Should females have to sign up for selective service when they turn 18, as men do?

[TheGravemind]

For our non-American friends who may not be familiar with "Selective Service," it's basically when you go to a U.S. military recruiting depot to register for the draft just in case a major war breaks out and the draft is re-instated. All American (citizen) males and permanent resident (immigrant) males have to do this within 30 days of turning 18, or within 30 days of being naturalized prior to their 46th birthday.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selective_Service_System


This is an issue that I find feminists are oddly silent about. If men are forced to sign up for selective service when they turn 18, then why shouldn't women be, all things being equal?

[Crissi]

Either both should, or neither. I kinda see favoring one gender over the other as extremely stupid. Women aren't special fragile flowers that need to be spared from the battlefield, and men aren't cannon fodder.

[Triginhil]

It's an old law in place that hasn't been modified to change with the times. Personally I don't mind the sexual inequality, because while it may suck at times, it does make sense in another aspect. My cousin willingly signed up for it and went to the army on her own, she was a very tough chick in high school, but when her training in boot camp came, she completely shut down and not even her squad could break her out of mental breakdown. I have seen it happen out in the real world for many other situations. While men do have similar issues, they're more pressured by their peers to "man" up and face their fear, which does work.

[Stir]

Voted 'yes,' but I'd rather see 'neither.'
I mean; it makes sense that, in case of a large-scale invasion, you want some kind of army. Forcing people into it is a bad thing, but if you're going to do that anyway, then why toss away half your potential army?

Feminists are oddly silent about the issue because it's not a feminist issue, by the way. There's nothing hypocritical about it; it's a men's issue, and therefore, feminism doesn't have anything to say on the matter.

[Crissi]

It's an old law in place that hasn't been modified to change with the times. Personally I don't mind the sexual inequality, because while it may suck at times, it does make sense in another aspect. My cousin willingly signed up for it and went to the army on her own, she was a very tough chick in high school, but when her training in boot camp came, she completely shut down and not even her squad could break her out of mental breakdown. I have seen it happen out in the real world for many other situations. While men do have similar issues, they're more pressured by their peers to "man" up and face their fear, which does work.

Which then leads to many more dudes having PTSD. yeah, the whole manning up certainly works well when you're mentally cracking...

[TheGravemind]

It's an old law in place that hasn't been modified to change with the times. Personally I don't mind the sexual inequality, because while it may suck at times, it does make sense in another aspect. My cousin willingly signed up for it and went to the army on her own, she was a very tough chick in high school, but when her training in boot camp came, she completely shut down and not even her squad could break her out of mental breakdown. I have seen it happen out in the real world for many other situations. While men do have similar issues, they're more pressured by their peers to "man" up and face their fear, which does work.

I think you just grossly oversimplified how male psychology works. It's actually not particularly different than females, the "man up" part is just a cultural meme that has found its way to legitimacy over the past few thousand years. Men can't always just "man up" and rectify their psychological issues.

[Polybius]

It's an old law in place that hasn't been modified to change with the times. Personally I don't mind the sexual inequality, because while it may suck at times, it does make sense in another aspect. My cousin willingly signed up for it and went to the army on her own, she was a very tough chick in high school, but when her training in boot camp came, she completely shut down and not even her squad could break her out of mental breakdown. I have seen it happen out in the real world for many other situations. While men do have similar issues, they're more pressured by their peers to "man" up and face their fear, which does work.

Mentally breaking someone isn't making them "man up". That stuff is primordial nonsense.

[Ogait]

In Portugal, we all have to do 1 day of military service when you turn 18, including girls (since 2010).

[Deleted]

With nuclear power in this world we cannot risk a war. People should stop joining the milltary on a grand scale.

Preventing is better than curing. Let's just make sure that the US doesn't invade Syria or Iran, because we'll be fucked when that happens.

'An organism in war with itself is doomed to fail'

[Ivorytemplar]

As a woman who already serves in our armed forces I see no ethical reason we shouldn't be required to register for selective service. That said, implementing a law would be a massive undertaking because they'll have to account for married couples with children. It would be wrong to deprive a child of both parents. Once one is drafted the other should be immune regardless of which party was selected. This should also apply to same sex couples with children.

[s_bushido]

Is it just ironic that this is posted on the same day we have a "women can't cut it on the battlefield" thread going on, or...?

[Aspect of Death]

It's an old law in place that hasn't been modified to change with the times. Personally I don't mind the sexual inequality, because while it may suck at times, it does make sense in another aspect. My cousin willingly signed up for it and went to the army on her own, she was a very tough chick in high school, but when her training in boot camp came, she completely shut down and not even her squad could break her out of mental breakdown. I have seen it happen out in the real world for many other situations. While men do have similar issues, they're more pressured by their peers to "man" up and face their fear, which does work.

So in short ; "Women are mentally weak, because they can't "man up". ? Sounded very sexist and typical. Just because you know of one story does not paint the whole gender.

OT: I would say yes.

[Aeluron Lightsong]

Is it just ironic that this is posted on the same day we have a "women can't cut it on the battlefield" thread going on, or...?

I noticed and I found it odd.


OT: Either remove it for both(This would be ideal) or make it for both.

[Polybius]

As a woman who already serves in our armed forces I see no ethical reason we shouldn't be required to register for selective service. That said, implementing a law would be a massive undertaking because they'll have to account for married couples with children. It would be wrong to deprive a child of both parents. Once one is drafted the other should be immune regardless of which party was selected. This should also apply to same sex couples with children.

Totally agreed with this and Octavios' post. We can't have another war with all the nuclear power we have.

[Mihalik]

Nobody should have to, but if one does, both should.

Yes this.

But please stop calling women "females" this trend of calling women "females" is starting to get on my nerve, it has a weird tone to it, almost dehumanizing.

[TheGravemind]

As a woman who already serves in our armed forces I see no ethical reason we shouldn't be required to register for selective service. That said, implementing a law would be a massive undertaking because they'll have to account for married couples with children. It would be wrong to deprive a child of both parents. Once one is drafted the other should be immune regardless of which party was selected. This should also apply to same sex couples with children.

Solution: draft the kid, too.

[dashflash890]

I'm all for Gender equality. Feminist want it so they shall have it.

[Triginhil]

Which then leads to many more dudes having PTSD. yeah, the whole manning up certainly works well when you're mentally cracking...

it would happen to both genders, not just men, heck, some women get postpartum depression just from child birth. if men in the battlefield get PTSD its due to lack of a harsh environment back home and being weak minded, otherwise EVERY man and woman in the military would get PTSD.

ive never been in the army myself but have lived in the united states and mexico and ive seen some scary shit as a kid growing up. while some adults may say it scarred me, i feel it turned me into a stronger person. most of which i saw in mexico, here in the US, you're so sheltered, its rather scary. So I'm not surprised as to why ppl get PTSD when they come back from the front lines, we're sending out boys into a scary world on their own, most of which can't even feed themselves outside their mother's home.

[TheGravemind]

Yes this.

But please stop calling women "females" this trend of calling women "females" is starting to get on my nerve, it has a weird tone to it, almost dehumanizing.

I used the terms "male" and "female" since those terms have better connotations when speaking in a policy context.

[Wildtree]

For our non-American friends who may not be familiar with "Selective Service," it's basically when you go to a U.S. military recruiting depot to register for the draft just in case a major war breaks out and the draft is re-instated. All American (citizen) males and permanent resident (immigrant) males have to do this within 30 days of turning 18, or within 30 days of being naturalized prior to their 46th birthday.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selective_Service_System


This is an issue that I find feminists are oddly silent about. If men are forced to sign up for selective service when they turn 18, then why shouldn't women be, all things being equal?

So you apparently didn't get the memo then.....
Them feminists? At least some of them..... They DID fight, and they DID win..... Women are no longer excluded.

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013...ing-steam?lite
http://www.sss.gov/wmbkgr.htm