CF "seducing and preying" upon Canadian Youth - News Clip

[The Bread Guy]

Thanks, m'am, for your "support".  This must certainly make life a whole lot easier for your son helping the people of AFG.  Shared with the usual disclaimer...

Mom: military seduces young
Valley woman, whose son is in Afghanistan, complains of ‘brainwashing’
IAN FAIRCLOUGH, Halifax Chronicle-Herald, 18 Mar 07
Article link

The military is seducing impressionable youth into service in the Armed Forces, says the mother of a Canadian soldier in Afghanistan.

Andria Hill-Lehr says youth of all ages are being led to join the military before they have the ability to think critically.

She said Forces’ advertisements, shown at movie theatres, target teens. She also said the cadet program starts as young as age 12 and puts youth in touch with military life.

"We’ve used words like brainwashing and indoctrination and they’ve lost their emphasis," she said. Now she uses the word seduction. The Wolfville mom spoke on the issue at a Voice of Women for Peace rally in Halifax last month and she is writing a book for Pottersfield Press, a Halifax County publishing company.

She said teens who become involved in cadets, the reserves and the regular forces are being taught to follow when they should be learning to lead and to think for themselves.

"The cadet (program) promotes itself as providing friendship, fun, adventures and challenges, but if that’s what’s important to parents, there are other ways to get it without promoting the military culture.

"Some parents see it as the opposite of joining a street gang," Ms. Hill-Lehr said.

She said youth could do volunteer work with aid groups, such as Crossroads and Oxfam.

The federal government spends hundreds of millions of dollars on the cadet program but nothing on Scouts Canada, which has more members, she said.

"If it’s all about citizenship and community, how come the guides and scouts aren’t getting that kind of support?"

She said her concerns are not based on the fact that her 23-year-old reservist son, Master Cpl. Garrow Hill-Stosky, and other Canadians are in Afghanistan.

Canada does need an army, she said, but it shouldn’t be developed through enticement of teenagers. She believes reserves should be restricted to people 18 years and older.

( ifairclough@herald.ca)

 

[Patrolman]

Wow! I guess she must count herself lucky she does not live in Britain. Joining as a 16 year old or going to the Army Foundation College would definately go against her line of thinking. I bet her son's head is hanging in shame, not because he thinks his mom is right but because he knows she is wrong about this one. She might even find herself without a mothers day card next month.

 

[GAP]

Advertising...hmmmm....brainwashing..seduction....well the next time she washes her hair with Clairol, or Selsun Blue, brushes her teeth, goes someplace, she had better not. They have all been advertised, therefore she is brainwashed, therefore she cannot do it. By extraction, she should wear a blindfold to the grocery store, oops, that's advertised too, and just grab items as she feels them on the shelf, because they have been advertised, and she might become "brainwashed". Critical thinker she is not, attention getter sounds more correct. I feel sorry for her son; at 24 he can move on and OUT, without leaving a forwarding address.

 

[Franko]

Wow....some support from a mother.

That's cold.

Regards

 

[formerarmybrat23]

i think shes a little off balance. Its alright to advertise. Although the Join us motto does bring images of a cult. But from experience i can say its sometimes not easy to get in. there are many stages in the process to bail. as with most things in life you cant be forced into it. I think she should have really thought this one through. she is just coming off as an overprotective mom who probably just misses her son and wants to raise a stink about it.

 

[gaspasser]

I find it strange that she is so outspoken seeing as she comes from the valley and Wolfville, which is big on reserves and support.  I back up that army brat says, I think this mom is just missing her son and lashing out at the military in general.  I also think she just alienated herself from alot of her friends and neighbours. 
If I were her son, I'd doubt putting a mom's day card in the mail this year.  If it were my mom, she'd be getting a good slapping about, and soon.  Could it be that Taliban Jack has influenced this person?  Definately sounds a little NDPish to me.
Regards, BYTD

 

[Armymedic]

I suppose the her alternative, join a street gang, would provide her with more to harpy to the press about.

 

[gaspasser]

+1 SMMT, well put.

 

[Michael OLeary]

OK folks, that's enough posts criticizing the woman.  For this thread to continue in any worthwhile manner, keep the posts on the topic of the context of the issue, not on what you think her personal problems might be or what she "deserves" to get for them.

Army.ca Staff

 

[armyvern]

With all due respect to this soldiers mom,

There are some aspects of her opinion which are simply not based on fact, nor informed opinion.

Andria Hill-Lehr says youth of all ages are being led to join the military before they have the ability to think critically.

She said Forces’ advertisements, shown at movie theatres, target teens. She also said the cadet program starts as young as age 12 and puts youth in touch with military life.

"We’ve used words like brainwashing and indoctrination and they’ve lost their emphasis," she said. Now she uses the word seduction. The Wolfville mom spoke on the issue at a Voice of Women for Peace rally in Halifax last month and she is writing a book for Pottersfield Press, a Halifax County publishing company.

Dependant upon their upbringing, many youth today have a profound ability to think critically. Let's give our kids some credit here. Besides seeing those Recruiting adds at the theatre, they are also seeing the results of modern and unconventional warfare on nightly newscasts. Please, do not profess to think that the CF Recruiting adds are so good that today's youth are ignorant to, or forget about, the risk factors and ultimate sacrifices being paid by soldiers, including our Canadian men and women, that they are observing daily on the television sets in their bedrooms.

To brainwash or to indoctrinate someone is to remove them from reality; it is to hammer their senses with one side of the story and force ones mind to believe, and to submit to, that side of the story based upon the absence of the flip-side of the coin. That is not the case with today's youth. Far from it. Today's youth, with the advances of the computer age and other technology are far from sheltered, and far from being able to claim 'they didn't know.'

She said teens who become involved in cadets, the reserves and the regular forces are being taught to follow when they should be learning to lead and to think for themselves.

"The cadet (program) promotes itself as providing friendship, fun, adventures and challenges, but if that's what’s important to parents, there are other ways to get it without promoting the military culture.

"One night a week." This is a term this lady should know well as I'm assuming she is involved in the Scouts Canada movement. Cadets occurs one night a week, and sometimes on weekends too; just like Scouts, Guides, Beavers, Cubs, Brownies et al. Canadian youth involved in the Cadet movement are missing no more time in the classroom than their counterparts in Scouts and Guides.

As for "providing friendship, fun, adventures and challenges" I'd point out that the catch phrase for the advertising of Scouts Canada is "Bring on the Adventure" and "Challenge Yourself" is used quite frequently as well. Apparently, what is good for the goose may not be good for the gander in this instance. Promoting the Military culture?? What is intended by this remark?? It is uncalled for as it insinuates that cadets are being instructed in military tactics, doctrination and weaponry etc. That is not the case.

"Some parents see it as the opposite of joining a street gang," Ms. Hill-Lehr said.

She said youth could do volunteer work with aid groups, such as Crossroads and Oxfam.

The federal government spends hundreds of millions of dollars on the cadet program but nothing on Scouts Canada, which has more members, she said.

"If it’s all about citizenship and community, how come the guides and scouts aren’t getting that kind of support?"

Yes, it is the opposite of joining a street gang. And that is not a bad thing!! Any structured activity with an emphasis on citizenship, leadership, volunteerism is, indeed, much better for both our youth and this country's bright future. Ms. Hill-Lehr, the Canadian Cadet movement also stress all of the above in it's programming activities. All of it. You'd be surprised to learn, based upon your erroneous comments, that the Cadet movement is actively involved in volunteering in your very own community and it's members participate in the very same Duke of Edinburgh program that Scouts and Guides do.

Please, do not also mistake a lack of monetary funding to mean a lack of support for the Scout and Guide programs. Scouts Canada and Girl Guides Canada can frequently be found on CF establishments making use of their facilities for events, utilizing CF camp stores for their Area & District Camps and National Jamborees. Just as CF equipment can be seen being used by volunteer organizations in your very own community during other activities such as the "Relay for Life."

Canada does need an army, she said, but it shouldn't be developed through enticement of teenagers. She believes reserves should be restricted to people 18 years and older.

Last time I checked an 18 year old was still a teenager. Needless, the point is moot. Anyone under the age of 18 years requires parental consent to join the CF Reserve Force or the CF Regular Forces. Ms. Hill-Lehr would therefore have you believe that the CF has also brainwashed their parents.

Ms. Hill-Lehr, a great many Scouters and Guiders, leading, teaching and working the youth involved in Scouts & Guides Canada...are people just like me, who wear the CF uniform of this country. I am one of them. I believe in today's youth. I support today's youth. I give them credit and help them to learn to think critically and show initiative; how to believe in themselves so that they succeed in life, wherever their path shall take them, be it the CF or not.

 

[gaspasser]

Well, let's look at it from her perspective: are we brainwashing our troops and reserves and cadets in to joining up just to send them off to KAF? I was in each from age 13, I never felt brainwashed, but it did give me an alternative career path and a destiny for which I've served over 22 years.  And I would not have wanted it any other way after these years.  Especially seeing as when I joined up, businesses and companies were going under and there were tons of out of work people.  My mom didn't really want me to join up, but after seeing her friends kids losing their jobs, she supported my brother and I. 
Certainly we are actively recruiting to bring our numbers up to replace attrition and ad hoc releases.  Plus The CDS and MND want our numbers up from the deplorable 65,000. The new ads are aimed at the youth of today to give them an another career opportunity and a chance to serve. Sure it looks glamourous, if it didn't, it wouldn't work! 
My 0.02

 

[The Bread Guy]

One person's marketing = another person's brainwashing

 

[CdnArtyWife]

Some other points to note here are:

Wolfville, by nature is an Arts and Liberal town. Being a university town (Acadia) there are ALOT of very Liberal, anti government, anti-Harper views there.  When I looked at the locations of the rallys that were taking place yesterday I was not at all surprised to see Annapolis Royal and Wolfville on the list.

Dispite the fact that what used to be CFB Cornwallis is just down the road (10 minutes) from Annapolis, Anna Royal (as us locals call it) is still a very Arts and Liberal town as well. So I have a fairly good understanding what this mother's mindset probably is. She is just like the neighbors of both my parents and my hubby's (seeing as he is from the Wolfville area and I am from Anna Royal)...we are very familiar with this, we encounter it every time we go "home"...

The other point to note is that with the nature of employment rates, especially security in employment within the Annapolis Valley, we find more and more youth looking to join the Reserve as a way to gain steady employment and augment their secondary education. It is also looked upon by the locals as a ticket out. A chance to get to see the rest of Canada, be gainfully employed and maybe even do something a little more meaningful than hang around the homestead picking apples or helping bring in the haul on uncle's trawler.

So, you add the youth trying to escape the farming/fishing communities and make something of themselves to the Liberalist thinking of an Arts and University community that prefers to have the apples fall directly under the tree...and you get such reactions as we see from this mom.

I take it with a grain of salt...I see where she is coming from, I don't agree, but I understand. What angers me, is as a family member of someone currently serving an overseas tour, I feel that regardless of her views on the politics of it all, she should keep her mouth shut as her own way of supporting her son and "the troops". After he gets home, she can talk all she wants. But as someone who has family in the sandbox myself...I feel that we, the families, need to put up and shut up if we don't agree with the mission. 

I can only imagine how her son would feel if he knew what she was saying. If it were me, I'd be embarrassed...and I'd make sure to have a long chat with her regarding what I felt was kosher an what's not.

I understand her worry, but I bet she'd be alot less worried if she was actually educated with the facts.

Just my 2 apples,

Cheers,

CAW

 

[chris06]

Do you think this might just be a way for a worried and scared mother to vent her anxiety about being away from her son?  Maybe he's never left home and she finds herself in the position of helplessness?  Maybe over the course of a 2 hour interview in her living room, looking at pictures of her son, talking with a reporter, she mused about the situation that got her son to where he is.  Just a thought.

 

[gaspasser]

CAW, it never dawned on me {my forgetful memory, seeing as I just left there!}  that the valley is Liberal and a university town.  Typical Liberal to go with the flow and be anti conservative, BUT the Liberals put us there in the first place. 
My 1 apple..

 

[armyvern]

Do you think this might just be a way for a worried and scared mother to vent her anxiety about being away from her son?  Maybe he's never left home and she finds herself in the position of helplessness?  Maybe over the course of a 2 hour interview in her living room, looking at pictures of her son, talking with a reporter, she mused about the situation that got her son to where he is.  Just a thought.

Did you read the article??

We’ve used words like brainwashing and indoctrination and they’ve lost their emphasis," she said. Now she uses the word seduction. The Wolfville mom spoke on the issue at a Voice of Women for Peace rally in Halifax last month and she is writing a book for Pottersfield Press, a Halifax County publishing company.

 

[armyvern]

CAW, it never dawned on me {my forgetful memory, seeing as I just left there!}  that the valley is Liberal and a university town.  Typical Liberal to go with the flow and be anti conservative, BUT the Liberals put us there in the first place. 
My 1 apple..

My relatives, including the one teaching at Acadia must be in the minority then. 

They even wear red on Fridays (well so they tell me) !!

 

[p_imbeault]

She said Forces’ advertisements, shown at movie theatres, target teens. She also said the cadet program starts as young as age 12 and puts youth in touch with military life.

Whats wrong with that? IMHO its a great way for youth to see what the military is sort of structured like. I've seen plenty of young kids come in for a couple nights and decide its not for them and move on, it's not like anyone is forcing them to come in and experience it.

"The cadet (program) promotes itself as providing friendship, fun, adventures and challenges, but if that’s what’s important to parents, there are other ways to get it without promoting the military culture.

Shouldn't it be whats more important to your son or daughter? I mean we all live in Canada where everyone is able to make a choice about what they want to do. There are few programs out there that offer the same things the Cadet program offers (i.e. structure, discipline, physical fitness initiative, competitive sports, cultural awareness, citizenship, public speaking, D of E program, and the list goes on). If your child wants to join cadets and refuse to let them go for one night just to see what its like, solely on the basis that it has a relationship with the military then you've failed as a parent.

She said youth could do volunteer work with aid groups, such as Crossroads and Oxfam.

If that's what they really want to do let them, no one is forcing your son or daughter to join cadets. Do not force them to go join an aid group they may not want to be a part of. If they want to work with an aid group good on them.

The federal government spends hundreds of millions of dollars on the cadet program but nothing on Scouts Canada, which has more members, she said.

Also a private organization.

"We’ve used words like brainwashing and indoctrination and they’ve lost their emphasis," she said. Now she uses the word seduction. The Wolfville mom spoke on the issue at a Voice of Women for Peace rally in Halifax last month and she is writing a book for Pottersfield Press, a Halifax County publishing company.

I can't get over all the brainwashing techniques they attempt to use at these peace rallies.

She may be worried about her son, but thats no reason to ream out on a program for youth.

 

[Kiwi99]

I find the comments from her with ref to the recruiting ads somewhat disturbing.  targeting youth , blah blah blah...

I always thought that the recruiting ads were a short comedy film.

And to suggest that they seduce people into the military is, wow, right out there.  Every recruiting ad is designed to incorporate all groups of society in a fashion that hints at danger but leans towards super friendly and not too aggresive.

Honestly, what would she say if the ads showed the army for what it actually is?  Shooting and killing and blowing shyte up.  Hells yeah.

But, she has her opinion and is entitled to it.  Thats why I and others wear the uniform.  If you dont like her opinion, dont wear the uniform that protects it.

Kiwi out!

 

[Spartan]

As recently coming from the cadet ranks, there are some things to counter in this article.
1. We do volunteer, both on our own and within the cadet unit. We are actively taught this as a good citizenship module throughout the program. We are encouraged heavily to go out and volunteer.
2. We are taught to think for ourselves through development of leadership skills.

These misconceptions do nothing for the cadet movement and the good it can do.