more rural kids join because they are brought up to be patriotic and more prone to self-sacrifice for the good of the family, town, country or whatever they are needed for. The average income for rural folks is generally lower than in cities, but things cost less in a rural area and people are much more self-sufficient. They don't need as much cash income to live good. Now if you look at a city, on the whole the average income is higher, but you have 3%-5% of folks earning 70%-80% of the income while the rest are eeking out a living or on assistance of some kind. So this guy is manipulating the statistics to do what? Make rural kids stop joining the military? I am not sure what his motivation was, but he is apparently either an idiot or assumes that his tenure is enough to make folks believe his BS. I think I will have to give the station a call tomorrow and stand up for my country raised brothers and sisters who are doing the job that windbag doesn't have the stomach for.
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I recruited in the rural midwest. I can only think of one or two that joined because it was a paycheck and got them out of their cycle of poverty. Typical NPR bullcrap. 0 -
quote: He claimed that more rural kids join because rural folks are poorer and thus the burden of war is unequally carried on the backs of the poor country kids when they join up to escape dismal poverty.
let em think that, mebe theyll get some "assistance" programs for the "po-folk" in the country instead of pouring it down the city sewers?0 -
This is the same sort of BS that was passed around about blacks being drafted during Viet Nam.
Garbage.
Doug0 -
Somewhat true. MANY kids (including myself!!!!!!!!) joined to get the HELL out of their crappy small towns!
I did my five years, that was enough for me. Me joining had *zero* to do with "patriotism" on my part. I don't think that way. I love my country, but that had nothing to do with it.
Merc0 -
quote:Originally posted by Mercury
Somewhat true. MANY kids (including myself!!!!!!!!) joined to get the HELL out of their crappy small towns!
I did my five years, that was enough for me. Me joining had *zero* to do with "patriotism" on my part. I don't think that way. I love my country, but that had nothing to do with it.
Merc
Yep. My godson's brother is one of them. He's dumb as a stump (he is currently in his fourth semester as a senior in high school) and hoping that the military is the way out of his jerkwater hellhole that he lives in.0
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