Re: Gangsters in the Military?
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I always believed that one thing that helps gangs thrive is that the members have never seen much more than their neighborhood.
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the idea of getting out of the neighborhood would certainly be appealing, but i think that would only be a secondary factor. gangs appeal to their members in that they provide a sense of community, protection, worth/pride, etc. the military can also provide these benefits, but people can join gangs long before they can join the military.
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But can the military be a "way out?" If the the gangs were disbursed throughout the country, would the problem persist if a Crip was forced to live next to a Blood in Smalltown, USA. What if these same guys were forced to trust each other with weapons and fight with each other? Is it a stretch to even trust these guys with weapons. Don't they have a larger, more unglamorous, grasp of what weapons are than some kid playing Halo?
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if they were normal neighbors in smalltown, usa the feud is likely to follow the gangsters, but being in the same reserve troop battalion for the us military would/should transcend the gang ties. same thing on the battlefield-- i imagine that the two groups would set aside their differences even if only in the sense that "the enemy of my enemy is my friend." as long as they are voluntarily entering the military, trusting them should not be too much of an issue. psychologically many gang members may be more suited for combat than other civilians. however, i don't think it's a great idea to just use the military as a default reform center.
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