Child Soldiers

Connections - There are many connections that can be made between the Ishmael Bael video and the article. First of all, in the video, Ishmael Bael states that the military forced him to take part in the war and kill people. This is similar to the method of brutalization mentioned in the article. He was trained in a total immersion environment and was taught to embrace violence and discipline and accept it as a normal  survival skill. Secondly, the army used the technique "classical conditioning" on him. According to the article, the Japanese military  taught young soldiers to kill innocent people by offering rewards such as food or girls. As they would be doing this, their friends would encourage them by cheering. This is very similar to the case of Ishmael Bael because he was also taught to kill innocent people in front of his friends as they cheered him on. The last connection that can be made is the "role model" technique. The article mentions that "in the military your role model is your drill sergeant. He personifies violence, aggression, and discipline." In the video, Ishmael Bael states that because he was with the army for a long time, his superiors became family figures to him. He also wanted to go back to them when he was sent to the rehab center because he looked up to them so much.

Challenges - The article states that " media violence being presented as “entertainment” for children." it also states that the media is having a negative impact on children because it is teaching them to associate death and suffering with pleasure. I disagree with both of the statements because although the media can have a negative impact on children, it also depends on the environment that they were raised in. For example, if a child is raised in a caring and loving environment, they are likely to become that way even if the media showcases violence and suffering. On the other hand, if a child is raised in a suffering environment like a war zone, then they are more likely to become violent like Ishmael Bael.

Concepts - The main concept of the article is that war has a negative impact on all of the children who participate in it. They are influenced negatively in ways like brutalization and classical conditioning, taught to kill innocent civilians for pleasure and food, and they are forced to commit murders against their own in order to survive. It states that war and killing is a "toxic and addictive substance."

Ishmael Bael video
Teaching kids to kill