Posted on 08/03/2004 8:06:25 AM PDT by EUPHORIC
Web Addiction Gets Conscripts Out of Army
HELSINKI - A number of Finnish conscripts have been excused their full term of military service because they are addicted to the Internet, the Finnish Defense Forces said Tuesday.
Doctors have found the young men miss their computers too much to cope with their compulsory six months in the forces.
"For people who play (Internet) games all night and don't have any friends, don't have any hobbies, to come into the army is a very big shock," said Commander-Captain Jyrki Kivela at the military conscription unit.
"Some of (the conscripts) go to the doctor and say they can't stay. Sometimes, the doctors have said they have an Internet addiction," Kivela said.
There are no official figures for the Internet addict dropout rate.
"They get sent home for three years and after that they have to come back and we ask if they are OK ... they will have had time to grow up," Kivela said.
Finland called up 26,500 men in 2003, nine percent of whom were relieved of duty for medical reasons.
However, the Internet drop-outs have not dented national pride in "sisu," a Finnish quality of being tough and resilient.
"We are very proud of our Finnish men. Eight-two percent of all Finnish men manage their whole military service," Kivela said.
How about Them Moose Goosers,
Ain't they recluse?
Up in them boondocks,
Goosin' them moose.
Goosin' them huge moose,
Goosin' them tiny,
Goosin' them meadow-moose
In the hiney.
Look at Them Moose Goosers,
Ain't they dumb?
Some use an umbrella,
Some use a thumb.
Them obtuse Moose Goosers,
Sneakin' through the woods,
Pokin' them snoozy moose
In the goods.
How to be a Moose Gooser?
It'll turn ye puce.
Gitchy gooser loose and
Rouse a drowsy moose!
Mason Williams
And y'all thought WE had it bad with Møøsë and sisters and cheese and Monty Python ...
Here's an amusing PING!
I've been accused of being "unable to unplug" while on deployment. The laughter stops, however, when my intel briefings outstrip the black channels for speed.
And I owe it in large part to FR.
Thanks for the ping!
Thanks Old Sarge. FR is very, very addictive. The warning on the home page is correctly stated!
BTTT!!!!!!!
Here's one Finn with SISU!!
LOL lord have mercy.
Thanks for the ping!
If we fought all our wars using Counterstrike, these guys would be elite warriors. Instead, they're just pathetic geeks.
Jumala varjelkoon!
And people wonder why George Bush didn't try harder to include more countries in the coalition. After all, they have so much to offer.
I can quit FreeRepublic anytime I want!
These are the folks that fought the Red Army to a stand still in 1939-40? For anyone interested a great book on that conflict is; "The Winter War, the Soviet attack on Finland, 1939-1940" by Eloise Engle and Lauri Paananen.
Look, I have two windows open to Free Republic at the same time, and watch, I can close them both at once. I am not hooked!
ROFL - Ok, I'm sort of wondering what kind of soldiers they have?? They can't be as tough as you guys. (Now there's a surprise! He he he!)
The idea that somebody can get out because of some kind of internet obsession is silly, but that number is not.
I seriously doubt that 82% of the men in this country could manage even two years in the military.
Girly men.
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