Web addicts escape army conscription

[ark]

HELSINKI (Reuters) - A number of Finnish conscripts have been excused their full term of military service because they are addicted to the Internet, the Finnish Defence Forces says.

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 on Tuesday.

http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsArticle.jhtml?type=internetNews&storyID=5858764&section=news

Wouldn't army be a great opportunity to give them a taste of reality? I guess some people will do anything to escape the mandatory service

 

[Jungle]

HELSINKI (Reuters) - A number of Finnish conscripts have been excused their full term of military service because they are addicted to the Internet, the Finnish Defence Forces says.

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 on Tuesday.

Talk about being "disconnected" from reality !!!  
They should have them go cold turkey during Basic Trg, then maybe they would make friends, find hobbies and start living a normal life...

 

[canuck101]

If they can not last six months without a computer game that is sad. Being outdoors in the fresh air sounds good to me. You make new friends that may last forever.  But i guess the young finish men would rather play games and use the internet then talk to real people. The next thing coming out of Finland will be men bypass females to play games on the internet. ;D

Cheers.

 

[Armymedic]

The next thing coming out of Finland will be men bypass females to play games on the internet. ;D

Men do that here in Canada....

 

[Figure11]

Did I get this right? Their full term of military service is only 6 months? Pardon me for being blunt and no offense to any Finns who may peruse these boards, but seriously. 6 months? What's the point?

 

[Redeye]

Six months is the term of compulsory service - that is, the amount of time all Finnish men must spend in the Armed Forces or in some equivalent civil service as conscripts.  Those who want to make a career of it then volunteer (like re-upping in Canada) for a longer contract.

Short terms are fairly common for countries that have compulsory service requirements.

 

[Goober]

If you ask me being addicted to the internet and video games is the perfect reason TO conscript someone. Give them a taste of the physical world. They will probably see its not as bad as they think

 

[atticus]

Conscripting these guys would do more good for them than bad; but maybe they just sit and daydream about their computers and the military can't get anything out of them so it could be just a big waste of money to try to train them.

 

[skura]

I honestly can't believe it would go this far...all this new technology is really messing up the medical industry, first Finnish men can't finish 6 months of mandatory service because of computer withdrawl, now there's a new disease called nintendonitis, which is arthritis in the thumbs caused by pressing the buttons on game controllers to long, what's next?

lol...I'll bet the Finnish guys are playing some first person shooter like CounterStrike or America's Army so they think "I've been practicing, whats 6 months?"

 

[Goober]

I have one question...

... first Finnish men can't finish 6 months of mandatory service ...

Pun intended?

 

[skura]