Army and Navy

I have never seen or heard an advert for the services that has made me think "Hmmm, a career in killing people, that's an option".

On the local radio station I occasionaly listen to, both the army and navy are pushing for recruitment. All of their adverts - bar none - have made me realise that although I'm not 100% happy doing what I'm doing, it could be incalculably worst.

The adverts basically take on the form of a challenge. You're weak. You're a maggot. There's no way you could do this. They involve a monologue, setting a scene like an excerpt from an Andy McNabb novel.

Some examples:

- For the Navy.
"Can you fry an egg? How about on a ship? In a force 10-gale? Whilst under FIRE? With 170 HUNGRY SAILORS who need that EGG to remain operational? WELL, COULD YOU?"

No. No I couldn't. Nor would I want to. It would be like cooking for Gordon Ramsey, if Gordon was a sexually repressed killer who had been at sea for 3-months and would be showering with me later. That's the kind of pressure I can't handle.

- For the Army.
"You've been street fighting for 3-days. You've had nothing to eat for 48 hours. You come to the last house in the town. You know behind the door lie enemy soldiers. You don't want to go in there, but you know you have to.
We at the army will train you so that you can overcome the pain and fear and equip you with the skills required to overcome whatever lies behind that door".

So basically what the army is saying is that you will go through hell. It's terrible - it is humanly impossible for anyone to be able to cope. But don't worry, by that point we will have wiped out any trace of humanity from you and leave a souless killing shell. Hoorah!

It worries me the type of person who would be enticed by these adverts. I think that those who are, are the last people who should be given training in how to kill people.