The Modern Warrior Archetype

The Modern Warrior Archetype

On The New Warrior Class From Parameters, Summer 1994, pp. 16-26.

A few observations and excerpts:

1. He's not really a product of the technological society. He's the result of its breakdown. He's also older. However, he's not above employing its tools. Like all other archetypes, he is a product. (Just not entirely of the media.)

2. "For the US soldier, vaccinated with moral and behavioral codes, the warrior is a formidable enemy. Euro-American soldiers in general learn a highly stylized, ritualized form of warfare, with both written and customary rules. We are at our best fighting organized soldieries who attempt a symmetrical response. But warriors respond asymmetrically, leaving us in the role of redcoats marching into an Indian-dominated wilderness." (Italics are mine.)

3. The brutality of Child Soldiers is not touched upon (especially Girls.) You don't need to be an adult to kill.

4. Religious fanatics are not necessarily applicable to this archetype. The Modern Warrior is not suicidal. (Although, he will certainly use those sorts for Maximum Advantage if available.)