Child Soldiers

The stories we love often involve teen and younger kids jumping
into a mech suit, picking up a lightsaber, or using their
superpowers to fight for justice, sometimes quite literally going
to war. Yet in our own world, we generally recognize that using
children to fight wars or enforce justice through violence is
wrong, dangerous, and incredibly harmful. How do we reconcile those
two ideas?Riki and Matthew talk about stories like Gundam, Star
Wars, Ender’s Game, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and The Last
Starfighter through the lens of child soldiers. They explore a
number of questions including:Why does so much of our media focus
on kids jumping into the fight?What are the ethical questions
raised by adults marshaling children for war?Is there a difference
between adults telling kids to fight, vs. kids who volunteer, often
against the express wishes of the adults?Is an 18th birthday a
magic line, and all fighting on one side is wrong, but on the other
is okay? Are some 16-year-olds better able to handle fighting than
other 21-year-olds?Bonus member content on the idea of episodic
television shows in Star Wars. 
We’ve started the conversation. Now we want to hear from you!Want
to continue the discussion with us? Agree or disagree with what we
talked about, or add your own thoughts? We’ve got options for you!

Email: ️ Matthew@TheEthicalPanda.com

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