MM, when you see goose-stepping, it's time to reach for your rifle. Preferably with 10 inch bore.
Goose-stepping is totalitarian style showing great masculinity, energy, discipline and a lack of thinking and personal qualities. Robots goose-step to the orders of their masters.
When NZ soldiers were in the desert fighting Rommel and the goose-steppers, they were noted more for walking than goose-stepping. The British considered that the level of saluting was poor. One of the Kiwi generals explained that they might not salute a lot, but if you give them a friendly wave, they'll wave back.
Winning wars is about ethics, thinking, family and community. It is not about following orders, wearing shiny buttons, big hats with plumage, being top dog, rape, pillage and plunder to benefit the King and his entourage. Once upon a time, that was what it was about, with serfs doubling as soldiers if there was not a lot of ploughing and harvesting to be done [say there were a lot of spare young males]. Virtuous Values is what matters.
That's why USA military training is poor. There is altogether too much shouting and belligerence [so they say]. The video of the silly German soldier doing training shouting 'mudderfudder' to the Negro Bronx dweller who called his mother rude words is an example of the problem.
North Korean military training is even worse, because at least in the USA it's for The Constitution, honour, pride [which comes before a fall we should remember], patriotism, promotion, pay, [the 4 p's] and stuff like that. Which at least recognizes the individual has some value.
Virtuous Values do not include deliberately shooting children and covering it up. Being vulgar, loud, arrogant and obnoxious, putting feet unnecessarily on necks and causing a lot of trigger-happy collateral damage and friendly-fire is not professional nor Virtuous Values.
Watching Chinese soldiers getting their instructions in a little area off Tienanmen Square a couple of years ago, they had the same training methods as I imagine the North Koreans have. It was quite nasty and I would not feel like I was a valued member of the soldiery defending the realm, and more a mere serf. I would think more in terms of regime change than defending my oppressors. That's why Saddam's soldiers cut and ran for it in their undies. They were not in the slightest interested in defending Uday, Saddam and his mates at the price of their own skin. They stuck around only until they could decently call it a day without having Saddam's goons get them in the back [or front].
The most lethal-looking military I have seen is the Japanese, walking along at Hirohito's funeral in slow march. They embodied a 2000 year culture in which they are not disposable serfs, but fully integrated as part of a whole, disposable though they might be if push comes to shove, but more in the vein of Charles Upham, double VC winner [who didn't die] who was willing to give it all. I doubt very much whether Charles Upham would have had a clue how to goose step and might have refused to do so if anybody had asked him to do so. en.wikipedia.org
I'd back one Charles Upham against 100 goose-steppers and 20 professional soldiers in it for the p's [pride, plumage, pay, perquisites, promotion, pillage, plunder]
Mqurice
PS: I see somebody has already ranted about goose-stepping cynical-c.com |
