For many men, I think it breeds hypermasculinity, or at least an obsession with hypermasculinity. For me, I read a lot of military books, and studied a very violent and often physically painful martial art. I had an obsession with weapons from a very early age. I wanted to be in the military, but I have very bad eyes, and a bad back (scoliosis). When I enlisted, the eyes kept me out, but the back likely would have too.
And as I contemplate it, the whole of military training, as it exists here in any event, but presumably everywhere, consists in the “indoctrination” phase of ritual humiliation. This humiliation is intended to generate a compensation in the direction of hypermasculinity. Death before dishonor, which is to say, any form of figurative castration. To stand out in any way, in a military formation, is to be castrated, to be made to feel inferior. This applies, obviously, to women as well. Women can and obviously do feel “Male” feelings.
But what is interesting to me here is how these things are hidden and transformed and forgotten. Marines no doubt remember everything that happened to them, but they remember it with pride.
WHAT IS YOUR MAJOR MALFUNCTION NUMB NUTS!!!!
C. Lee Earney obviously earns his living in this movie, and indeed earned it in real life as an actual drill instructor, humiliating people. His job is to attach them to an image of themselves which is more powerful than their fear of death. This makes them willing to die for abstractions.
And consider Spartan training. Young boys–I forget the age, but it was between 9 and 13 when they entered the Agoge–all had a man who was their master, and this relationship seems often to have been sexual. The end result: effective warriors. The means? Perhaps making these boys feel like little bitches with something to prove to the world. That would be quite sufficient to generate a powerful drive to fight and kill.
I need to ponder all this for myself, but put it out here for you to ponder too.