The Screwtape Letters, Chapter 29.
We have made men proud of most vices, but not of cowardice. Whenever we have almost succeeded in doing so, the Enemy permits a war or an earthquake or some other calamity, and at once courage becomes so obviously lovely and important even in human eyes that all our work is undone, and there is still at least one vice of which they feel genuine shame. The danger of inducing cowardice in our patients, therefore, is lest we produce real self-knowledge and self-loathing with consequent repentance and humility. And in fact, in the last war, thousands of humans, by discovering their own cowardice, discovered the whole moral world for the first time. In peace we can make many of them ignore good and evil entirely; in danger, the issue is forced upon them in a guise to which even we cannot blind them. There is here a cruel dilemma before us. If we promoted justice and charity among men, we should be playing directly into the Enemy’s hands; but if we guide them to the opposite behaviour, this sooner or later produces (for He permits it to produce) a war or a revolution, and the undisguisable issue of cowardice or courage awakes thousands of men from moral stupor.
It always amazes me that there are people who don’t get this.
Reminded of this because of this:
Obvs RT @UrbanAchievr: Did you know that "Lone Survivor" is a "propaganda" film about "All-American white men"? http://t.co/0MOdvevjw3
— Sonny Bunch (@SonnyBunch) January 15, 2014
Not that Sonny needs to be told any of that, of course.
Somehow it’s SOCOMS fault that a lot of black people don’t want to be in the Special Forces.
I think the desire may very well be about proportionate to the percentage of the population they comprise.
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That said, they’re under-represented in Seals or Force Recon. The stereotype about blacks and swimming does have some basis in reality, and you practically have to have the Innsmouth Look to make it through their training.
(And from what little I saw, they’re over-represented in the Green Berets.)