What's scummy is that the number of military ads that I get on tutoring and college help videos always skyrockets. It's like they are saying "oh are you struggling in school? You should just drop out and join us."
Thank you for the video. As a former SM I will say these ad's are in stark contrast to what a lower enlisted SM would experience. As a lower enlisted your whole military experience is a routine loop. Wake up early, workout in an ordered group, shower, eat, do your job, eat lunch, continue your job (usually well after a civilian workday has ended), go home/barracks, eat, sleep, repeat. Usually very little time left to spend with family, if you even have family near you... Most of my fellow SM who got married while in the military were divorced at least once. I say at least once because the military encourages you to be married, as they pay for housing, and groceries. If you're single you'll likely be in the barracks, eating subpar food, and having a much lower quality of life compared to married peers. Anyways I had to stop typing, I could rant all day about the subject of enlistment haha. Thanks again, I love your content.
I think an interesting angle to think about with these ads: if they fail to work, they can just draft people. No other product that advertises has the potential force of law if numbers go below a tolerable level.
I don’t usually comment on videos, more of a silent enjoyer, but this is great and I really appreciate all of the citations and effective communication of facts with trying to be aware that not everyone watching is at the same place as you. I personally would never consider military service and actively would dissuade people in my life from joining if they ever considered it, I just think it’s fucked up and bad and preys on poor people. However, I think that saying that instead of showing people a perspective like this video is what a lot of left-leaning commentary has become, just shitting on people who might not have all of the information or who might and still feel differently than you anyway. And that doesn’t help anyone, it doesn’t come across as wanting to help or educate, it’s just a weird echo chamber thing where everyone who disagrees is “bad” and I think that’s really harmful to trying to present people more “left” ideas. This isn’t that at all and is so much more effective as a result. So thank you, genuinely, for such a well-researched and compassionately presented video, looking forward to the next one!
Just came across your channel today thanks to your newest video. I appreciate your insight and anti-marketing/anti-consumerism views, and this one is especially meaningful to me and I appreciate your willingness to research such a crushing subject. Back in 2006, I was working in marketing and feeling the weight of having not been able to afford college when the Army really ramped up its "debt-free college" recruiting angle. It was seductive enough, and the recruiter I met talented enough at finding my ruin, that I compromised my anti-war/negative views on the government enough to enlist. I did not get a debt-free college education. It ruined my body. I am ineligible for most benefits. Despite seeing with my own eyes before enlistment that the government does *not* take care of veterans, I still managed to believe that wouldn't happen to me. Military recruitment capitalized on my meritocratic views, religious devotion, and desire to leave a legacy worth being proud of to get nearly six years of my life, and I have nothing to show for it. Military recruitment is inherently dishonest, and similar to an MLM the ones at the bottom get ground up for the benefit of the highest ranking members, and almost no one gets out unscathed. What's most interesting about my experience is how much I miss it despite regretting having served. The military claims to be pro-family, but it is not. It does not do enough to support families, and often hides domestic violence. Sexual assaults are rugswept constantly. Is it self-help? Yes and no. You'll learn things, but few things that are applicable in the civillian sector. The MOS I chose was the most applicable, being HR. Despite being promised that military training can earn college credit, it's almost solely elective credits that you'll get. I was trained to recognize PTSD, and yet never applied it to myself. What I do miss is how effective I felt in such a structured environment, and how much I felt like I belonged, even more than I ever did in religion..perhaps because I'm autistic. I have such cognitive dissonance about missing my time in service while resenting myself for having compromised my morals to enlist for nothing. If they want to convince people to enlist, they need to spend significantly more of the budget than they do on actually taking care of the soldiers instead of treating them as disposeable.
Feel for you mate. Back around 2012 when I was at a particularly low point in my life, I was nearly sucked in by the Australian military and police force advertising, which is very effective in the "reach your potential" message. I'm so glad I didn't follow through with it, I know it would have absolutely crushed me. With my crippling self-doubt and lack of self-esteem, I would have been easily malleable, but I doubt I'd have lasted long. As it is I ended up getting chewed up and spat out by the horse racing industry instead, so I have a different life experience to regret and feel ambivalent about haha 😅 Wishing you all the best, friend. Hope you're doing okay 💜
Being in the Army was a terrible decision both physically, mentally, and career wise. They prey on poor people and once you're in they try everything they can to keep you in. Great analysis of these shit ads and hopefully this video helps others avoid the same mistake I made. Love your channel keep it up
I listen to the Dissect podcast and I'll usually get 2 airforce ads in a row. It's basically "listening to a podcast on the way to work, huh? Tired of being so boring and having a pointless life? Join the air force"
The self-help aspect of military recruiting on top of recruiting recent high school grads is the scummiest part IMHO. I went to high school in a rural area and literally every other day recruiters would show up and talk to us at lunch. I was absolutely suckered in by the "be all you can be" aspect, even tho I've always been disapproving of the American military. But the recruiters would talk to my friends and talk about learning discipline (something I'd always been told I lacked), on top of being told the military would pay for college, actually got me to apply. Even my father, a veteran, told me it was lies and not worth it (he also enlisted when he was fresh out of high school). Thankfully I was too fat to enlist lol. But thinking back, especially as a kid who thought they were so smart, it's scary to see how easily I was suckered into that mindset.
Immediately after watching this video, I got an ad for joining the Air Force Reserve on some random video game site. But at least it's good to know that Google values my privacy and doesn't sell my information to interested parties....
Oh 18 is just the age you can enlist. Much like EDP recruiters will hover over highschools even though it hard for them to recruit a minor with parents perrmission they can do it ahead of time.
This was absolutely fascinating, I really enjoyed it thank you! I love all your videos and was especially excited when I saw this one. I loved the little dictionary joke at 25:57 it made me laugh, all the little title/section cards were great but that one was my fave. I really appreciate the amount of research that clearly went into this and personally the research sections were some of my favorite parts of the video and thank you so so much for providing your sources because I will definitely be checking some of those out.
I love your videos! Been binge watching about 3 of them now since I got you in my recommended. One feedback: sometimes I feel it's hard to hear your voice because of the background music, sometimes it's as loud or even louder than your voice.
Any vet can tell you that recruiters and ads lie. That's not exactly a hot take. Hell, I'd bet money that virtually everyone who signed up for the Navy thought they'd be just like Maverick in Top Gun. I signed up for the college money and knew going in I'd likely get deployed since it was during the height of our occupation in Iraq and they were looking for anyone with a pulse. For the most part, everyone has a good idea of what to expect just as someone buying Cap'n Crunch knows the roof of their mouth is going to get torn TF up. I remember from 2001 to 2006, it was an all out media blitz for anyone willing to sign up. I remember watching Black Hawk Down and when you left the theater, there were recruiters right there next to the trash everyone was tossing popcorn buckets and soda into. Same with 300, though I was already in uniform when that propaganda fest released. Every sporting event seemed to have a jet fighter flyover. Despite that, most people scoffed at signing up. Most people going in know that the recruiter is going to at least stretch the truth and get told to have everything in writing on your contract.
@gedelgo3242 I would imagine most if not all countries without mandatory service terms would advertise. I know the Australian military, especially the Army, puts a lot into advertising and recruiting. The Navy and especially the Air Force seem like an easier sell, I guess because of the air of prestige? Pardon the pun 😄
Watching this video randomly, but I'm in the military. I'm only a few minutes in, and uh I just wanna say for anyone curious of what its like from inside, its dogshit but does have its perks (I'm in the Navy, currently on deployment but holed up in my hotel in South Korea LOL). The reason for the ridiculous amount of advertising is mainly because NO ONE is reenlisting... like for one no one is joining but whats worse is everyone is a "one and done" enlistment type deal, they do their 4 years then run like hell away. I'm not sure if its a generational change where people don't wanna join, or the idea is intimidating (it was for me but I felt like I "had to" join, so I did anyway), or people fear that war is coming, or if its something else like the military is trying to expand or bolster its numbers above its status quo, idk. I think its mostly the former, and because the military is deteriorating on the inside rapidly so people won't stay in, the "retention rate" is super low.
Tin foil hat time. A personal conspiracy of mine is that there must have been some sort of deal between TH-cam and the US military, especially regarding TH-cam Shorts. When shorts first popped up, it was basically impossible for me to avoid military propaganda, and I'm not even American. Everything from content from actual Military accounts, to vlog, to infotainment about different ships or planes. I had some mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, I am not in favour of military propaganda. On the other hand, it made it easier to actually only watch a couple of clips at a time, instead of watching for a couple of hours at a time.
this was really interesting! I love your videos as a whole, but would you consider removing the background music in future videos, or only leaving it during intros? I find it hard to process information when there is another layer of audio over it. Thanks for your consideration :)
Service is not an accurate term. If your enlistment produces a quantifiable service to someone else, great, but foreign occupations against the wishes of the general public is not service.
When military was smart at target 18 years old to enlightenment because at that age you don't know what you getting into at same time 18 years cannot even go to war in military so I don't know why they even target that age anyway.
My grandfather was in the US military during viet nam. It was brutal, he sat around in a base in Germany all day making sure they didn't try and start a fourth reich or something like that. He didn't have many stories to tell about it, it was very boring, although my grandmother mentioned walking around with a bag with Carl Marx's face printed on the side of it in the American military base. For some reason people kept thinking she was up to no good. My other grandfather dodged the draft, and was unknown to the government until recently. Now he's living on social security while having never paid taxes.
Thank you soliders are victims. They can bad most abusers were victims but being a victim by itself won't make you an abuser thats a choice. All the vets in my family explicitly tell me that the wars their in were unjust and or they will destroy you mentally on purpose.
GWOT homies where u at? I was in, but basically I am just easy to sell. literally a guy called my house when I was like 16 and I entered early as a joke, and just didn't figure out anything else to do my last year of highschool. I got kicked out of active duty like 10 months later after getting into a Ranger regiment for basically being a loser, but it's fine. I highly recommend joining the military and making yourself do hard shit, but only if you can get kicked out before you have to kill people. that's the best thing that ever happened to me.
23:02 If I wanted to work on one of those, I'd be looking at getting a job at someplace like GE or Lockheed Martin. But, we are not fighting any wars I want to support, so I'm not trying to get a job at a place like that.
if you don't know what you want todo in life, the military is a great option, if you don't like it leave with the benefits after 4 years. don't join with any expectations tho, treat it like a prison sentence.
if i didnt have diabetes i would have joined years ago, just because i didnt (and to this day still do not) have alot of opportunity, and when i was younger i desperately needed the discipline that the military could offer.
What's scummy is that the number of military ads that I get on tutoring and college help videos always skyrockets. It's like they are saying "oh are you struggling in school? You should just drop out and join us."
I always figured it was the "free college when you enlist" angle that they're pushing.
That’s the story of most the guys I met while in, they did some college and dropped out for the army
Something I’ve noticed is on TH-cam. You can block certain ads, but I’m straight up not allowed to block recruitment ads.
After finishing this video. It's really hard to advertise "We won't help you after your service"
Thank you for the video. As a former SM I will say these ad's are in stark contrast to what a lower enlisted SM would experience. As a lower enlisted your whole military experience is a routine loop. Wake up early, workout in an ordered group, shower, eat, do your job, eat lunch, continue your job (usually well after a civilian workday has ended), go home/barracks, eat, sleep, repeat.
Usually very little time left to spend with family, if you even have family near you...
Most of my fellow SM who got married while in the military were divorced at least once. I say at least once because the military encourages you to be married, as they pay for housing, and groceries. If you're single you'll likely be in the barracks, eating subpar food, and having a much lower quality of life compared to married peers.
Anyways I had to stop typing, I could rant all day about the subject of enlistment haha. Thanks again, I love your content.
Ty for sharing ur personal experiences, brother 🫡
That's really interesting. Do you get the same privileges if you're in a de facto relationship or do you need to be married?
@@rhythmandblues_alibi Legal marriage
I’m so damn happy to see long form content make a comeback in such a genuine fashion. Thank you thank you thank you.
it never went away my guy
I think an interesting angle to think about with these ads: if they fail to work, they can just draft people. No other product that advertises has the potential force of law if numbers go below a tolerable level.
I don’t usually comment on videos, more of a silent enjoyer, but this is great and I really appreciate all of the citations and effective communication of facts with trying to be aware that not everyone watching is at the same place as you.
I personally would never consider military service and actively would dissuade people in my life from joining if they ever considered it, I just think it’s fucked up and bad and preys on poor people. However, I think that saying that instead of showing people a perspective like this video is what a lot of left-leaning commentary has become, just shitting on people who might not have all of the information or who might and still feel differently than you anyway.
And that doesn’t help anyone, it doesn’t come across as wanting to help or educate, it’s just a weird echo chamber thing where everyone who disagrees is “bad” and I think that’s really harmful to trying to present people more “left” ideas. This isn’t that at all and is so much more effective as a result.
So thank you, genuinely, for such a well-researched and compassionately presented video, looking forward to the next one!
So many lil cameras watching you by the end! ✨
Such cute lil guys!✨
Surveiling you!✨
thank you NBI for creating this video
I love all of the lil animations and drawings you put in your videos!
Just came across your channel today thanks to your newest video. I appreciate your insight and anti-marketing/anti-consumerism views, and this one is especially meaningful to me and I appreciate your willingness to research such a crushing subject. Back in 2006, I was working in marketing and feeling the weight of having not been able to afford college when the Army really ramped up its "debt-free college" recruiting angle. It was seductive enough, and the recruiter I met talented enough at finding my ruin, that I compromised my anti-war/negative views on the government enough to enlist.
I did not get a debt-free college education. It ruined my body. I am ineligible for most benefits. Despite seeing with my own eyes before enlistment that the government does *not* take care of veterans, I still managed to believe that wouldn't happen to me. Military recruitment capitalized on my meritocratic views, religious devotion, and desire to leave a legacy worth being proud of to get nearly six years of my life, and I have nothing to show for it. Military recruitment is inherently dishonest, and similar to an MLM the ones at the bottom get ground up for the benefit of the highest ranking members, and almost no one gets out unscathed. What's most interesting about my experience is how much I miss it despite regretting having served.
The military claims to be pro-family, but it is not. It does not do enough to support families, and often hides domestic violence. Sexual assaults are rugswept constantly.
Is it self-help? Yes and no. You'll learn things, but few things that are applicable in the civillian sector. The MOS I chose was the most applicable, being HR. Despite being promised that military training can earn college credit, it's almost solely elective credits that you'll get. I was trained to recognize PTSD, and yet never applied it to myself. What I do miss is how effective I felt in such a structured environment, and how much I felt like I belonged, even more than I ever did in religion..perhaps because I'm autistic. I have such cognitive dissonance about missing my time in service while resenting myself for having compromised my morals to enlist for nothing.
If they want to convince people to enlist, they need to spend significantly more of the budget than they do on actually taking care of the soldiers instead of treating them as disposeable.
Feel for you mate. Back around 2012 when I was at a particularly low point in my life, I was nearly sucked in by the Australian military and police force advertising, which is very effective in the "reach your potential" message. I'm so glad I didn't follow through with it, I know it would have absolutely crushed me. With my crippling self-doubt and lack of self-esteem, I would have been easily malleable, but I doubt I'd have lasted long. As it is I ended up getting chewed up and spat out by the horse racing industry instead, so I have a different life experience to regret and feel ambivalent about haha 😅 Wishing you all the best, friend. Hope you're doing okay 💜
Being in the Army was a terrible decision both physically, mentally, and career wise. They prey on poor people and once you're in they try everything they can to keep you in. Great analysis of these shit ads and hopefully this video helps others avoid the same mistake I made. Love your channel keep it up
I like the music in the background it’s pretty different than the usual background tunes I hear lol
Maybe the first 10 times it loops. 😆
My dad (Navy) was used in military recruitment materials in the 80s. He's in Air Force materials because he had...more of an Air Force face.
i’m sure the resources available were limited but i think we should be skeptical of “satisfaction” surveys produced BY the military
Thoughtful and Truthful analysis. Very good video, very good points. I love the way you hate ads, makes me feel warm inside.
But also like god damn, this shit is crazy, especially that Folger ass ad from the 80's. They've been trying anything they can for the last 30 years.
Thanks for the videos, man. I truly appreciate your breakdown of modern marketing.
I was expecting more Starship Troopers references, but I guess it's not that kind of channel. Subbed.
I listen to the Dissect podcast and I'll usually get 2 airforce ads in a row. It's basically "listening to a podcast on the way to work, huh? Tired of being so boring and having a pointless life? Join the air force"
Thank you. Screw the military. Especially because I seem them only when I'm trying to watch EDUCATIONAL VIDEOS.
I haven't watched this video, but i can tell you off Rip as a veteran of the US Army (Artillery) : No. No, they are not.
is "honey bun" your nick name from the army?
@DIABETES-BOY no, I just like honey Buns lol
The self-help aspect of military recruiting on top of recruiting recent high school grads is the scummiest part IMHO. I went to high school in a rural area and literally every other day recruiters would show up and talk to us at lunch.
I was absolutely suckered in by the "be all you can be" aspect, even tho I've always been disapproving of the American military. But the recruiters would talk to my friends and talk about learning discipline (something I'd always been told I lacked), on top of being told the military would pay for college, actually got me to apply. Even my father, a veteran, told me it was lies and not worth it (he also enlisted when he was fresh out of high school).
Thankfully I was too fat to enlist lol. But thinking back, especially as a kid who thought they were so smart, it's scary to see how easily I was suckered into that mindset.
Really enjoyed this one. I’ll try to recommend it to my friend and get this shared a bit.
thank you for breaking down these morbid ads
This was truly fascinating! Thank you for all your hard work and research!
Immediately after watching this video, I got an ad for joining the Air Force Reserve on some random video game site. But at least it's good to know that Google values my privacy and doesn't sell my information to interested parties....
Oh 18 is just the age you can enlist. Much like EDP recruiters will hover over highschools even though it hard for them to recruit a minor with parents perrmission they can do it ahead of time.
This was absolutely fascinating, I really enjoyed it thank you! I love all your videos and was especially excited when I saw this one. I loved the little dictionary joke at 25:57 it made me laugh, all the little title/section cards were great but that one was my fave. I really appreciate the amount of research that clearly went into this and personally the research sections were some of my favorite parts of the video and thank you so so much for providing your sources because I will definitely be checking some of those out.
Great video, great channel, and great music! I left out the most incredulous gasp when I heard the Mother intro at the very end.
I love your videos! Been binge watching about 3 of them now since I got you in my recommended. One feedback: sometimes I feel it's hard to hear your voice because of the background music, sometimes it's as loud or even louder than your voice.
Any vet can tell you that recruiters and ads lie. That's not exactly a hot take. Hell, I'd bet money that virtually everyone who signed up for the Navy thought they'd be just like Maverick in Top Gun. I signed up for the college money and knew going in I'd likely get deployed since it was during the height of our occupation in Iraq and they were looking for anyone with a pulse. For the most part, everyone has a good idea of what to expect just as someone buying Cap'n Crunch knows the roof of their mouth is going to get torn TF up. I remember from 2001 to 2006, it was an all out media blitz for anyone willing to sign up. I remember watching Black Hawk Down and when you left the theater, there were recruiters right there next to the trash everyone was tossing popcorn buckets and soda into. Same with 300, though I was already in uniform when that propaganda fest released. Every sporting event seemed to have a jet fighter flyover. Despite that, most people scoffed at signing up. Most people going in know that the recruiter is going to at least stretch the truth and get told to have everything in writing on your contract.
Dude, as a sales student, this has been amazing to watch. Please keep these videos coming!
Extremely important
In my years and years of watching TH-cam, I’ve never heard my name used as a stand in name in a video essay 🙏🏽 shoutout to you
are any military ads?
@gedelgo3242 I would imagine most if not all countries without mandatory service terms would advertise. I know the Australian military, especially the Army, puts a lot into advertising and recruiting. The Navy and especially the Air Force seem like an easier sell, I guess because of the air of prestige? Pardon the pun 😄
Love your videos, really enjoy your narration and analysis.
you made a great and very educational video that deserves many many more views!!
Nice background music
Another great video man. I appreciate all the research that goes into them! Excited to see what you cover next :)
love the style bro
yessss so excited for this video!!
Tough subject. Very difficult to discuss.
this is a good video!! it should have more views than this!!!!
Great videos!
Another banger of a video. The research was very instresting imho
Watching this video randomly, but I'm in the military. I'm only a few minutes in, and uh I just wanna say for anyone curious of what its like from inside, its dogshit but does have its perks (I'm in the Navy, currently on deployment but holed up in my hotel in South Korea LOL). The reason for the ridiculous amount of advertising is mainly because NO ONE is reenlisting... like for one no one is joining but whats worse is everyone is a "one and done" enlistment type deal, they do their 4 years then run like hell away. I'm not sure if its a generational change where people don't wanna join, or the idea is intimidating (it was for me but I felt like I "had to" join, so I did anyway), or people fear that war is coming, or if its something else like the military is trying to expand or bolster its numbers above its status quo, idk. I think its mostly the former, and because the military is deteriorating on the inside rapidly so people won't stay in, the "retention rate" is super low.
I really love all your videos! Do you make the drawings too? They're very charming!!!
Tin foil hat time. A personal conspiracy of mine is that there must have been some sort of deal between TH-cam and the US military, especially regarding TH-cam Shorts. When shorts first popped up, it was basically impossible for me to avoid military propaganda, and I'm not even American. Everything from content from actual Military accounts, to vlog, to infotainment about different ships or planes.
I had some mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, I am not in favour of military propaganda. On the other hand, it made it easier to actually only watch a couple of clips at a time, instead of watching for a couple of hours at a time.
this was really interesting!
I love your videos as a whole, but would you consider removing the background music in future videos, or only leaving it during intros? I find it hard to process information when there is another layer of audio over it. Thanks for your consideration :)
Thumbs up for Mother 1 music
I'm Pvt. Helicopter
Service is not an accurate term. If your enlistment produces a quantifiable service to someone else, great, but foreign occupations against the wishes of the general public is not service.
When military was smart at target 18 years old to enlightenment because at that age you don't know what you getting into at same time 18 years cannot even go to war in military so I don't know why they even target that age anyway.
My grandfather was in the US military during viet nam. It was brutal, he sat around in a base in Germany all day making sure they didn't try and start a fourth reich or something like that. He didn't have many stories to tell about it, it was very boring, although my grandmother mentioned walking around with a bag with Carl Marx's face printed on the side of it in the American military base. For some reason people kept thinking she was up to no good.
My other grandfather dodged the draft, and was unknown to the government until recently. Now he's living on social security while having never paid taxes.
Thank you soliders are victims. They can bad most abusers were victims but being a victim by itself won't make you an abuser thats a choice. All the vets in my family explicitly tell me that the wars their in were unjust and or they will destroy you mentally on purpose.
GWOT homies where u at?
I was in, but basically I am just easy to sell. literally a guy called my house when I was like 16 and I entered early as a joke, and just didn't figure out anything else to do my last year of highschool. I got kicked out of active duty like 10 months later after getting into a Ranger regiment for basically being a loser, but it's fine. I highly recommend joining the military and making yourself do hard shit, but only if you can get kicked out before you have to kill people. that's the best thing that ever happened to me.
23:02 If I wanted to work on one of those, I'd be looking at getting a job at someplace like GE or Lockheed Martin. But, we are not fighting any wars I want to support, so I'm not trying to get a job at a place like that.
if you don't know what you want todo in life, the military is a great option, if you don't like it leave with the benefits after 4 years. don't join with any expectations tho, treat it like a prison sentence.
if i didnt have diabetes i would have joined years ago, just because i didnt (and to this day still do not) have alot of opportunity, and when i was younger i desperately needed the discipline that the military could offer.
Glory to the United States of America!