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Originally Posted by twowheels
Dark, perhaps, but I used it to have a talk with my daughter about how in some ways our society is much the same.
Our [US] military, being volunteer only, is mostly filled with the children of the poor [the population of the districts], who were unable to afford education any other way or had few other opportunities [the double ration given to those who enter a second time into the reaping lottery, I forget what it was called], while the super rich [the capitol] use them as pawns in their games to enrich themselves, while the rest of us are supposed to cheer them on in some sort of perverse hero worship.
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Actually, I don't think the demographic of today's military is all that disproportionate to the general civilian population...at least not in any meaningful way.
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As a percentage of the 18-24 year old population, from which most recruits are drawn, average household incomes were between $35,000-$79,999 and $85,000-$94,999. These socio-economic groups were over represented among recruits while families at the highest and lowest end of the socioeconomic scale were underrepresented.7 Interestingly, the percentage of recruits from high income households has increased since 9/11 while the percentage of recruits from low income households declined.8 In 2005, 22.8 percent of recruits came from the richest quintile while only 13.7 percent came from the poorest. Thus, the average enlistee is drawn from the middle class, not the urban poor.
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http://www.airpower.au.af.mil/apjint...10/Lowther.pdf