• TranscendentalEmpire@lemmy.today
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    14 hours ago

    Not sure how you are quantifying “infantilized” or even “eastern”. However, most soldiers throughout history are barely adults who are manipulated by governments to do horrific things and have horrific things done to them as well.

    A good book that I think addresses all your claims is Zinky Boys by historian Svetlana Alexievich. It’s a book of memoirs from the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

    • Scirocco@lemmy.world
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      3 hours ago

      Zinky Boys is a haunting but great read

      Also her Voices from Chernobyl is fantastic

      Afgantsy by Roderic Braithwaite is similarly great, and is written with a more historical perspective in terms of the political landscape that led to that conflict being so bitter. (relatively – all conflicts are bitter)

    • dogbert@lemmy.zipOP
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      13 hours ago

      “Sorry I killed your parents kid, the big evil government manipulated me! I’m just a 21 year old child like you!”

      • TranscendentalEmpire@lemmy.today
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        13 hours ago

        Lol, yes. Once you grow up a little, you too will think 21 year old people are still basically kids.

        Do you actually think any 20 year old has valid personal reasons to go to a different country to kill someone? Of course they are being manipulated by things like nationalism.

        Your rebuttal offers nothing but insight to your own immaturity.

        • dogbert@lemmy.zipOP
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          13 hours ago

          lol you heard it here folks! 21 year old children… If you kill someone and you’re 21, oopsie!

          • TranscendentalEmpire@lemmy.today
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            12 hours ago

            Lol, my dude… No one is claiming that being a young adult absolves you from war crimes. Just that young people are easier to be led to do war crimes.

            My claim was that virtually all wars are fought by young people being misled by governments with varying degrees of alternative motives. Not that those young people are free of blame, just that they are also victims to a lesser extent.