Pretentious rhetoric as promised

I was thinking how I would woo students to the army, instead of the halfbaked incentives they served up to us. Try this for size:

We live in troubled and uncertain times, and the role of Australia's military is changing. We face shadowy threats and shapeless enemies. No longer are there battle lines and gallant charges like in our forefathers' days. And in today's world, armies must not only fight wars but also build peace, often at the same time. More than ever, we need bright young men and women of discipline, courage and conviction to stand between the nation we cherish and chaos, and help build this better world. This is the challenge that your generation faces. In enlisting, you rise to this challenge.

Stirs the blood a bit more than "we will pay for your uni fees and you get to do superfun training" no? Possibly this is partly stolen from the West Wing. Scary, though, how easy it is to fall into the rhythm of patriotic clichés. Scarier still, all of the above is hard to argue against, except with those harrowing field-hospital photos. Oh I know, you can make friends! save the world! go to exciting new places! sans gun. Join MSF and save babies in some godforsaken country, plant a tree, write a freaking folk song.

I wish for once, our better natures might be appealed to. Pollies, stop aiming for our hip pockets and our knee-jerk fears. Speak of grand ideals, make us rise above ourselves. Quote JFK, damnit! I know that a danger of that is of draining language of meaning - is the word "freedom" untainted any longer after "freedom fries" and "Enduring Freedom"? - and manipulating people by pulling at the heartstrings. But I'd be willing to take the risk to be inspired.

I'm not sure how lofty rhetoric would be taken in Australia though. Seems that America and England have a history of oratory, whereas here maybe people would just take the piss. Something to do with tall poppies or our laconic wit or twangy accent or suspicion of hot air, praps. Whether those are indeed universal Australian characteristics is of course debateable! Maybe it's more that, say, opposed to the US, we don't have a national destiny. America appears to retain the sense of its own mission to be a Beacon of Democracy and Freedom and whatnot. I mean right and left might disagree on whether they should lead by example by bolstering civ libs at home or by forcibly removing undemocratic regimes, but it's the same principle underneath, innit?

I'm batting above my weight here. Hoo well, what's a blog for but to waffle. [Oops. You punch above your weight, not bat...duh! Sports metaphors, pfft]