Korean Job Discussion Forums

MollyBloom · Joined: 21 Jul 2006 Location: James Joyce's pants

Imagine you are a newly married person, about to start your life. Things in your country are really bad, and there are massive attacks, or war on your land. Do you stay and fight, or do you flee to another country?

My fiance and I had this conversation today whilst hiking. It's a tough call, I think, if you really stop and think about it. I know people are going to say, "this won't happen because..." but just try and...

...picture it: you just get back from Korea. You have your husband/wife with you. Maybe she/you are pregnant. War starts on the west coast and is quickly moving east. Do you stay and fight, or do you flee to New Zealand?

Or...I guess you can use the US's situation now. You get home and the economy crashes, worse than the Great Depression. Do you stay and work through it, or do you leave?

I think it's easy to picture but harder to act on.

I honestly don't know what I would do. I would want to stay and work through it, but I don't what the heck I would even begin to do once I made that decision.

On the other hand · Joined: 19 Apr 2003 Location: I walk along the avenue

It would probably depend on who was fighting the war, and why. If Canada were invaded, I would probably fight, on the grounds that a) it's wrong for a country to be invaded, and b) this is my homeland we're talking about.

On the other hand, if something erupted in Canada along the lines of Northern Ireland during the Troubles, I'd probably just shrug my shoulders and say "well, a pox on both their houses, I don't have a dog in this fight", and try to get out of the country. Granted, I am basing this on my own apathetic view of the Troubles. Were I actually a Catholic or an Orangeman living in Belfast, I might see things differently.

visitorq · Joined: 11 Jan 2008

The idea of America ever being invaded is so far-fetched I won't even bother imagining it (our military is ridiculously stacked against even the rest of the world combined). Any war would either be nuclear (in which case, I dunno, run for the hills, try not get vaporized and don't forget to pack your geiger counter), or a terrorist attack. If the latter, I would strongly suspect my government of staging a false-flag attack, and watch the unfolding events very carefully. Sad to say I have zero trust in my government, and would never even consider fighting for them. In fact the only way I could see myself ever fighting at all would be if US troops were ever used against the American people. At that point, I think I'd be willing to offer up my life to prevent such tyranny taking over my country.

Fox · Joined: 04 Mar 2009

I'd avoid said war. I have no especial loyalty to America; I was born there, and American citizenship is convenient, but I have little in common with most of its citizenry, am regularly disgusted by the things I see my fellow citizens saying and doing, and I don't especially approve of its government's activities on a day to day basis.

Beyond that, I'm a pacifist. Perhaps a truly important cause could cause me to break said pacifism, but I'm certainly not breaking that creed to defend a government whose actions I strongly disagree with, and that's what going to war to "defend your country" really is: defending your current government.

The evil penguin

E_athlete · Joined: 09 Jun 2009 Location: Korea sparkling

this whole country thing is a myth.. a form of tribalism to make people think they are part of large tribe of people. I have a Canadian passport so I am considered to be part of Canada but I really don't owe anything to it. I will ditch this imaginary tribe at the first sign of trouble. If a hypothetical war came to Canada I'd simply move myself and urge my family to do the same. If people choose to fight in a war and die that's their choice. A really dumb choice but a choice nonetheless.

mole · Joined: 06 Feb 2003 Location: Act III

Reminds me of this article I found yesterday. Not sure how old it is.

http://www.gleamingedge.com/mirrors/onsheepwolvesandsheepdogs.html

I'd stay. Fight if possible. I mean as long as there was some organized, no matter how loosely, militia to join.
I'm no hooligan nor mob groupie.

Being TEXAN, not sure who I'd be fighting for or against.
First allegiance is to Constitution of The United States of America.
Since that is precisely what is under assault, I'll have to see how it plays out and who fires first.

"Governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed... Whenever government becomes destructive to life, liberty, or property
[i.e., the pursuit of happiness], it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it...
It is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security."
� American Declaration of Independence (1776)

Secondarily, to TEXAS Nation, Republic of.

"Texas is a free and independent State ... All political power is inherent in the people ...
they have at all times the inalienable right to alter their government in such manner as they might think proper."
� Texas Constitution (1876)

Thirdly, to the Confederate States of America [or whatever we call ourselves next time we secede.]

Don't forget, we are the "United" States because we lost a war, not by consensus.

The evil penguin · Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2009 4:21 pm Post subject:

AgentM · Joined: 07 Jun 2009 Location: British Columbia, Canada

If Canada were invaded by the Yanks (basically the only people that could realistically invade us), not that I think that's going to happen, I would sign up for whatever IRA style movement would spring up. Canada wouldn't have a chance in conventional warfare, but a guerilla war? Hells yeah!

In general I would help defend my country if it were invaded, if it was just Canada going to war against another country without the threat of invasion, however, I wouldn't join up.

furtakk · Joined: 02 Jun 2009

E_athlete · Joined: 09 Jun 2009 Location: Korea sparkling

Manner of Speaking · Joined: 09 Jan 2003

I think your question is an interesting one, but I think it would be a little more interesting if you were to posit it as if you were in a west European country in 1939 or so. If you were Dutch, French, or even German and you knew the Nazis were going to start a war, what would you do?

Sergio Stefanuto · Joined: 14 May 2009 Location: UK

I'm strongly in favor of patriotism, unless there's a racist or supremacist intent - which there need not be. I think revering things that are familar, places as well as people, isn't a particularly obscene impulse. Also, patriotism helps keep the mindless rabble's minds off far more toxic things - namely, revolutionary utopianism.

Personally, I would chance fighting over simply bowing to the new lord.

bacasper · Joined: 26 Mar 2007

cwflaneur · Joined: 04 Aug 2009

WWI versus WWII is the classic war dichotomy. Would you fight for "your country, right or wrong" even if it was simply a mindless competition between morally equivalent competing nations? Or would you only fight if civilization and human rights stood in the balance, and you were needed in the fight? I'd opt for the latter. And I can imagine any number of scenarios in which that could happen again.

Pacifism is an immoral belief. Sometimes it is necessary to act.