Death of the Modern Military Pt.3

June 28, 2040:
"What Happens When the Wartime Songs Lose Their Luster"
An Investigative Report
By: Jonathan Frog
"Fought and died for the men he marched among.
To the everlasting glory of the Infantry
Lives the story of Private Rodger Young."
- The Ballad of Rodger Young, 1945
Wars have always been glorified. Hell, human suffering and torment have always been glorified. Even in our modern era we still look back on the Western Era of American expansionism with a fond eye. We remember the Samurai as noble warriors, and the stories of chivalrous knights on horseback are fodder for children's stories. Stories, legends, movies, TV shows, books and any form of media are dedicated to the glorification of one human putting a pointy thing into another.
The Resource Wars changed that.
When people look back at the 20th and the early 21st centuries, all they see is war. The 20th was launched on the back of two World Wars. Much of that century saw the two major military powers staring each other down, promising mutual annihilation. Tens of thousands of little conflicts, genocides, invasions, conquers, religious wars, counter religious wars, terrorism.
The bodies piled higher.
Then, the Resource Wars. What people thought could never happen, the "civilized" countries of the world, rattling their sabers and provoking open conflict over the last little precious resources left on the planet.
When the conflict finally died down, it seems humanity had had enough.
That isn't to say that war as a whole has stopped. What ended was the glorification of large scale war. All those songs, movies, radio plays and books about war just don't sell anymore. The civilian population doesn't want to look back and see heroic troops fighting for freedom. We know the truth now. Those wars in the 20th and 21st weren't about protecting freedom, or fighting the cruel oppressor. They were all just a setup as governments fought to protect their way of life.
It's harder to get behind a black and white film of people shooting each other when you realize that when you go down to the Buy n Big and get an ultra-size burger, that bullet is your fault.
One of the greatest advantages of technology in the 21st century has been widespread education, available even to those who live below the poverty line. This education has helped stop wide scale conflicts and was a major factor in the demobilization of many countries. The people simply weren't behind armies anymore. You couldn't look at the troops going off to war and feel that patriotic stirring in your heart. 
This feeling from the general populace is also what helped alienate all those soldiers coming back from the Resource Wars. Even soldiers returning from unpopular wars in the past felt they were coming back to something. That they'd have a free burger at their local Mom n Pop joint. That people respected their sacrifice.
It wasn't that they were treated poorly. They were treated with indifference. 
As governments began to pass more power off to civilian agencies, and the need for standing armies decreased, the death of the military seen prior to the Resource Wars was all but assured. Not only were they not needed, but without that patriotic glory, it was incredibly hard to recruit anyone.
Category:Resource Wars
Category:Anti-War