I doubt it.

I expect I was exposed to more military-like rituals than most Muricans - in military schools (not 'Real' with heaped dead bodies, nor the amount of conditioning a lifer would experience. But real enough, in terms of the {imagined} power of the hierarchy - Over You.)

Combine callow youth, mono-gender + the innate massively hypocritical Puritanism of Murica -- and what you get / what I saw was: the wannabe West Point (or other) types attempted to set the standards they hoped later to emulate, including "Sound Off" pre-rap marching rap. It didn't get scabrous in those days .. (hell we Perfected euphemism in-all-things - then as now). Toy sojers, indeed - in the gung-ho ones. The rest of us just stayed out of the way of the True Believers. I had my own oases.. and the academics were good, for those times. I got stripes (for self-defense buffer) over the years; had to give 'em back a couple times - insubordination or whatever. Music saved my ass / and sanity.

But the ignorance of anything whatsoever to do with gender or natural functions guaranteed the virgin/whore simple-minded view of male dominance. Unchanged in many modern Neanderthals, I notice. Some of my cohorts indeed became Ossifers. (I could have gone to W.Point 3 ways; never had the slightest wish to.)

The only thing different I can see today is - any kid by now has had enough Tee Vee and now web-pix to remove any mystery about what's in the pants. This isn't much though, as the decivilizing of all has proceeded apace, the word whore is still flung about with precisely the same dominant/submissive mindset and -

we're all getting dumber, here anyway.

I find nothing at all 'unbelievable' about the performance of those clowns at Abu G. It's Not about 'desensitization' either -- very many whom I notice: have never been 'sensitized' to Anything! -- and feel right at home where there's the least amount of enforced civility.

They're ripe for getting MBAs next, where the mores of the hierarchy are not much different, despite the sl. different uniforms/suits and the pretense of all those fucking meaningless TLAs about Excellence cha cha cha.

Sic Transit and all that.


Ashton