March 7, 2003

The Military as a Greedy Institution and Structural Functionalism

First, a quick definition of the two terms. A greedy institution is defined as an organization that attempts to have its members' "exclusive and undivided loyalty" and exercises pressure on them to weaken ties to other organizations and groups. The basic philosophy behind structural functionalism is that the only reason you exist is because the system needs you. Actually, the structural functionalist is not even concerned with the individual, rather the interaction of different structures of society.

In modern society, more than ever, people are tied to more than one group. In order to survive in the face of competing demands on an individual, the military must develop mechanisms for encouraging participation and commitment. These come in several forms, normative values, esteem from larger society, and compensation from in military (primarily in non-cash form) as some of the motivators. Additionally, the military controls the demands on the individual and attempts to merge the home and the workplace. In the past, men bought into the concepts of duty to work over family etc, the abstract concepts of honor and patriotism. Society has changed, it is no longer just men who are in the military, and overall Generation X and beyond believe that their identities are not based on their job and value family time and leisure more. As values change, the military is forced to act in a way to make members and their families believe that it truly "takes care of its own," in addition to the traditional rhetoric.

Some people would say, "so what?" And that's fine for them; they are why things exist the way they exist. However, I am a bitter, disillusioned person so I revel in data and theories and anything that supports my disillusionment. It's all a ploy, the honor and glory associated with dying for one's country, the idea that the military "takes care of its own," morality, justice, Army values, and free will. All actions, values, policies, etc, are merely a means of attracting people to and keeping people in the institution.

There is a catch though, as the Thomas theorem states, "if people define situations as real, then they are real in their consequences." So even if it all is an illusion, if people believe that illusion is real than its effects will be real.