EC#2

You graduate high school; don’t get into any great schools. What do you do? Join the army! You sign up and report to the base; you go to a bed and throw down your bag. The camp commander walks in and yells “You damn new comers; I bet most of you haven’t even held a gun. Well, the next couple of weeks you will be able to shoot, run and kill not in that order, good night ladies.” With that he walks away, the next morning you run a mile before breakfast. Then you have to do fifty push-ups before you can yet while the sergeants are yelling “see those guys there nothing there your meat for the week they’re insignificant, they’re nobody.” The Sergeant is using Stereotypes to teach you how to kill. Stereotypes can help one learn how to kill.
War Stereotypes were around as early as the Revolutionary war. Basil one of the main characters in Give Me Liberty says “To kill a man I would have to think down upon him” (128). By using stereotypes even in the revolution they were needed. Also, Basil joins the army and hears “They’re nothing but lobsters we’ll be eaten after their dead.” By this he is being taught that the British soldiers are immoral, and have an easier time pulling the trigger to kill another man. The more stereotypes that are fed are easier the killing becomes. Also the killing of one’s self becomes easier.
In 1945, when the axis fell and America invaded the Japanese island of Capon, once the military had been killed and no prisoners were taken (they believed they should fight to the death) the civilians started jumping off cliffs to avoid being captured by the Americans. The already captured civilians realized the Americans weren’t going to rape or kill them so they started yelling to not jump. But, 10,000 lives were lost because of the stereotype that the Americans were going to hurt them. Also Nathanial, the other main character, in Give Me Liberty sees the General of the Red Coats jump off the fort while shooting himself. He thought that being captured might make the Americans torture him for information. What if there were no stereotypes?
No stereotypes would make it so the bloodthirsty would do the killing, the marines for example are the most fit Americans but if they can’t look down the sight of a MP44 (type of sniper rifle) and not pull the trigger ending the man’s life. America and the whole world would be a much better place, except for the terrorists that really want people to die will be able to run around and kill as they please. Now your service is almost done.
You decided to forgo college and stay in the military now you’re the sergeant giving orders on the military base. You can sleep at night knowing that you helped keep your freedom and everyone else’s. The night before the new recruits come you remember your first day, the commander saying “You damn new comers; I bet most of you haven’t even held a gun. Well, the next couple of weeks you will be able to shoot, run and kill not in that order, good night ladies.” With that you drift into a dreamless sleep.