Response to “The Moral Equivalent of War”

I think that William James was ahead of his time when writing this essay. The ideas and situations he discusses are ones that our country is dealing with now. The solution he proposes to “…get the desire to fight out of men…” is “…a conscription of the whole youthful population to form for a certain number of years a part of the army….” In our present day this idea is used in some countries. One example that I am familiar with is Italy. At the age of eighteen, all Italian males must join the Italian army for a certain amount of time (I am not sure exactly how long). This military enlistment is mandatory and I believe it has a very positive affect on the entire society. Italy has a very low crime rate. Certain crimes that are on the rise in America are unheard of over there, such as rape and gang violence. It is not a problem because these crimes are rarely committed. If you think about it, this is probably because the young males are given a positive outlet for their aggression while at the same time being taught discipline and the proper virtues of men. The population as a whole is much calmer and laid back and the people are truly able to enjoy life, no matter what class they are labeled into. Compared to the American people, they are complete opposites. I think this is all caused by the mandatory military experience and training that all the Italian men must go through while they are still young.