That was the ultimate unstated objective: socializing boys to military life.

There has always been social and cultural programming to prepare the young meat bags to fight the wars of the wealthy, the power hungry, and the insane. The part that gets me, is that with each war, it becomes ever more obvious It's true reason if for the benefit of the top tier and has nothing to with saving democracy, our freedom, and our godforsaken way of life (which almost everyone else on earth pays for in some way). But here in the land of the entertained, we Americans just go along with it. We wrap ourselves in red, white, and blue, sing the national anthem, inhale a few hot dogs, squeeze out a tear or two and then go about our happy mindless lives. I'll never understand how a father or mother can cling to the mythologies we've been taught about ourselves, and not let loose holy hell about it. I can remember my step-father years ago telling me that should there be a war going on when I'm 18, he's packing me off to Canada. I was only 9 at the time, and he had done time in Vietnam. Little did he know that since Vietnam the U.S., now, has an agreement with Canada to not allow grifters to take up residence there during a war. The wealthy have their hands in everything. It may sound harsh, but really. . . Only idiots think it's about being unpatriotic when I say these things. They're too far gone in the mind to understand what just about everyone else in the world knows. Which is - you don't venerate, celebrate, and fawn over your wealthy. You keep them at arms length, while watching them like a hawk, and do whatever you can to prevent them from garnering any more power than their money already provides them. Because they already understand that every war, every oppressive regime, every horrible genocidal explosion, every political upheaval can be traced right to the top of the food chain. They know, and never forget, that there has always been a top ten percent of the population, and it will always be that way. But you don't gift to them your sons freely (now your daughters too) as if they're just automatons for their use. No, you make sure you get involved, you talk politics (and religion) while pounding 'em down at the bar, and you don't act a fool making idiotic statements such as, "I don't talk politics. I no longer think that we Americans are anything special, not brave, courage, or even free thinkers. We are lemmings. We do as we're programmed, we follow the general flow of things -- hell, many of us cast our votes not for the best candidate but for whomever seems to be winning. Because we don't want to be that guy at the water cooler who voted for the loser.

@@datatwo7405 And none have yet paid attention to your excellent piece? Par for the course, these days. We've a real problem with mass psychopathy, wherein facts and clean argumentation regarding such, are now as nothing.

People ate better back then, and got outdoors more often, exercised, etc.