Here's a different article, from CFR (the same people who run FP, so CIA, but like I said - no one else cares). Family income of service members obviously isn't public, so they can only base it on the neighborhoods they come from, but the fact remains it's virtually guaranteed many in the military are not joining up because they're pushed to by their poverty (some are, but that's not my point here).
Most probably aren't enlisting because they're foaming at the mouth, either (though I suspect the number is much higher in the few years after 9/11). Many just enlist because they believe the propaganda, then they go abroad and do horrible things, and often come back still believing it. They whole "poverty" argument always strikes me as obliquely excusing it. I acknowledge that a subset of the military are very poor and that's a motivating factor, but unless they come back full of regret and ready to overthrow the system, I don't think it makes anything that much better.
Those that do come back and organize to oppose the government? Those, I respect. But that doesn't mean we need to start making blanket statements about how all these troops do it because they're poor.
Unfortunately, I don't think many people other than CIA-ass think tanks care about this.
https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/demographics-us-military
Here's a different article, from CFR (the same people who run FP, so CIA, but like I said - no one else cares). Family income of service members obviously isn't public, so they can only base it on the neighborhoods they come from, but the fact remains it's virtually guaranteed many in the military are not joining up because they're pushed to by their poverty (some are, but that's not my point here).
Most probably aren't enlisting because they're foaming at the mouth, either (though I suspect the number is much higher in the few years after 9/11). Many just enlist because they believe the propaganda, then they go abroad and do horrible things, and often come back still believing it. They whole "poverty" argument always strikes me as obliquely excusing it. I acknowledge that a subset of the military are very poor and that's a motivating factor, but unless they come back full of regret and ready to overthrow the system, I don't think it makes anything that much better.
Those that do come back and organize to oppose the government? Those, I respect. But that doesn't mean we need to start making blanket statements about how all these troops do it because they're poor.
Edited to rephrase a bit, add bit about 9/11.
Fair enough, thanks for the chill reply and providing a different source.