I blame a lot of ignorance among university students on the counter-culture. We get to school, 17 or 18 years old in most cases, and for the first time we're away from mommy and daddy. With no one to really set limits for our behaviour, we try to fit into a university culture that may be more percieved than reality. Personally, before I got to university, the only experience I had of post-secondary education was from movies, where the characters are generally partying constantly or hippies.
The hippie movement really was pretty limited to the university campuses, since the 'oppressed' people usually were too busy working or being lynched to actually fight for themselves. Even though the counter-culture supposedly ended 30 years ago, there is still that glorified ideal out there, floating around campuses like a bad fart, that sucks you in pretty quickly and creates a certain subconscious need to protest the Establishment.
Of course, the Establishment has changed radically since the '60's. Iraq and Afghanistan, although ironically parallel in some ways, are not Vietnam, but there is still a distrust of the military. Here I think you see a lot of influence from American media, as well. I don't want to bash the media...some great movies have come out. But a lack of Canadian media influence (and general self-knowledge in our country in general) means that the average Canadian univeristy student thinks we run like the American military. Just after 9/11, I had to explain to 2 guys in my residence that they don't have to worry about being drafted to fight in Afghanistan because...well...we have a pretty good army already, and don't really have the draft. (Of course, one was too stupid to figure out he's from Australia, and couldn't be drafted in Canada, anyway.) Another girl panicked when she realised that females are allowed in the CF now, and figured she'd be drafted, too. (I didn't set her right; it was just much more fun to watch her hyperventilate.) Without even realising it, they immediately jumped to Vietnam mentality. And in the past few years, that mentality hasn't gone away.
It's not a general stupidity that has gotten hold, or even a lack of respect for soldiers in general (the Rememberance Day ceremony is always packed). I think it's a lot more to do with not knowing anything about today's CF, and falling back on stereotypes instead of trying to find out what's really going on. This can be extended to lots of protest groups (ie. a pamphlet that said we shoud stop eating eggs, because you kill a chick eveytime you crack one open), so don't feel alone out there.
The protestors, in my opinion, are still friggin' idiots with their heads so far up their a$$es that they're practically inside-out. But they're also scared little children trying to find their way without someone to hold their hand. Just as the hippies of yesteryear became the Establishment of today, someday me peers will out-grow this phase and, hopefully, realize the great work our soldiers do.
Anyhoo, the DND is recruiting 'defense scientists', whatever the hell that is, on campus (UofA) next Monday. I doubt there will be any huge protest, but should be interesting to see what happens here as opposed to other places. I may go throw rocks at hippies, just for a stress releaver. >
