If the service academies are so prestigious, why are they never discussed on DCUM?

[Anonymous]

Going by the other thread, it would seem that most on here have a great deal of respect for the Service academies. If that’s the case why aren’t they more popular in DCUM land? Every other selective school including some pretty tiny obscure ones get discussed ad nauseum but not these. Why?

[Anonymous]

Because this area is not military friendly despite lots of military in the area.

[Anonymous]

Students from DCUM have more options due to finances.

[Anonymous]

People here don’t want to risk their snowflakes getting shot at.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because this area is not military friendly despite lots of military in the area.

Esp. the DCUM crowd...they aren't aiming to send their kids to the academies.

[Anonymous]

OP, you need to take a step back. Viewing everything through the lens of DCUM is not healthy.

[Anonymous]

Agree, this is a liberal/democratic area (for the most part, there are of course exceptions). That subgroup of the population, especially if they are upper middle class or rich, do not typically consider military service for their children.

And that includes even elite preparation for military service. In the end, they know it leads to wearing a uniform, having limited control over where you live and what you do, and the possibility of being killed or maimed on the job. I am not saying that such service is not honorable, I am just being realistic in answering your question.

[Anonymous]

Dcum distains the military.

[Anonymous]

I have no disdain for the military. I sometimes work with DoD staff who formerly served overseas and now work at the Pentagon (I'm sure there's a name for this - or maybe it's just "veterans in civil service") all the time, and they are intelligent and collegial and all-around great colleagues. Especially compared to people from other agencies I deal with. I disagree with a lot of US foreign policy, like many of us, but I would never attribute fault to individuals.

The disconnect is that joining the military would be a huge outlier for the people in my personal life. No one in my family has served since the WWII generation. I can think of two high school classmates who joined the service after high school. I currently have no friends or acquaintances affiliated with the military outside of these loose work connections. The weird thing is, my family members and former classmates are mostly working class. Perhaps it's regional. The "smart kids" at my high school were in no way the children of ultra-liberal or elite parents, although some of them were Democrats. But service academies were never on the radar.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Agree, this is a liberal/democratic area (for the most part, there are of course exceptions). That subgroup of the population, especially if they are upper middle class or rich, do not typically consider military service for their children.

And that includes even elite preparation for military service. In the end, they know it leads to wearing a uniform, having limited control over where you live and what you do, and the possibility of being killed or maimed on the job. I am not saying that such service is not honorable, I am just being realistic in answering your question.

+1

[Anonymous]

You need character to get into a service academy.

Kumon does not have that class.

[Anonymous]

Because they have better things to do than be on DCUM. And they're better than the most of the people on here, including me.

[Anonymous]

Probably because the ivies cost money. The service academies cost time. That is not a trajectory most people here have in mind for their children. To the degree they want their kids in public service they are thinking in terms of elections or civilian work. The academies are prestigious but they are not something to which your typical DCUM poster aspires. That’s all.

[Anonymous]

The smart kids I know who wanted to serve went to state dept, foreign service, FBI or CIA. We had this conversation recently and they all thought the individually had a bigger impact at their agencies than they would have in the military. Dh would have been an excellent marine and is a sharpshooter, but the agency he's at uses those skills too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree, this is a liberal/democratic area (for the most part, there are of course exceptions). That subgroup of the population, especially if they are upper middle class or rich, do not typically consider military service for their children.

And that includes even elite preparation for military service. In the end, they know it leads to wearing a uniform, having limited control over where you live and what you do, and the possibility of being killed or maimed on the job. I am not saying that such service is not honorable, I am just being realistic in answering your question.

+1

+2