British army calls on gamers, phone zombies to join its ranks
The British army has called on young people known for their odd social behaviors to join its ranks as it struggles to reach recruitment targets.
The UK army was launching a recruitment campaign targeting “snowflakes, selfie addicts, class clowns, phone zombies, and me, me, millennials”.
The campaign clearly stated that selfie takers had a “confidence” that could benefit the armed forces while phone zombies were needed for their “focus”.
British army’s Major General Paul Nanson told the Guardian newspaper that the massive campaign, titled Your Army Needs You, will seek to recruit young people aged between 16 and 25 who are beyond social stereotypes.
“The army sees people differently and we are proud to look beyond the stereotypes and spot the potential in young people, from compassion to self-belief,” said Nanson.
Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson also defended the campaign as a powerful call to action for people who want to be “different”.
However, the campaign, which includes a series of TV and radio adverts, posters and street billboards, have already caused controversy, especially on social media, where users began asking whether people with such traits, which are normally seen as social weaknesses and character flaws, could really serve the armed forces.
New ad campaign from British Army targeting gaming addicts "me me me millennials", "snowflakes" & "selfie addicts" of Gen Z launches this month. pic.twitter.com/P4SjPMVIqy
— Lucy Fisher (@LOS_Fisher) January 3, 2019
The new campaign comes amid repeated attempts by the British army to fill increasing number of empty posts within its ranks.
A similar campaign in June 2018 to entice teenagers who didn’t get good results in their exams sparked huge ire as right activists said the army was cynically trying to recruit stressed and vulnerable young people worried about their future.
Current estimates suggest Britain is well short of its recruitment targets despite such campaigns and also attempts to outsource part of the job to private companies.
The military has currently 77,000 troops, well below enlisting targets which stipulate that Britain should have 82,500 fully trained troops and 30,000 reserves in 2020.
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