The “Warrior Caste”
In this article, the term “warrior caste” is used to label the section of society which has consistently and disproportionately served in our military. The isolation of these families and of military culture from the rest of society is detrimental to those who currently serve our country, veterans who return, as well as those who have no connection to the military. Not only have they become an insular group separated by their values and traditions – but they have become increasingly overlooked by the rest of society. It is easy to not care about the unknown.
This is a rather relevant example of a distribution of power in networks – as the “warrior caste”, as the article calls them, becomes increasingly more isolated, they hold less power within the overall social network of the nation. Veterans, in particular, will be disparaged. As they end their service, they return to a nation that has separated from the community they know and grew up within. As the article states – many return to their original communities (which are more likely to be other veterans’ communities), or military bases. The increasing population within these communities only allows for increased recruitment from these areas. However, because they are so isolated, they can be seen as having fewer links to other groups, having less power, and less to bargain with. They may be under-represented within the media, and within the government. The concerns of the communities they come from and of their families may also go unheard because they, as part of the same insular group, will lack the links to the rest of the country that will provide them with necessary power to voice their opinions loudly enough to be listened to as significant. The problem is, as time goes on, these communities become increasingly isolated, with decreased influence. However, the military continues to recruit, and the public remains ignorant, and blind to the many opportunities that serving the country may provide.