Terraforming the Solar System

[combatmedic]

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

What jobs are democratic? Most people have bosses, and many jobs in the U.S. are at will employment.

I agree with you about most people having a boss, but that doesn't address the point I was trying to make.
The military is NOT at will employment. Flyn can quit his job any time he likes. An enlisted man can't do that. If Flyn breaks a formal contract with an employer, there's a small chance of a lawsuit. If an enlisted man breaks his contract, he may be tried by a military court and sentenced to time in a military prison and given a dishonorable discharge.

The legal rules are different for the military. Check out the UCMJ. The military can actually imprison you for not doing your duty. Under some circumstances, you might actually be killed. It's not ILLEGAL for Flyn to ignore his boss's directives. It is illegal for a soldier to disobey a lawful order.

Hierarchy is expressed differently, and is supported by both custom and law. The hierachy is more rigidly defined than in most jobs. People are required to wear uniforms that signal their place in the hierarchy.

The military claims much more say over your personal life than most employers. Inspections of you home and vehicle, rules about marriage and family arrangements, the way your wear your hair, tattoos,etc are all covered in the UCMJ. Until recently, even your sexual orientation was a legal matter. Expressions of individuality are limited not just by workplace rules or customs, but by actual laws.

Have you ever been confined to quarters by your boss, Flyn? Denied a weekend pass? Subjected to group punishment? Smoked because somebody stole Top's favorite coffee mug and hid it in the bottom of a porta-john?






If you don't know anyone who was in the military,and this all seems alien to you, I can suggest some reading.