By Jessica Reed
Study hard in school or risk being stuck in Iraq.
Even though Kerry said he would not apologise for his clumsy comments, he must bitterly regret them as I am writing this. While they were apparently meant for G.W.Bush, it makes little doubt that Kerry could have shown more subtleness when adressing the Iraq issue and the US army's young recruits.The result? Criticisms from right-wing blogs are raining on the Democrats' parade, as even some of them choose to distanciate themselves from the ex-presidential candidate.
In my mind, whether or not Kerry truly targetted Bush or the American youth does not really matter, but it does raise an interesting question: do all young people who enroll themselves in the Army do it because they are facing a 'kafkaian' lack of choice? Do they all risk being sent to Iraq just because they cannot afford or want to go to University, and "did not study hard enough"? I highly doubt so, and find the whole argument to be quite insulting for the American youth. What about those who freely decide to join the Army because they sincerely believe in what they are about to accomplish- may those be misguided notions or not?
I was always opposed to the Bush regime and the Iraq war, and am truly digusted when I think about how the conflict has been handled by the US and UK governements. But I feel we should give soldiers more credit: there are as many reasons to enlist as they are soliders. Some enlist because they are attracted by the high salaries and various bonuses, some do it hoping they will obtain the American citizenship after a four-year tour of duty. Some because they truly think they can make a difference, fantasising themselves real patriots, while some highschoolers decide join after having been offered three free iTunes downloads (!) by the US Army recruitement team- which sometimes uses illegal recruitment tactics. Some may crave the Army's strict and organised way of life, and some may do it after long months of indecisions and apathy concerning their future careers.
...Not to forget that some who would want to join the forces can't even do so due to the homophobic US Army's unspoken rules (1).
But whichever the reasons why people choose to enlist, who are we to pass judgement, openly associating them with high-school slackers? Kerry should have anticipated the backlash he is now facing and should have known better even if he was after the Army's big boss, and not its subjects.
Some major voices in the blogopshere think he should apologise, and I can't say I disagree.
(1) see "Don't ask, Don't tell".
