The Militarization of Our Youth and I WILL NOT KILL by Rev. Sam Smith, FOR Chicago Chapter Chair
SPRING 2013
FOR Chicago DePaul University Service Learners, Fall 2012.
“To become militarized is to adopt militaristic values and priorities as one’s own, to see military solutions as particularly effective, to see the world as a dangerous place BEST APPROACHED with militaristic values.” (Militarization and Globalization: Feminists Make the Link by Cynthia Enloe, 2007). In such a world as Enloe describes, creative and peaceful means of conflict resolution will find it harder to compete with military approaches and solutions, and may be silenced altogether. Today … we live in just such a world.
counseling departments are posters that push signing up for the military as a “one stop success center” especially for “kids at risk.” And the No Child Left Behind Act and the ASFAB Tests allow military recruiters unprecedented access to our schools and mailing lists of students and their families.
Thus enters the work of the Fellowship of Reconciliation and its I WILL NOT KILL campaign as engaged by the FOR Chicago Chapter. Within this campaign, students who One primary objective of the U.S. are continually exposed to the government has become the project glamorization and the of infusing a military mindset into our sanitization of warfare in the educational system, wherever world are taught the realities of possible. In doing so, our nation is military engagement. Pacifistic led to believe that as one militarizes in nature, the I WILL NOT KILL the educational system; our campaign questions and students will be enabled to a higher challenges the militarization of standard of socialization. Key social our youth. It is designed to skills such as “loyalty, resilience, help young people think courage, and teamwork” are critically in regards to the promised to be the results. ROTC military with nonviolent and JR ROTC programs are approaches presented as the presented as assets for our youth. the way to problem solving. On the walls of our high school Conflict Resolution today
has become more commonly equated with military force. I WILL NOT KILL says, “Let’s Give PEACE A Chance FIRST!!” In northern Illinois, FOR Chicago Chapter members work closely with DePaul University’s Peace Studies Department to promote I WILL NOT KILL to young people through direct engagement methods as one of the Service Learner components to DePaul’s PAX 200 classes. With the support of the chapter, I also speak widely on the campaign and other forms of active nonviolence at schools, music festivals, coffeehouses, youth groups, churches etc. We welcome the partnership and support of fellow FOR members nationwide: Contact : forchicago@comcast.net or visit http://forusa.org/groups/local chapters/chicago-for. SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT!
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