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Are people here pro-conscription? (lemmy.world)

submitted 1 day ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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A recent event led me to fact check something that I thought must be untrue, which is that Ukraine conscripts people into the military against their will, including making those people that had previously fulfilled their obligations return to the battlefield.

Moreso, when browsing X recently I saw bunch of videos being posted of what claimed were police forcing people into vans to go fight in Ukraine. The police were beating these people in the process. Now, it is possible that some of this content is propaganda, but I did want to find out if Ukraine forces conscription.

It appears that it is true:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conscription_in_Ukraine

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/lacking-manpower-ukraine-resorts-to-harsh-means-to-force-draft-dodgers-into-combat

I am very much against conscription. I still support Ukraine's independence, but the fact that they are forcing people to fight through beatings, arrests, etc. is sickening to me and makes me lose respect for Zelensky. According to an estimate by Ukrainian commanders, 50% to 70% of Ukrainian conscripts are killed or wounded in their first few days in combat on some areas of the front.

What are others thoughts on this?

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Very much against conscription. If the country is worth dying for, people will volunteer. Otherwise, it is cruel and unfair to force people to suffer for a country they didn't choose to be born in.

To clarify for the commenters who seem to think anti conscription = pro Russia, no, Russia is an authoritarian dictatorship, and conscription is unethical in all countries. Democratic countries should model the moral behaviour.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)

If the country is worth dying for, people will volunteer.

While I agree that conscription is generally not good and shouldnt be necessary, this statement is definitely not true. Humans usually care for their lives and the responsibility for their families first.
Imagine a situation in which you live in a perfect utopia of a country, but every year, one citizen has to be sacrificed. Would you volunteer immediately? Probably not. Given the choice not to die, most people would take it. Would you agree to 1 person out of X million being picked randomly and accepting it if youre chosen? I think thats more likely. It seems fair and your chances of being chosen are very small because of the number of people involved.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

That doesn't sound like a utopia, it sounds like a The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas situation.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 day ago

I dont know that book but yeah, it sound like a thought experiment easy to come up with.