Not entirely certain you're joking
I would say the US armed forces wouldn't dare use press gangs because of the hostility it'd generate. But hard questions are blocked from town hall meetings, so I'm not sure. But I can see youth clubs being paid to allow recruiting seminars. Or implied threats of bad, high school references. Or recruiters advocating leniency in police stations for petty offences.
I'm surprised some of the tactics worked. For example, I'm surprised a 17 year old doesn't know that every sentence in
He could pursue his love of chemistry. He could serve anywhere he chose and leave any time he wanted on an "apathy discharge" if he didn't like it. And he wouldn't have to go to Iraq if he didn't want to.
is rubbish. Or is the kid just on of those below average brains?
Matthew Greet
Choose Life. Choose a job. Choose a career. Choose a family. Choose a fucking big television, choose washing machines, cars, compact disc players and electrical tin openers. Choose good health, low cholesterol, and dental insurance. Choose fixed interest mortgage repayments. Choose a starter home. Choose your friends. Choose leisurewear and matching luggage. Choose DIY and wondering who the fuck you are on a Sunday morning. Choose sitting on that couch watching mind-numbing, spirit-crushing game shows, stuffing fucking junk food into your mouth. Choose rotting away at the end of it all, pishing your last in a miserable home, nothing more than an embarrassment to the selfish, fucked up brats you spawned to replace yourself. Choose your future. Choose life... But why would I want to do a thing like that? I chose not to choose life. I chose somethin' else. And the reasons? There are no reasons. Who needs reasons when you've got heroin?
- Mark Renton, Trainspotting.