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Early in a middle-east war, I heard a radio interview with a US soldier, firing rockets rom a comfortable chair in the perfect safety of a carrier fleet far out in the Indian Ocean. It was exhilarating, like playing a video game. Suddenly, he realized that every Atari blip was a real human dying, bip, bip. He had to put in for leave and request a transfer. Canadian radio news carried this interview, not American.
As a child, we all (boys) played gun games in the backyard. At a certain point, lying on the grass and rehashing, I realized, these kids are actually looking forward to putting on battle gear and killing real people, and many of them DID a few years later, in 'Nam. They were real latent killers with real guns, intent to kill breathing humans, needing only permission -- pointing their toys at me, saying "Dairn! Dairn! Gotcha, you're dead". Doesn't that scare anyone else?
Round two!
Well, first of all, someone has to fight the wars.
Secondly, there just so many different variables of psychology about that.....and how I fear that an uninformed arm chair psychology society could decide that because I don't hit into their image, I should be locked up. I mean, for example, I don't watch TV........is that a sign of a sick mind?
At any rate, in one of the interpretations of personalty development, there is one with 5 stages where 1-3 is Freud (id, ego, superego), society, family. I think I stopped at stage 4, where I care more for my society than for immortality through reproduction. Hence, people like me would be ministers, certain DEA agents, the like. We are out there to see that our society continues.
Do I care when someone dies? Of course I care but I don't get all emotional about, I see things compartmentized, and mine is to continue the mission for whatever it might be. It's like the Captain of the USS Squalus https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Sailfish_(SS-192) where when his sub sank and he lost half his crew, drowned behind the watertight door, he made the living ones not talk about them to maintain morale. The mission then was to get them out alive......and the dead could wait, the words for them later when others were safe.
Getting down to killing, theoretically mind you for I never had to do it, I could probably do it both ways, both in response to an attack (that would be "easy") but also as a sniper. Even in the community, snipers are seen as other people because here is someone who will kill someone who is not a direct threat to them.
Now one thing is that my internal protocols and disciplines forbid me from fantasizing killing someone, even in those situations where the public is saying about this or that evil person that they would kill the SOB if they were there. I believe it is unhealthy to focus on such, it is against the Constitution (big picture nutshell), and to engage in such thought, even in the privacy of one's moments of silence is undesirable for it may be programming one's self to do it, in some way, in the future if the situation is right.
It does produce something of an interesting internal conflict for I grew up in a household of Dad saying, "If someone did that to my children, I would hunt down the SOB and kill him.".
So we potentially have an interesting situation of how to look at people here where they will kill on orders if even to the mentality as it is just an item on the list to check off for the day, but they won't engage on revenge.
Which, btw, I have never watched "Dexter", never been curious to watch, for that concept to me is wrong......but do such popular shows encourage others to engage, if they believe that the goals justify the means?
Finally, there is how would it affect me to have to kill? I don't know and probably many people do not have that answer. I would hope my levels of discipline, to compartmentize, to see the mission that has to be accomplished would get me through it.......but I don't know.
As one of my favorite teachers said to me in the last century when I told her that I hadn't fired a pistol in years (I was getting back into it).........."And hopefully, you will never have to fire one.".
One thing for sure that all these mass murders have in common, these maniacs almost always target people and or places that can't or won't fight back. They are cowards besides whatever malicious intent, the only way to deal with these kinds is to take them down as quickly and as aggressively as possible.
The boys who grew up to go to Nam were raised on WWII movies. Today's boys are being raised on violent video games. In both cases they are being taught to kill. Nothing has changed.
I always wondered why parents would permit their kids to play paintball. My neighbor would go to a paintball place that as in the woods where they would hunt each other.
Well that's the theory. That's what's on paper and what we were taught. But as Einstein said, “In theory, theory and practice are the same. In practice, they are not.”
I could think of lots of exceptions to the theory but suffice it to say the laws are made to benefit those in power. They make the laws and we are supposed to follow them. In the 60's and 70's it was the law that young men were drafted and sent 10,000 miles away to kill Vietnamese people.
Lets just say there is a carrot and a stick to society's laws and rules. They are in place for the benefit of the rich and powerful. These people are the de facto and often the actual government. Law enforcement, the courts, the military are primarily there to protect their interests first. Any benefit to the average person is just coincidental. They create the laws and decide who can run for office to be our (their) representatives. And if some person who actually is there for the people, rather than just for themselves, slips through, they either sabotage them or kill them.
In order to get a piece of the American dream you must follow their rules, in school, as a citizen, on the job. Do that for 40 years or so and you can retire comfortably. But you can't afford to screw up. Like the song says, "step out of line, the man comes, and takes you away". They take away your rights and privileges and money and future. That's the stick that keeps most of the rest of us in line, and a useful cog in their machine.
You can think and believe whatever you want. But you have to follow their rules or suffer the consequences.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Volobjectitarian
They'd like to think so, but by definition and our founding documents, no. They are our servants, not our masters.
Luckily, there is a collection of enumerated protections of my sovereignty as a member of "The People" in the document that details the government's framework, duties, powers and LIMITS. It is quite clear on who serves whom.
No we don't. We have to not do that which the duly passed laws have told us is illegal. We don't have to do whatever they tell us though. Big, huge, major difference.
They cannot tell me how to speak, how to think, how to believe. There's a whole lot of stuff they cannot do or make me do. They make laws, and if I am a decently normal person, most of the laws I will not break. But there are laws everyone breaks all the time because they don't really GAFF what the government says. Drugs are top of that list, but any high school kegger can prove the point. Stop thinking of them as master. Start thinking of them as harmful antagonist.
The boys who grew up to go to Nam were raised on WWII movies. Today's boys are being raised on violent video games. In both cases they are being taught to kill. Nothing has changed.
well I guess the parents need to step up to the plate and teach their kids right from wrong..................
I always wondered why parents would permit their kids to play paintball. My neighbor would go to a paintball place that as in the woods where they would hunt each other.
We-ll, it may be more than just dropping rounds on someone.
For example, my Father taught us infantry tactics such as if there are two of you and one opposer, position yourself so he has to move his body to look from you to the other guy. Or how to use a forest for camouflage and concealment. How to listen for someone moving.
well I guess the parents need to step up to the plate and teach their kids right from wrong..................
First the parents would have to knw right from wrong themselves.
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