Active discussions

Help protect children from gaming harms.

Take our survey

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think the army shouldn't be allowed to 'avertise' in schools?

240 replies

TheDevilWearsPrimark · 11/06/2007 13:01

I was speaking to my aunt over the weekend she told me she was horrified to hear there had been an assembly run by the T.A at her local school.

Her 15 year old son was apparantly very excited about all they had said, and has apllied for his local cadets group.

I just can't help think that this smacks of desperation on the armies part to recruit children who otherwise feel they have little options, or simply don't really know what they want.

Those television adverts that make it all seem like a fun computer game are another step too far.

OP posts:
NKF · 11/06/2007 13:45

Does anyone remember those spoof adverts? All about "join the army, see interesting places and drop bombs on them?" Can't remember which comedy it was.

Blu · 11/06/2007 13:44

I don't think you should 'ban' the army from schools amongst other legal, democratically sanctioned job opportunities in this country.

But I do wish they would ease up on the adverts which make the whole thing look like an extended Outdoor Pursuits adventure.

Lilymaid · 11/06/2007 13:44

Army does training days in most secondary schools (y9?). Indpendent schools generally have CCFs (Combined Cadet Force) and DS2's state comprehensive has an Air Cadets group operating from its grounds. Many schools do DoE on top of this. I don't think army days are anything new.

littlelapin · 11/06/2007 13:43

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
TheDevilWearsPrimark · 11/06/2007 13:43

Xenia, I know you so love to work, oh so hard.
So why not design a massive chainsaw to cut scotland and wales right away from England, then perhaps a big iron fence all around the coast so we don't ever have to think about them, or anyone else who wants to come here ever again.

OP posts:
mears · 11/06/2007 13:42

I am not sure really what the problem is. The army has always gone into schools, as has the police. It is advising children of career options.

I opted to join neither.

Rubyslippers · 11/06/2007 13:42

but Devil you are right - kids may not have much of a clue about what they want to do so why not offer the army as an option?
Yes they may have "flashy" videos etc but so what - that doesn't class it as brainwashing

Pinkveto · 11/06/2007 13:41

apologies for typing so slowly and mentioning private education!!

nomdeplume · 11/06/2007 13:40

fwiw I have no real opinion of the army recruiting through schools

Pinkveto · 11/06/2007 13:39

The army do an awful lot of recruiting in private schools too - it isnt just deprived areas. They need a range of people for a range of jobs.

And if you have had a pretty shite education, or arent academic, and want a practical job, the forces are a very viable option - farming is all mechanised, theres no heavy industry and manufacturing is in decline.

For all the spin, most people are savvy enough to know that training will be hard, competition for jobs within the army will be tough, and that a minority of time will be spent actually firing weapons - the majority will be spent cleaning them.

Original poster
TheDevilWearsPrimark · 11/06/2007 13:39

littlelapin

I was presuming someone would pipe up about prince harry, etc etc etc

OP posts:
Judy1234 · 11/06/2007 13:39

The sooner we divest ourselves of Scotland the better then. I think we're soon going to have a situation where teenagers from England have to pay fees at Scottish universities and EU teenagers from any of the other 26 EU states won't and yet we're subsidising Scotland down here and the teachers are obviously from this a bunch of left wing pacifists.

nomdeplume · 11/06/2007 13:39

i think tdwp was telling people that 'sandringham' was not a good enough response to her 'underclass recruitment' [para] theory

Original poster
TheDevilWearsPrimark · 11/06/2007 13:38

An important fator is that children aged 12+ have little clue about what they want from life, what choices they have, and wat is wrong or right. To be frank, I don'tr believe anyone really get this until late teens, and some much later, if ever.

To target children in this way is just plain wrong, and to be pouring extra resources into it at a time when our mlitary is in need is just abbhorant.

I expect that my children can learn about discpline, organisation, comradeship etc on their own terms tbh.

OP posts:
littlelapin · 11/06/2007 13:37

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Lovecat · 11/06/2007 13:33

My 14 yr old niece, who is incredibly sporty, has been invited (via her teacher!!!!) to a day out organised by the army recruitment people, involving paintballing, video games, abseiling, loads of fun stuff.

Thankfully she's a cynical little moo and has no intention of joining the army, but I do think targeting children at this age (or younger) is wrong. YANBU.

worzsel · 11/06/2007 13:32

The Army does a lot of good getting people of otherwise would have wasted their lives in to decent work.. there is no denying that !

Original poster
TheDevilWearsPrimark · 11/06/2007 13:32

And please no one mention bloody Sandringham.

OP posts:
Original poster
TheDevilWearsPrimark · 11/06/2007 13:31

There seems to be an underlying tone here, suggesting that those in deprived areas may as well go into the army, as otherwise they would have a wasted life.

OP posts:
Cammelia · 11/06/2007 13:30

Girls can join and enjoy ccf too

NKF · 11/06/2007 13:29

Young boys and men can have a brilliant time with the TAs.

The army proper recruits in all sorts of ways. Ads on the tube, I've seen them at village fairs etc. They're not an illegal organisation.

littlelapin · 11/06/2007 13:27

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Pinkveto · 11/06/2007 13:25

The current war in Iraq was the responsibility of politicians, not the army per se. But they have a job to do, and they are doing it.

There is a long tradition of taking the kings shilling when you live in a poor/deprived area, often these are very successful regiments - e.g. the highlanders.

Yes it is cynical to target deprived areas, but I imagine someone from the army will counter that they are trying to improve their minority group recruitment.

And is a career in the army better or worse than the dole? In terms of danger to life better or worse than being a fireman, or oil rigger, or builder?

Original poster
TheDevilWearsPrimark · 11/06/2007 13:22

I had a career talk at school that advised I would be best suited as a publisher, librarian or animal welfare officer (rofl) but none of those came armed with flashy videos designed to look like computer games, and enormous spin.

OP posts:
Original poster
TheDevilWearsPrimark · 11/06/2007 13:21

I am not a pacifist, but I do not believe in illegal wars

Very interesting point from the link Macdog posted
"Delegates were told that one establishment in Glasgow had 14 visits from army recruiters in the past year, while another experienced a 10-fold rise in the number of army visits during the past 12 months"

Could the rising number of conscientious objector cases, deaths, and dropping recruiment figures have anything o do with that?

oh of course, it's just coincidental.

OP posts:
Swipe left for the next trending thread