During Iran-Iraq War, there are around 500,000 Iraqi and Iranian soldiers died over the course of the war, in addition to an estimated 100,000 civilians. In Persepolis, it mentions about the brainwashing of young low-income boys in schools during the Iran-Iraq war. The school told them it was a great honor to fight for their country. Furthermore, they would say that the world after death was like heaven, with countless gold, gems, wine and women. Each boy was given a small key and told that if they died with it, they would go to heaven. In this way, they tricked many untrained boys into the war. There is no doubt that these young students can only wait to be slaughtered when faced with well-trained soldiers.
In fact, it’s common for the military to tend to recruit low-income young men to serve in the military or to fight in wars, not only in the Iran-Iraq war. The Seattle Times reported in 2005 that “nearly half” of new recruits came “from lower-middle-class to poor households, according to new Pentagon data based on ZIP codes and census estimates of mean household income.” The same data showed that nearly two-thirds of Army recruits in 2004 “came from countries in which median household income is below the U.S. median.”
The reason of this group of young people are targeted is that, in the absence of options, they can easily be pushed or lured to join the armed forces. The term “poverty draft” came about in the early 1980s to describe “the belief that the enlisted ranks of the military were made up of young people with limited economic opportunities,” They lack access to jobs, income, and educational alternatives in their communities, so they improve their life or get the chance to go to college by joining the army. Therefore, it is not difficult to imagine that in the context of war, those young men without power and background are more likely to join the army for various reasons, while others from better families may have more chances to avoid the draft. In the Iran-Iraq war, Iran was ruled by extreme religionism, which was very inhumane. That causes many young men who are sent to war in such a deceitful way.
Words Cites
Corcione, Adryan. “Why Poor Youth Are Targeted for Military Recruitment.” Teen Vogue, Adryan Corcione, 22 Jan. 2019, www.teenvogue.com/story/the-military-targets-youth-for-recruitment.
Martin, Nick. “The Military Views Poor Kids as Fodder for Its Forever Wars.” The New Republic, 7 Jan. 2020, newrepublic.com/article/156131/military-views-poor-kids-fodder-forever-wars.
Asoni, Andrea and Sanandaj, Tino. “Rich Man’s War, Poor Man’s Fight? Socioeconomic Representativeness in the Modern Military” Research Institute of Industrial Economics, 23 Dec. 2014, papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2542143
Thanks for for your post, Zhuoer! I enjoyed reading about the background of how poor, young people are manipulated into joining the army, since that is something Persepolis mentions but does not give much detail on. I also liked that you noted that this is a common practice, especially in the United States, where we might think that this doesn’t ever happen.
I really enjoyed this context presentation, Zhuoer. I appreciate the statistics you incorporated into the construction of the context presentation, as it provides a clear picture of how many lives were lost in this war, particularly due to manipulation. I was not aware of the statistics you provided on the U.S. troops for 2004 and 2005. These numbers place an emphasis on how the manipulation that we have read about in Iran is not strictly local, which is an unsettling thought to process.
Zhuoer, I think this post brings about a great point. Oftentimes, a minor detail such as the age of the troops fighting might be something that is overlooked. However, the way the soldiers were sourced is a very important detail. The horrific truth is that many of these young boys were sent off to fight against well equipped and highly trained U.S. and coalition forces. They stood no chance. I think this post does a good job of trying to show us the scope of the conflict and how many lives, families, and countries were truly effected.
Great blog post Zhuoer! Your post was very informative and eye opening. It’s so sad seeing how the military is manipulating young, poor boys into joining the military. That they are ignoring the fact that several of these boys are gonna die in war, they are instead telling the boys all the good things that they will receive from doing the military. They target these low class boys because they are easier to convince. I really liked how you included real military data to support your claim. This made your post even stronger and more intriguing.
I really enjoyed reading your context presentation Zhuoer! You did a great job of introducing more topics and ideas that we will come across while watching the film this week. I did not know that the military operated the way you described them to. I am glad that you brought this up, so I could later apply it to my learning. The statistics that you gave for the U.S. troops in 2004 and 2005 was really shocking to me.
Thank you for this very insightful piece. It is a sad truth that the military during those years were “exposed” for recruiting people who are lower class and less intelligent. Although it is sad, you see many people who would rather go into the military who are from lower classes because they see it as an out. I think it is heartbreaking because that shows how much value and belief we have in our economy.
Great work and well said. It is crazy to see the true ways the recruitment happen, young and poor men being put in that environment could potentially derail someones life. This article gives another insight/perspective to the one Persepolis gives, I like how it allows us to see it in a different way. Another thing I didn’t know before was that 100,000 civilians were killed in this war.
I found this post to be very informative and well said. Coming from a more impoverished region of the U.S., I would always see army recruiters in my school. This process being worldwide saddens me, but does not surprise me. This presentation allows me to better understand the environment in which Persepolis takes place.
Hi Zhuoer! I really enjoyed your presentation this week! When reading the book, Persepolis, the part where boys were promised to go to heaven if they died in war really stood out to me. I thought it was horrific how they were given the keys at their school and were being “brainwashed.” I found your presentation really interesting because I never made the comparison to the United States until you mentioned how it is common for the military to recruit low-income young men.
Hearing about low-income people getting exploited throughout the world to join the military in different countries always makes me sad. It’s an exploitative practice that is a difficult one to fully solve. Personally, I know military members that are not necessarily “below median income” but I also know a lot more that could be considered in that bracket. There are some positive impacts of this, during times of little war (like now), the job is stable and does give decent money to those who are serving. The issue for me is that some people don’t have the option to choose whether they want to get enlisted as their options are to work in a factory making minimum wage or go into the military and temporarily sign their lives away.
I really enjoyed this post because I felt that it hit close to home for some people and related more to my personally. I appreciated that you kept numerical facts in your discussion because it helped comprehend the large scale of these shocking numbers! I thoroughly enjoyed your topic and your post this week!
Great post Zhuoer! It is very saddening to read about this topic. It is very important that we understand the unfortunate manipulation of young men’s minds in the past. It makes me really appreciate all the soldiers do to fight for their country. I really enjoyed reading your presentation.
Hi Zhuoer, your presentation very clearly shows the brainwashing done to low income boys, and the reasons behind it, so I found your presentation to be very insightful. It’s gross that these low income boys are being lied to and taken advantage of simply for political gain. The comparison to the American army was very eye opening too, and shows how this problem is worldwide, not just in a certain corner of the world.
Good job on the post Zhuoer! You did a great job explaining the concept of the government brainwashing the poor, essentially forcing them to join the military. It’s quite sad how these kind of things happened in the past, and i am sure that it is still happening in third world countries to this day. This kind of stuff is just eye-opening to me.
Thank you for this insightful post Zhuoer! I found the portion about the brainwashing that occurred in Iran to be extremely disheartening, and it really showed how easily younger kids can get abused by false narrative. Kids in school listen to what their elders are teaching them, so it can be very dangerous once this dynamic is used for a political advantage.
Hi Zhuoer! This is such an interesting post. I think you brought up a really important point about the way militaries are run. In many countries, including the U.S., the military is presented as a sort of escape option for low-income individuals and families. A lot of young men and women are placed into dangerous situations all over the world because they are made to feel as though it is their only option. It’s good to raise awareness about how implementing other policies and means of aid could help young adults escape poverty without the need to go to war first.
Thank you for this information, it helped me realize how there were many lives lost during the war and it started from the young men in school still. Through this, it can present that young individuals can have their mind moulded and manipulated in many ways and create a chain a non-stop demonstration that would lead down a painful path during the war. As well for a family with a low income and a lack of opportunity would have a higher change of joining the army because that would be the only path that they have in front of them for their family. This can also tie in with difficult situations and decisions with young individuals because of the statues or position they are in within society.
Nice work Zhuoer! This is a really meaningful post. You remind me how ruthless the war is. In some poor countries during the war, they ask young kids to join the military and tell them that job is honorable and meaningful. Poor people have no choice during that time since they can not manage their lives. Some people fight for their freedom but others die without any reason that is the war. We should cherish peace now.
Hi Zhuoer, you did a great job on this context presentation. I’m also interested in those young soldiers when reading the book. I think that’s really ironic because those gold keys are actually fake. And this kind of brainwashing is horrific and should be stopped. Your background information about why young men join the army due to low income helps a lot for understanding the problem. To solve the problems, I think UN must intervene for this inhumanity and more help should be provided by other countries.
Hi Zhuoer, this was a very informative post. I didn’t give as much thought to the young soldiers as I gave to the rest of the story. I do recall the mention of the Iranian government attempting to incentivize the young soldiers with women and riches in the afterlife. I believe some extremist groups in the Middle East continue to use similar tactics to gain recruits. I think the brainwashing is a problem that has permeated across the globe. As you noted, the US also engages in questionable recruiting tactics. War reveals our capacity for evil, and it’s a problem that will continue to rage until we reach true peace.
Hi Zhuoer,
I thought this was really interesting, but also very sad. A point which I thought was implied in your post, but should be reiterated is that these boys were brainwashed into join the military with little to no pay. Unlike in here in the US while lower income areas may be more likely to join the military I feel like that is mostly because it pays decent and offers them a “way out.” Thank you for sharing!
Great post! It is very interesting to understand how the military focuses its recruitment. It is sad to see young children in Iran being manipulated into joining the military with guarantees and promises. Additionally it is interesting that the military in other areas focus on recruiting people with limited opportunities to get ahead in society, which leads them to be more prone to join.
Good post. You did well explaining how young people were brainwashed to join the army in Iran and added further to what was shown in the book. I like how you tried to make a correlation with America but I feel like the way it was compared was falsely equivalent. Brainwashing boys to join the military with little income to offer for joining is what Iran did. What America does is incentivize voluntary enlisting by offering livable pay for lower-income individuals, and the ability to get an education without having to worry about student loan debt. The main difference being it is voluntary with positive incentives that would improve their life after serving their country if they decide they want to join. Not being brainwashed with lies and getting pocket change in return.
Hey Zhuoer,
I really enjoyed reading your post. It was really interesting to learn that younger, poorer people are targeted to join the military. The brainwashing of the soldiers and sending young boys to war is horrible. I feel that in Iraq and Iran, the soldiers were not given proper benefits compared to the American Military. The boys were promised a key to heaven, where in the United States, our soldiers are better compensated with things like health insurance.
Hey Zhuoer! I really enjoyed your post because I have a friend who experienced the Americanized version of this in real life. She went to high school in a lower income area, and an army recruiter convinced her to sign a 6 year contract when she was just 17 years old (mom had to sign too) because she didn’t know if she would be able to afford college without it. Good job on your post!
Hi Zhuoer,
This is a great post! Your opening sentence: “During Iran-Iraq War, there are around 500,000 Iraqi and Iranian soldiers died over the course of the war, in addition to an estimated 100,000 civilians”, speaks volume. I had no idea that that many lives were lost during the war and have a better understanding of the war tactics. The “poverties draft” was something that I was vaguely familiar with, but definitely learned more about the context of war and the young men who fought in it.
Hi, Zhuoer!
I really enjoy reading your post! Last week we have read the graphic novel of Persepolis, and this week, I have further understanding on the work though the film format of the book. Only few of the plots are not depicted in the film, and some of scenes in the book are better represented in the film. Violance between countries often hurt the civilians, like what you mentioned, millions of people died in the war, and many of them are harmless civilians; moreover, among the dead soldiers, many of them are teenager, who are abetted by the government. Every child is a gift for the parents from the god; however, many childs from poor family are forced to go to the battlefield. Undoubtedly, it is just going to die, and it is so unfair to the poor family, such an inhumane behavior. Your post points out how wars affect civilians’ life, hope the world can be peaceful forever. Good job on your post!
Great post! I did not know about the recruiting for the Iran-Iraq war. Those poor kids were being manipulated to fight for a higher power. I really like how you compared it to the US war in the middle east. There are definitely similarities between the two wars, and I think we all know someone who served in the middle east.
Great Job! Really liked the time and effort that was put into this one. Lots of information that I did not know about previously including the recruitment information for the way, which was heartbreaking to read about. The idea of young children being used in wars was hard to read but that just adds to how well written this all was. I like the comparisons to America as well, making some home life comparisons added a lot to it.
Great job on your post, I thought it was very insightful! I thought is was interesting how the U.S and Iran are similar in that they both target people with low incomes for the military. This made me think about how we are quick to alienate ourselves by thinking about the ways we are different from other countries instead of first realizing all the ways in which we are similar. It was hard to read about how it is usually the people who lack power/don’t have access to power who are the first to be targeted to be in the military for war, whereas those with more access to power, such as money or education, can avoid being targeted.
It is very sad to see how young people, especially young and poor kids, can be targeted and easily recruited for the military. Although they might be better off in the short-term if they join the military, it is still immoral to brainwash and manipulate kids, and in the long-term they are more likely to die.
Hi! I really enjoyed reading your post. It opened my eyes to how impressionable young children are. I wish the boys were not asked to fight in the war until old enough to understand what they are fighting for. I think that if you are fighting in a war, you need to understand what you are fighting for in order to do well. You have to want to win in order to win. It is sad these young boys most likely do not understand what is going on in the world and what they are fighting for.
Very interesting! I see things like this a lot when studying previous wars, targeting those who do not have as many choices/ are not as educated because then they are not “worth” as much as those who have more money or education. I believe it is unfair to brainwash these boys, especially giving them a plastic key making them think it will get them into heaven.
I very much agree with your point of view. I have also learned some news about Iran before. Most of the articles over there are introducing Iran to become the next world power, but there is no mention of Iran’s religious rule. There is no doubt that Iran’s leaders have squeezed Iran’s citizens based on religious beliefs. This has also led to not only the restrictions on women’s freedom in Iran that we have learned from Marji, but also freedom of religious belief, freedom of information and culture, and the deception of young soldiers. Perhaps for Iranians, this is what their religious beliefs require them to do, just like the Okonkwa tribe, but we still have no way of understanding. I think that as bystanders, we can only communicate in a gentle way so that people in Iran can gradually pursue their own freedom and happiness. Of course, it must be in a peaceful way.