Ask Lemmy

Yup, pro Ukrainian AND Russian conscription. I'll be pro-Canadian conscription once the US tries to annex us.

I'm pro, but to a very limited extent and with a lot of caveats.

Peacetime conscription is an important tool for smaller nations in that it gives a population a basic military skillset. A professional army will then have a larger recruitment pool that already knows WTF fire&maneuver teams are.

It is also my firm belief that serving a year for something greater oneself is an important life lesson. Not in the sense of indoctrination, but most 20 year olds really should serve a purpose outside of their own life and goals.

As for wartime conscription, that's an entirely different thing. A conscript should never be sent abroad. And I'm undecided whether it's OK to use them in defensive wars (A common argument is that if a nation is worth fighting for, they will volunteer. I can't take a stance on that, as I don't have any relevant experience).

And it should be possible to refuse military service. So, for example, instead of serving in the army for a year, you're assigned to civil defense that can help out during disaster relief.

Source: My thoughts and opinions, mostly. I served one year as a conscript, learning the basics. I was offered a contract to join the standing army as I was interested at that point in my life, but I turned it down for a competing offer. I later joined our country's equivalent of the national guard for a couple of years, before I left due to it clashing with my job a lot.

Wait, are you against conscription or specifically conscription in Ukraine? I was drawn in by your post title because I think it's actually an interesting discussion about the implications of a fully volunteer military vs conscription and the societal implications. If you just want to complain about Ukraine having conscription while their survival is on the line....I don't know what to tell you.

Maybe condemn Russia for their brutal invasion, support giving Ukraine everything they need to win including foreign boots on the ground (which Russia has already done) and the war can be ended as quickly as possible with minimal amount of conscription. Your narrow lens on Ukraine here makes it hard to assume your wanting to discuss the issue in good faith.

I am against conscripts.

We must always be highly critical of those with power, money, and influence; especially governments and politicians (and the oligarchs that control/sway them).

I have known about those videos being posted on twitter.

I shared some of them last year, it is great that people are escaping the echo cambers we created for ourselves!