The Warrior Elite

[Chaosgoatlaw]

At least there's still football, amirite?

[Istaev]

At least there's still football, amirite?

I think that's the essence of what the original poster was trying to get across. I think the thread got derailed by bickering and uninteresting tangents but I'll try to steer this around a little..
We're wild animals ultimately and violent primordial impulses remain despite socialization. That's what sports-entertainment is for. Fake violence. Mock combat.
There's no place for real violence in postindustrial society except to defend it and spread its way of life. and even in that case, the military is still a marginalized institution, probably because it's intrinsically authoritarian and filled with guys who don't fit well into civilized society except as ineffectual rogues.

[average]

So basically "war" has become an entertainment of the ruling class, because they are bored and depressed and feel the need to satisfy their primordial instincts for dominance and power? Actually that's more believable than many other theories.

And its true. War has for centuries, advanced technology, but not society. Technologies are forgotten, uninstituted, misconstrued and misused. So the whole thing ends up being pointless, furthering nothing. That just sucks.

[Veritas]

The problem is that "war" and "regular society" have become totally distinct. War used to be a good thing because it was ingrained into society as a whole - now it's just something which we all know is necessary, but which we constantly decry because we can't deal with conflict any more, and we wish to look like "good" people. Of course, conflict cannot be run from, it is a necessary aspect of life. The Warrior spirit must once again be let to permeate our culture.

[Dinaric Leather]

We're wild animals ultimately and violent primordial impulses remain despite socialization. That's what sports-entertainment is for. Fake violence. Mock combat.

I get your point about it being used as a surrogate for real combat, and anyone who dedicates their life to a sport needs to get their priorities straight. Sports do have a legitimate purpose however, and that is to promote exercise and thus good cardiovascular health among the people who participate in it. It also serves a social purpose, and I'm not talking about the bored middle aged men who have nothing better to talk than last nights football match, I mean among the players. Working towards a goal together builds bonds among the participants. Many of my best childhood friends I met in my little league Baseball team. Besides, kids these days have jack shit to do and aren't given any real goals or very difficult tasks because that would be fascist, I'd rather see those kids out there playing sports than playing video games.

[The military is] filled with guys who don't fit well into civilized society except as ineffectual rogues.

Thats only one of the many personality archetypes you'll find in military service.

[Chaosgoatlaw]

At least there's still football, amirite?

I think that's the essence of what the original poster was trying to get across. I think the thread got derailed by bickering and uninteresting tangents but I'll try to steer this around a little..
We're wild animals ultimately and violent primordial impulses remain despite socialization. That's what sports-entertainment is for. Fake violence. Mock combat.
There's no place for real violence in postindustrial society except to defend it and spread its way of life. and even in that case, the military is still a marginalized institution, probably because it's intrinsically authoritarian and filled with guys who don't fit well into civilized society except as ineffectual rogues.

I was joking around, but my point is that football players are among the only people treated as warriors left in todays society, although, like you said, the combat fake and they are essentially glorified board game pieces. The mosh pit serves a similar purpose. Its just placation, because we have lost the ability to access the real thing.