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> It's hard to imagine any effective strategy that doesn't involve killing people I disagree, one is actually described in the article: "[For] the youth of th

> It's hard to imagine any effective strategy that doesn't involve killing people I disagree, one is actually described in the article: "[For] the youth of the nation are closer to the innate nature [of humans] on account of the rebelliousness within them." Do you think capitalism/democracy/whatever mix we have in the West does a good job of preventing these people fighting for "Jihad"? We don't really give young people (say ages 15-25, before males are fully emotionally developed) a chance to "rebel safely". We don't even have a definition of what it could be! I'll just leave it here, there are many options where to go from there, I think. It actually reminds of "drug education" we had in high school. The guy was a social worker who worked with people on drugs, gave them clean syringes, put them on methadone, etc. His idea basically was, it's perfectly cool if you want to try it, but it's better to understand the risks and wait a little bit, until you grow older. I think it was very sane approach (and very counter-intuitive to people who support war on drugs and "say no" and similar things). Maybe the same should be done with weapons and war, and if someone still wants to try the war, send him as a journalist to war zone. Recently I had another related weird idea: Someone should write a sci-fi story about a society which puts its youths through a very strict, military like institution. It would then be revealed that the whole purpose of the institution is to make young people rebel against authority, in a safe environment. That would be akin to a successful graduation exam, because the society would believe that those people who do that are going to be the best citizens. (You can also read my earlier comment on the topic here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10572797 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10572797)

pythonlion 11y ago
what you said its all true but there are out there already some fanatics who wants to kill you, they can. and they did, and i don't know how many more life should be letting to "statistic danger", in the various places of the world. its really hard to calculate, really.. i don't know.
- icebraining 11y ago
  Just for perspective, more people die on the roads of France every two weeks than have died in this attack. (By the way, if you think I'm diminishing the tragedy of these deaths, aren't you diminishing the tragedy that are road fatalities?)
  - pythonlion 11y ago
    drone technology will solve that too.
rjaco31 11y ago
Well, Robert A. Heinlein took the problem by the other end in Starship Troopers, military service is not mandatory, but required to be able to vote. So the only people that might be capable to rebel are eventually the only ones that won't.
notahacker 11y ago
I dunno, I'd say the social norm involves kids that wish to rebel do so by smoking, drinking, doing drugs, the odd bit of petty crime and having underage sex. If anything, Muslim kids are the exception to this standard rule (but given the reported behaviour of some prominent terrorists, that's probably too much of a simplification too) I quite like your story concept but I think the realistic plotline would have many of the most successful kids at defying the rules doing so because they have no scruples whatsoever about throwing their classmates under the bus to get their way, whilst even the relatively sane rebels might feel inclined to celebrate their graduation by continuing to altogether reject the system.
drak0n1c 11y ago
That sci-fi book was already written, "This Perfect Day" by Ira Levin. A computer is in control of a nearly global utopian socialist society, but critical thinking, emotions, and familial attachment is strictly discouraged via regular drug-aided "therapy", propaganda, surveillance, etc. A softer, peace-loving, technocratic version of 1984. The protagonist rebels, relapses, and rebels again, eventually in spectacular fashion. It's revealed that the computer is used by an elite class who do all the planning, and who grow their ranks by taking in those who are the most successful and clever in their rebellion. It may not be quite what you're looking for, because some members of this hidden leadership are quite cynical, but many are also sincere and think that their work is good citizenry.

pythonlion 11y ago

what you said its all true but there are out there already some fanatics who wants to kill you, they can. and they did, and i don't know how many more life should be letting to "statistic danger", in the various places of the world. its really hard to calculate, really.. i don't know.

icebraining 11y ago
Just for perspective, more people die on the roads of France every two weeks than have died in this attack. (By the way, if you think I'm diminishing the tragedy of these deaths, aren't you diminishing the tragedy that are road fatalities?)
- pythonlion 11y ago
  drone technology will solve that too.

rjaco31 11y ago

Well, Robert A. Heinlein took the problem by the other end in Starship Troopers, military service is not mandatory, but required to be able to vote. So the only people that might be capable to rebel are eventually the only ones that won't.

notahacker 11y ago

I dunno, I'd say the social norm involves kids that wish to rebel do so by smoking, drinking, doing drugs, the odd bit of petty crime and having underage sex. If anything, Muslim kids are the exception to this standard rule (but given the reported behaviour of some prominent terrorists, that's probably too much of a simplification too) I quite like your story concept but I think the realistic plotline would have many of the most successful kids at defying the rules doing so because they have no scruples whatsoever about throwing their classmates under the bus to get their way, whilst even the relatively sane rebels might feel inclined to celebrate their graduation by continuing to altogether reject the system.

drak0n1c 11y ago

That sci-fi book was already written, "This Perfect Day" by Ira Levin. A computer is in control of a nearly global utopian socialist society, but critical thinking, emotions, and familial attachment is strictly discouraged via regular drug-aided "therapy", propaganda, surveillance, etc. A softer, peace-loving, technocratic version of 1984. The protagonist rebels, relapses, and rebels again, eventually in spectacular fashion. It's revealed that the computer is used by an elite class who do all the planning, and who grow their ranks by taking in those who are the most successful and clever in their rebellion. It may not be quite what you're looking for, because some members of this hidden leadership are quite cynical, but many are also sincere and think that their work is good citizenry.