In American media, Drill Sergeants are often portrayed as mean and shouty. Yelling at recruits / treating them like garbage.
The only thing I could think of is that they’re going for a “military service is hard so I’m going to make this as unpleasant for you as possible because life is hard” kind of thing, but couldn’t discipline be instilled in soldiers without the yelling and humiliation? Why is this the only way?
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My RDCs (Drill sergeant in the Navy) were a mixed bag, definitely playing good cop bad cop. One was mean as hell and would scream at everyone, the other was a bit more chill but not exactly nice, and the Chief Mostly yelled funny shit and let the Petty Officers do the hard work.
The goal is to break you down and get used to taking orders. You’re coming in as a civilian that had choices and could tell your boss to fuck off or walk away from a job you didn’t like, that isn’t an option in the military. You don’t build fighting machines by telling them they’re doing a good job and giving them a pat on the back. It works, you come out of boot camp more disciplined than you’ve ever been in your life, but it usually wears off in a few months and you become a smartass that shows up on time at the right place in the right uniform.
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