The worst school trip ever

Today, our music class was taken on a school trip to a university to watch a wind band play. We didn't find out untill we got there that we were going to watch an army band play. I was pretty pissed off that no one told me but I decided to sit through the thing...there was really nothing else I could do.

It was horrible on the way in though. In the entrance they had all these men stood around in camaflouge showing these HUGE guns to all the kids. I doubt they worked, I think they were just models but it still felt weird. I was dressed in tie0dye coat and I was carrying around a hemp bag. Those army guys were giving me some really evil looks! I just laughed it off though.
On the way in there was a guy stood there handing out "join the army" packs for the kids. They explained all about the army and why you should recruit when you reach he right age. (how to use a gun for dummies!) I didn't want to take one from him. He kept trying to make me and eventually said "Why won't you take one?"
I was trying to keep it as nice as possible as I was getting some really strange looks from my teachers and other kids. "I'm very anti-war." I said quietly. He looked at me like I'd said something in another language.
"Then what the hell are you doing here?" He asked me. I just laughed and walked away even though there was no way he meant it as a joke.

The worst part was that the teachers were acting like the army was a promising carrer for us. They seemed to think that none of us were capable of acheiving anything else and that shooting people would be our best bet.

Anyway, rant over. I just had to let all that out.

Have a really wonderful day everyone. I love all of you!
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But hey you can be proud to be a hippie. Theyre just living in babylon you know?
I think i'm in kind of a higher level(Not in rasist way) than pot heads that shoot people.

 

how was the band?

i saw an army cover band 2 years ago at highschool. they rocked!!!

 

It is truly sad that they use such recruitment tactics on people so young.

 

army bands are usually good. i have a friend that is second chair trumpet in the band right under the marine corps band. (the presidents band) they are usually incredible musicians. but using a concert as a recruitment tool is just retarded.

 

Too bad, this was your chance to infiltrate them!

 

omg i cant believe what people will do just to get you to kill people. you did an awsome thing Kate. oh btw i miss talking to ya, how are you.

 

Hey man, that's our own people you're talking about there. And I doubt you'd find many pot heads trying to shoot people in the army...

Back on topic....

Good for you for resisting that shit. I did a lot of advanced science and math stuff in high school and was always getting phone calls, like at my house and on my cell from the army/navy/marines/air force fucking craziness.

Like SirRuben said, it's pretty sad that they use those kind of tactics on young people.

As for the rifles, they were real but they didn't have firing pins in them, rendering them useless.

 

you should of explained that you didnt want to be homeless

Although accurate numbers are impossible to come by -- no one keeps national records on homeless veterans -- the VA estimates that nearly 200,000 veterans are homeless on any given night. And nearly 400,000 experience homelessness over the course of a year. Conservatively, one out of every three homeless men who is sleeping in a doorway, alley or box in our cities and rural communities has put on a uniform and served this country. According to the National Survey of Homeless Assistance Providers and Clients (U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness and the Urban Institute, 1999), veterans account for 23% of all homeless people in America

 

Forces bands are normally great - my old swing band leader was in the RAF jazz/marching band.. they were all fantastic musicians, really professional. I was actually quite tempted to try and get in, but I hated the idea of being in the Forces.
And no, they didn't try any recruitment shit on us, we were just there to jam with them.

 

Wow, it really sucks that your school did that to you guys. They should have let you all know where you were going so you could decide for yourselves if you really wanted to go. And it's horrible that your teachers were encouraging you guys to join the army.

Nonetheless, I think you handled the situation really well. I can understand how it would upset you to see all of those military people, and how they were trying to recruit a bunch of kids to go kill other people. And I'm sure it didn't help getting all of those dirty looks from everyone. I probably would've started crying if I had been there, lol.

No matter what those military people say, don't ever forget that you're awesome for having the courage to be yourself. (Power to the peaceful!)

 

Soilders and guns in schools at that young of an age also conditions you to seeing these kind of things in your everday life and to become accustom to it.

 

I thought we only did that kind of crap in America. I almost joined the army band once. They would have sent me down to Guatemala to entertain the forces destroying democracy and encouraging the death squads. Too bad I had asthma and they rejected me or I could have totally sold out.

 

I got a phone call from teh army a couple of months ago asking if I was interested in joing. I was sitting on the phone saying I don't think the army's for me and they ask me why, and I'm like 'sorry, I'm a pacifist and I never agree with wars'. The recruitembnt guy got a bit shirty andasked me why this was. I told him I'd see him on the next war demonstration and put the phone down.

Well done you for standing up for what you believe in!

 

America really is a country of shit, i really can't believe some of the stuff i hear here.
Here in belgium they only do passive recruitements, altho it seems this is changing too, army recruitement posters at bus stops and shit.
This world is a mess.

Great that you stood up for your ideology, wish all people were as open minded as you, would make this world a happier place .

 

We're talking about Great Britain here pellinore!

 

Hmm, o well, guess they are all the same. this entire world is shit.

 

Good for you!
It always sounds so easy to stand up for your beliefs in theory but when the time comes it can be scary like if someone shotuing at you or really making you feel small. That was really good of you to not let anything stand in your way.

Much peace and love wished to all my brothers and sisters here.
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If they were real musicians, they would appreciate that you could enjoy the music...THAT is what the hell you were doing there....for the music. It's really fucking low to try and recruit people like that. "Hey... I dig how you play that horn man...you could be a pro...i'll get you a gig...going into Asian countries to slaughter children..." I stay away from shit like that.
Even if Mickey Hart was in the military band, I very much doubt that he or the people he played with were recruiting anyone...