Starship Troopers was not about a fascist dystopia
I was on another platform and saw yet another misreading of this book. I have always wanted to respond to the many misinterpretations of Starship Troopers, and I find myself with time to write for a change so here goes.
Ignoring the movie (please!) the frequent assessment of the book Starship Troopers as presenting (or worse, advocating) some fascist future is not right. In at least three places (it might have been four), Heinlein states that citizenship is NOT only via military service. In that world, citizenship was, indeed, not a birthright but had to be earned by service to the country. Peace Corps, volunteering, teaching, would all have been accepted. He later wrote that he was exploring the idea that if you want to have a say in who runs the country, you should demonstrate that you are willing to do something for that country and not simply live off the benefits of a free nation. Note that there is no draft in the ST. Heinlein abhorred the idea of a draft.
In the story, the world was at war with a terrible enemy and the plot is the coming of age of a pampered young man who joins up to impress a girl rather from some sense of duty.
The boot camp training was intense and brutal, but no worse than many movies about modern marine corps or ranger training. The exception was corporal punishment (flogging) as a last recourse before dishonorable discharge. Compare the Drill Instructure in An Officer and a Gentleman or going back to the 50’s The DI and you find a common theme of breaking down recruits to build them back up again. The theme is always that this process can save their lives and the lives of their fellow soldiers. I’d love to hear the opinion of military veterans on whether this is true or not as I am not qualified.
A significant part of the story is OCS (officer) training. Of note is that the key course was History and Moral Philosophy.. if you didn’t pass that you were kicked out. The lesson being that leaders must be educated and moral, not killers or strategist that use soldiers for cannon fodder.
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Again, expert opinion is welcome here, but ST was published in 1959. 14 years after WW2 and 7 years after the Korean war but before Vietnam. The draft and wastage of soldiers in Korea no doubt affected Heinlein’s views. Viet Name was even worse and known for poor leadership and condoning of war crimes. (experts welcome to educate me but this is my perception).
I just missed the draft by 3 years. Today we have an all-volunteer military and women play a full role… just as Heinlein envisioned. Unlike the disdain for our troops in the 60’s and 70’s, today we revere our veterans. Politicians end speeches with “God Bless Our Troops”. Most (not all) of our military general officers are very intelligent, well educated, moral, dedicated to their country and deserve the respect they get. Watch some of the testimony of General Mark Milley for an example of what I mean.
As a society this is at least one way we began to grow up and recognize that the military service is a particularly honorable way to serve your country. The rest of us get to live in safety while they put their lives on the line whenever called. It is not the only way to serve but it has the benefit of also providing education and opportunity to millions of young men and women who otherwise might never get it.
I feel the same way about teachers. They get poor pay, abuse by parents, and deal with overcrowding… yet they keep serving our society. Same for nurses and general practitioner doctors (and other).
Heinlein had no patience for self-righteous violent or vandalizing students protesting from elite schools about wars they don’t even try to understand beyond TikTok vids (see scenes in Glory Road), regardless of which side they are on. He also hated the idea that religious extremists and political cultists could lead the country into autocracy (See the Revolt in 2100) [By the way, that book should be required reading for Americans before November 5th of this year. It is shorter, more fun to read and perhaps slightly less scary than the 900 pages of Project 2025.]
I don’t agree with the idea of this service being a criterion to vote because I don’t trust those who would lay down the rules. But the idea is not fascist. It is a recognition that there is a danger in letting our leaders be chosen by voters, a majority of whom who have never sacrificed for their country and only want leaders who will promise them bread and circuses… or who will confirm their favorite internet memes.
In the book, Rico’s parents were well off and privileged, yet they thought that voting was not important and that doing service to their country was only for others. They did not approve of Rico’s joining the military. They did not need or want to participate in politics.. and they were happy to let others who did serve make the laws. They were not oppressed by a fascist government, far from it. They voluntarily chose not to participate and were free to do so. There was no indication that they were politically connected or had some other reason to have special treatment. The autocracy of a Mussolini or a Franco is never even hinted at.
Science fiction explores ideas that begin with “What if…”. Starship Troopers was a coming of age for story for Rico with the “what if” as part of the context. It’s supposed to make us think. The fact that Heinlein’s book is still generating such interest and dialog 65 years later might even make him pause his Grumbles from the Grave.
