Superhero Ethics

Child Soldiers

Listen

Description

The stories we love often involve teen and younger kids jumping into a mech suit, picking up a lightsaber, or using their superpowers to fight for justice, sometimes quite literally going to war. Yet in our own world, we generally recognize that using children to fight wars or enforce justice through violence is wrong, dangerous, and incredibly harmful. How do we reconcile those two ideas?

Riki and Matthew talk about stories like Gundam, Star Wars, Ender’s Game, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and The Last Starfighter through the lens of child soldiers. They explore a number of questions including:

  1. Why does so much of our media focus on kids jumping into the fight?
  2. What are the ethical questions raised by adults marshaling children for war?
  3. Is there a difference between adults telling kids to fight, vs. kids who volunteer, often against the express wishes of the adults?
  4. Is an 18th birthday a magic line, and all fighting on one side is wrong, but on the other is okay? Are some 16-year-olds better able to handle fighting than other 21-year-olds?

Bonus member content on the idea of episodic television shows in Star Wars. 


**************************************************************************
This episode is a production of Superhero Ethics, an Ethical Panda podcast and part of the TruStory FM Entertainment Podcast Network. Check out our website to find out more about this show and our sister podcast Star Wars Generations.

We want to hear from you! Keep up with our latest news and send us feedback, questions, or comments via social media or email.

TikTok · Twitter/X · Instagram · Facebook · Email

Join the conversation in the Star Wars Generations and Superhero Ethics channels on the TruStory FM Discord.

Want even more content while supporting the podcast? Become a member! For $5 a month or $55 a year you get access to bonus episodes and bonus content at the end of most episodes — and you can even give membership as a gift. Sign up here.

You can also support us through our sponsors: