So parents keep bitching about military recruiters 'harassing' their children. I would like to smack each and every one of these people...with a dead fish...right across the face...some of them more than once.
I know several Marine Corps recruiters and have had some experience with how they are taught to do their job. There are bad apples that might not be doing their job correctly but these parents are making a bad name for recruiters and the military everywhere.
These kids are 18 (or damn near) and society trusts them to be adults at that point. Granted, at 18 we all still have a lot of growing up to do...but if you trust them to vote, why don't you trust them to uphold that value? It was won militarily here, why is it so wrong that the military be used to bring that value to another country?
High school juniors and seniors should be adult enough to be able to say, "No thank you" and walk away if they really aren't interested. Sure, sometimes there is the hard sell but no one is grabbing you by the arm and dragging you to MEPS against your will. Maybe it's just annoying to get the phone calls when you really aren't interested? There is a way to keep your information off their records - try using it instead of working your flappy little head like a South Park character.
Are these teenagers not allowed to decide for themselves what future adventures they'd like to embark on? Feel they don't have all the facts? Talk to them about why they are interested in the military! Or is your discomfort about their decision worth more than their autonomy and your support?
It is a recruiter’s job to conduct himself in the most professional way possible while talking to your children. On an educational campus, at the mall, in their office, or any other place a recruiter might be found...do you really think that this person is going to risk their career over getting your kid to enlist? I don't think so. You might think your kid is that special but I've got news for you...he/she isn't worth someone's job, let alone a military career & retirement...
And if your kid is so frightened of the big bad recruiter at the age of 17 or 18 that they can't walk the other way, you should worry...not about the recruiter but about how sheltered you've raised your kid to be. Oh, and don't let them go shopping by themselves either...you know how pushy those sales people can be...your children might get swindled and learn a hard lesson about making their own decisions...GASP!
Posted by Princess Cat at June 23, 2005 01:07 PM @ 01:07 PM in Political Punts // Permalink