[Billthedrill]

Look at it from the kid's point of view - since grade school all you need to do to advance to high status is to be there, and it happens every four years or so. It does give rise to some unreasonable expectations, one of them being that somebody out there is waiting to pay you 50 thousand a year for what amounts to your hobby. Oh, and three months of vacation a year is the norm. It's hardly surprising that reality hits them like a brick wall.

For me what did it was military service - it is made abundantly clear in bootcamp that your baseline is picking up cigarette butts from the grinder and that you're going to have to earn your way up from there. In case there are any cherished assumptions left in your young mind of special status or how much life owes you there's usually an NCO of some sort with a colorful means of disabusing you of any such illusion. It is that that is mischaracterized by non-military lefties as "breaking" an individual. It is no such thing. It is enlightening them.

[ScubieNuc]

"For me what did it was military service - it is made abundantly clear in bootcamp that your baseline is picking up cigarette butts from the grinder and that you're going to have to earn your way up from there. In case there are any cherished assumptions left in your young mind of special status or how much life owes you there's usually an NCO of some sort with a colorful means of disabusing you of any such illusion. It is that that is mischaracterized by non-military lefties as "breaking" an individual. It is no such thing. It is enlightening them."

Here, here, well said!! That was my experience as well. I think a mandatory two year service time for all 18 year old males would do the U.S. some good. If they didn't want to serve in the Armed Forces, you could have a Inter-city force, or a National parks service. Make them go through 2 months of bootcamp type environment, make them dress alike, and make them realize that a 40 hour work week is a break!

Sincerely