Starship Troopers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvLoqexj6v0

The original book is used in part of training for the army,navy,and marines. This is the only book recommended as part of training for three of the four U.S. military branches.

In the book and the movies only citizens (people who served in any branch of their military)have the right to vote.

The book also had critic of supporting Fascism and Communism. In the movie the symbol for the federation is an iron hawk in front of a globe,and their high intelligence officers uniform looks like that of the gestapo.

I'm not saying it's a bad movie just that the book is some how supportive of fascism,racism,and government controlled media.

I would like your opinion.

Tags: Justice, book, etc., peace, totalerism, war

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Permalink Reply by Xeranar on October 18, 2008 at 5:23am

Agreement. Technically the term for Starship Troopers would be Militarism or Junta depending on your definition and exactly how the power was distributed (Militarism for a militarily led-democratic republic or Junta for a military-high command dictatorship).

Starship Troopers is in the same vein of why people blindly support soldiers in the line of duty yet dislike wars. Unless you were drafted you optioned your life into the army for pay, reward, or nationalism. Not necessarily bad goals or reasons but it is certainly less character-based than most people give.

Starship Troopers doesn't really support Fascism though, the civilians who can't vote are still treated with respect and make up a majority of the world still in the book. If anything it is more a modern take on Plato's Republic or a world representation of Sparta. Nor can I think of any reference of the top of my head that supports racism, I know in the movie they varied some races just to be more approachable but I am fairly sure in the book (it has been years since I read it) that not all the characters were definitively white or any ethnicity.

The book was written more in admiration for the military than anything else. We''re the only modern western state that has a large standing army and his exceedingly proud of its well functioning leadership and the fact that the joint chiefs have routinely done their job when they had numerous chances to overthrow the government. I will give you the government certainly wants to control the media but by and large they don't. Even the fabled Pentagon papers were illegally leaked to the New York Times and yet they were still allowed to publish it in the end.

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Permalink Reply by Andro on October 18, 2008 at 8:49am

One thing I've heard though is that a lot of people in the US Army joined from poor neighborhoods as its their only chance for an education. Is this true, and if so, don't these people deserve our support for being economically forced into this situation?

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Permalink Reply by Jessica Miranda on October 18, 2008 at 9:03am

yes this is true I'm not sure on the statistical percentage of how many young women and men join just for a college education that most of the time they are PROMISED and never seem to get (personal family situation!) but as to your question about support of course they deserve our support as citizens but there is a line we need to draw b/tween "supporting the troops" and supporting a heinous war that you may or may not agree with!

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Permalink Reply by Andro on October 18, 2008 at 10:43am

Well, I never said supporting the war.

As a wise man once said: "Support the troops, but fuck Bush!"

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Permalink Reply by Jessica Miranda on October 18, 2008 at 10:52am

lol that's great!! I hope the new "W" movie shows the "real" side of him! (cough and his evil ways!) ;)

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Permalink Reply by Jessica Miranda on October 18, 2008 at 11:23am

great view lesley - thanks for that - I was merely making a point above just in case this was directed towards me! this is true as far as "support" goes - I personally try to do as much as I can to support at least the soldiers in my life - which there are many in my family and my cincy group now - so I do what I can where I can when I can! If ya' know what I mean!

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Permalink Reply by Jessica Miranda on October 18, 2008 at 11:23am

;)

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Permalink Reply by Andro on October 18, 2008 at 11:30am

It wasn't really a criticism. Just wondering about the whole "unless you've been drafted you optioned your life into it" bit. Just a clarification on the fact that you don't have to be drafted to have the army be somewhat forced upon you and that these people may need some form of support from the public as they were forced into a war.

One way of support could be initiating economic change so that we have a smaller amount of people that are forced into the army because of their economic situation. Although, this is the biggest recruitment area, so the government would never allow it.

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Permalink Reply by Xeranar on October 18, 2008 at 2:25pm

Sadly it is true, the GI Bill is largely how the poorest Americans have a chance at college but even then it proves my point. The noble goals of being a soldier are usually lackluster once put to the test of true character. This is not however derogatory to the soldiers themselves, individually they are probably wonderful and horrible people but collectively they aren't some class above the rest of us with a special place in everyone's heart.

The Other America explained it nicely. When people want to make way for you when you have a uniform but treat the person who makes 22,000 a year as a homeless shelter worker like a dog there is something seriously wrong with our society. The noblest people are the people you least expect to be noble.

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Permalink Reply by The Other America on October 18, 2008 at 11:49am

I dislike how "soldiers" and "civilians" are classified as two different people. We all have the same rights do we not? Because i went to Iraq, I get special treatment? For all they know, i could be a desk jocky, or a soldier who pulled out a iraqi girl from a burning car. When i came home on leave i was offered a 1st class seat by a women whos reasons could be true patriotism to wanting to look good in front of a plane full of people. At first i refused it, saying that i couldnt take her first class seat. She said no that it was fine, got up and moved to the seat in coach.

I am an american, like everyone else, i make my money. For all i know, there could have been a WWII vet there, who in my opinion deserves the seat more then I. I have talked to many vets of different wars, and i know for the most part, that they have respect and pride in the current day soldier. Yeah, its nice to have people pay for your meals sometimes when your waiting for a flight, but I would like the american citizen to take an interest in what i have done.

Would i get treated differently based on what i did in Iraq? Or is it an all around "support" for the troops, no matter what.

Where is the support for citizen heros? the people who raise money for diseases? Who give money to the needy? the people who go out of their way to do what they can. Those people are just as much of a hero as I am.

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Permalink Reply by Jessica Miranda on October 18, 2008 at 12:04pm

very noble of you nate!!! I love this - you are truely an awesome person - and that is very true what you say here at the end for everyday citizen heroes - but you get more attention at this point in society mainly just b/c we are currently in a war - you don't see people on planes offering my grandpa a first class seat b/c he is a POW of the Korean war - so I think all the attention is directed towards our troops when indeed we are currently in a war so I would just appreciate it while you can b/c it probably won't last forever - un less of course we stay in iraq forever which hopefully that won't happen!!! kudos to you and can't wait to meet you!! :)