As someone currently in a military I can wholeheartedly claim I work with absolutely amazing people. If there were conscription that would entirely go away because then it just be whiny entitled people off the street who don’t want to be there. Really, at that point it just be like a low paid ghetto software job.
Obviously my anecdotal experience isn't data, but I would (somewhat) push back on the notion we were whiny or entitled.
Ok, granted, some were whiny. But there are plenty of toilet blocks to clean, so that problem tends to become minor.
On the other hand I wouldn't have described us as "entitled"? (Entitled to what?) We were the opposite of entitled. Naturally we were also the lowest ranks, so frankly got all the undesirable jobs.
Were we "effective"? Well, I guess so. But that's a function of training (and equipment).
There was a clear social distinction between regular (permanent) members and conscripts. Somewhat delineated by rank (permanent members got stripes within a couple years, conscripts typically didn't.)
Now, personally, I'm against conscription.(I'm also against volunteer recruitment, that tends to have the side effect of sending mostly poor people to fight.) So I concur that it's a horrible idea (but then again, Germany may have no choice given the neighborhood). Sometimes horrible ideas become necessary.
Perhaps if the sons and daughters of the privileged have to go and fight, perhaps those in charge would be less keen to start wars. Or maybe not.
Most people don’t like to be forced into the military, so I would not judge from their everyday behaviour to how they would behave when forced to be in the military.
Not humans, just my fellow countrymen. Military service plus traveling abroad has fully demonstrated just how comparatively whiny and entitled many of my fellow countrymen are.
As someone currently in a military I can wholeheartedly claim I work with absolutely amazing people. If there were conscription that would entirely go away because then it just be whiny entitled people off the street who don’t want to be there. Really, at that point it just be like a low paid ghetto software job.