Oddbean new post about login | logout @a344ae77 in some respects, many countries that used to have fascist regimes never truly recovered from it. it's tribalism. people respond to it, because they're genetically wired for it. early human tribes who had the instinct survived more often. if you've known the intoxicating feeling of being united behind a grand cause once, you'll always miss it. like many old people in Russia do.
@a344ae77 war veterans? same story. when they return to civilian life, they always miss the camaraderie of the battlefield and the profound sense of purpose they felt, because their individual actions could often mean life or death for the rest of the group. it's hard to find such a great sense of purpose in day-to-day life.
@c721880c sometimes, yes. The conscripts I knew had no sense of that. Either naked racism, or just going with the flow. But the trauma and the pain were real. Seeing friends pass out from excessive PT, the mental break downs, the abuse of power. For every 1 soldier in the front line, there are 9 in support. No sense of purpose, just plodding, waiting to get out, to be able carry on with life. It was very close to a jail sentence.
@a344ae77 i have a feeling that it's different for professional armies