I ran into a banner ad and took the bait. Turned out to be a little interactive flash site. I browsed around and suddenly found myself caught in an Air Force recruiting site. Here’s a quick tour of whatamigonnadonext.com.

You first start out with a selection of “what do I want to do with my life”. It has some pretty reasonable options there, electronics, fix stuff. And then there are some real slacker choices, “whatever & make money” — for people without a solid plan.

Suddenly the viewer is on the defensive. No one, and I mean no one, knows everything. No one has their whole life planned out all nice and neat with success written all over it. That’s not how life works. You play the numbers, make small seemingly decisions, do your best day to day and eventually see some incrementing result of your hard work. It’s not some magic bullet game trying to seek out the job that’s going to make me rich, the best or famous. That’s insane.

However, I played along wondering what this site was all about. I really should have noticed the opening copyright tag…

I picked Electronics (of course) because I’m a geek. There were only 3 options and they all involved playing games, not designing or being interested in electronics. I had no option other than to pick a video game genre. So I picked online rpg since I’m playing one.

Surprised, I watched an animation of a girlfriend leaving her boyfriend (the video game player) because he wasn’t paying attention to her. There’s this guy sitting in a chair in a dirty room with flies and his back to his girl. He’s sitting in his underwear and is drawn as this closed-door loser.

Now .. I understand their job. They need people and they need people bad. They offer a great program for anyone who maybe can’t pay for college. That’s not my intention to attack on the GI Bill or to say that a military career (either 4 year or whatever) is bad. It’s a great program for anyone who wants it. However, if I joined the Air Force, I’d change from a guy who plays MMOs to a guy who used to play MMOs and is now in the Air Force. That’s it! Joining the Air Force is not some divine benediction that is going to cleanse my past of evil.

Me, I’m lucky. My parents could afford to send me to college. In fact, I’m very lucky. I’m the first one on my Dad’s side to go to college funded. I thanked my parents officially and in writing and I am very grateful of that blessing. However, there are people who are doing better than me and there are people doing worse. Is this the Air Force’s business to be judging our culture and assigning happiness and success levels to hobbies and fun? How is this not casting a first fucking stone? How about they pull out of Iraq and actually contribute to World Peace? How about we wait for the mighty nation of “Terrorism-land” to take over the world?

Electronics is my gig. It’s doing me well so far. It’s not some magic bullet and it’s not some no brained button pushing gaming session. It’s all about learning and it’s miles above TV or hanging out at a bar.

Air Force is fighting for a free country right? Then shut up and give me my freedom of privacy. I have the right to do what I want and not justify it. Freely. And other countries have these rights too, it’s not some super happy America fest. We’re not that special but we’re all so Fun Happy Super Go America™ robots. We need to come off it quick.