3 ms·

maybe unpopular piece of context, but where west treats most adults as children, in a large part of the world (middle east, asia, africa, south america) much yo

maybe unpopular piece of context, but where west treats most adults as children, in a large part of the world (middle east, asia, africa, south america) much younger people already get a lot of responsibilities and thats considered normal. now ofc not saying anything about war, military roles and such things, but its good to consider before judging what kind of responsibilities are carried by whom, the context in which these people otherwise exist.

TheGuyWhoCodes 7mo ago
They used children to clear mine fields in the Iran-Iraq war, putting keys on them saying it will open heaven, so it's not out of character for Iran
- saidnooneever 7mo ago
  iran is a country not a character. a common misconception but important to know the difference. Iranians != Iran
thomassmith65 7mo ago
Even if "it's just their culture" were a compelling excuse for using children as soldiers, it's not the culture of the majority of Iranians, only a minority of religious extremists who oppress them.
- saidnooneever 7mo ago
  you say just to belittle something as if its inferior. additionally you disregarded my additional note about militairy / politics and take it too black and white. almost like a bot.
  - thomassmith65 7mo ago
    50 years ago, progressive Iranians, predominantly young and educated, made the mistake of collaborating with violent, theocratic rednecks. After they overthrew the Shah together, the rednecks took over. It's difficult to bring nuance into the Iranian situation, because the hicks controlling Iran see the world in black and white: they believe they are infallible, and everyone but them - within and outside Iran - is evil. As a result, they take actions that are difficult for even open-minded people to defend. Incidentally, only a few days ago, when I heard the IRGC was using child soldiers again, my hunch was that it was only a rumor https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47548780 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47548780 I mention that as evidence that I'm not consumed by irrational hatred here.

TheGuyWhoCodes 7mo ago

They used children to clear mine fields in the Iran-Iraq war, putting keys on them saying it will open heaven, so it's not out of character for Iran

saidnooneever 7mo ago
iran is a country not a character. a common misconception but important to know the difference. Iranians != Iran

thomassmith65 7mo ago

Even if "it's just their culture" were a compelling excuse for using children as soldiers, it's not the culture of the majority of Iranians, only a minority of religious extremists who oppress them.

saidnooneever 7mo ago
you say just to belittle something as if its inferior. additionally you disregarded my additional note about militairy / politics and take it too black and white. almost like a bot.
- thomassmith65 7mo ago
  50 years ago, progressive Iranians, predominantly young and educated, made the mistake of collaborating with violent, theocratic rednecks. After they overthrew the Shah together, the rednecks took over. It's difficult to bring nuance into the Iranian situation, because the hicks controlling Iran see the world in black and white: they believe they are infallible, and everyone but them - within and outside Iran - is evil. As a result, they take actions that are difficult for even open-minded people to defend. Incidentally, only a few days ago, when I heard the IRGC was using child soldiers again, my hunch was that it was only a rumor https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47548780 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47548780 I mention that as evidence that I'm not consumed by irrational hatred here.