Warfare And Fun

[rob86 2]

Has anybody pondered upon the correlation of Warfare and Fun? There's no doubt about it, people enjoy war. You hear about all the horrific things about war, "War is Hell" for example, yet people still fight wars, people still sign up to be in the military today. I don't imagine anyone would find war overly amusing if they were shot,stabbed,blown up etc, but until that happens to an individual or a friend, I'm sure it's enjoyed by a lot of people. Look at all the videos on youtube from soldiers of all nationalities celebrating and bragging about the killing of enemies. Through all of history there have been generals who relish in battle and fight only for the sake of fighting. You hear of ancient civilizations who lived for nothing but to wage war. Military tactics have been and always will be discussed like a weekend football game. I personally read about famous military battles because I find them interesting. People seem to believe that soldiers sign up to fight for their country and be patriotic etc. I don't believe that's always the case. It's just a polite thing to say. Imagine if signing up for the military was about doing something extremely boring like watching paint dry for 20 years for no salary except for free food and a home. I bet you'd see a lot less people signing up. PS: I'm not talking about when a country is being or the world's in imminent danger (the world wars for example), which is a completely different situation, I mean when an army goes on the offensive for no important reason. I generally don't support unnecessary wars or fights and don't have any desire to kill people, but I have to admit, I find the opportunity to fly high tech aircraft, to be on a massive ship, drive a tank or shoot guns is very appealing which is why I enjoy military simulation games. The thought of conquering the world is very interesting and appealing, that's why there are so many video games about it. What if being in the military wasn't so exciting?Anyway, clearly warfare and being in the military has always been (in general) an enjoyable thing to do, at least that's how I understand it.. War games have been around for ages, even as far back as Chess. Popular sports are like non violent warfare and in some cases, even violent "warfare" (Boxing? UFC?). It's not just war that seems exciting, but I think the thought of being part of something, a "family" with tradition is an appealing part of it too.Obviously not EVERYONE enjoys war, people forced into it for example, or people used as "cannon/arrow fodder" or being ordered to sacrifice yourself by walking over land mines so more experienced and militarily valuable people can go through (Man, just imagining how lame that is makes me feel very bad for those people!!), or people with a limb blown off, but you know what I mean, a lot of people obviously think the general idea of war is interesting and exciting despite all the bloodshed and danger.So my point is, what's up with this? Is war such a common thing in mankind's history because it's enjoyable? Would there be a lot less wars if people didn't enjoy it so much and how exactly did the idea of killing people you've never met and risking your life "evolve" to be such an appealing thing to do anyway?

Edited August 6, 2009 by rob86 (see edit history)

[sainted 0]

Probably the most glaring reason would be mankind's natural inclination to compete. War is competition at its best: a man against a man, a nation against a nation, a weapon against a different weapon, etc.. And of course, winning a war or fighting well are grounds for boasting; for men to be awarded medals and to be recognized as heroes. People would no doubt seek the glory and pride that winning a battle would bring.Moreso than that, the spoils of war are riches and land, something im sure noone would be disinclined to gaining.In a sentence, warfare caters to every one of man's inherent desires and thus is so irresistable. Goes my theory anyhow.