The science of creating killers

343 Views 10 Replies 8 Participants Last post by Tata, Aug 17, 2006

Warda_Rose

Discussion Starter · Aug 15, 2006

Here's an article on how "kill-ologists" turn a normal, empathetic, human being, overcome their natural repugnance to killing and produce soldiers.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...NGKFKDJHC1.DTL

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1 - 11 of 11 Posts

cielle

· #2 · Aug 15, 2006

Quote:

What exactly does it take to kill someone? Here's how 21-year-old West Texas Army Pvt. Steven Green described shooting a man who refused to stop at an Iraqi checkpoint: "It was like nothing. Over here, killing people is like squashing an ant. I mean, you kill somebody, and it's like, 'All right, let's go get some pizza,' " he told the military newspaper Stars & Stripes.

Lovely.

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kama'aina mama

· #3 · Aug 15, 2006

I've known this for a long time. It's pretty shocking.

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Warda_Rose

Discussion Starter · #4 · Aug 16, 2006

nak. my sister mentioned this subject to me years ago. i came accross this article today and it seemed relavent. unfortunately.

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Skim

· #5 · Aug 16, 2006

From the next paragraph of that article, same soldier speaking:

"I mean, I thought killing somebody would be this life-changing experience. And then I did it, and I was like, 'All right, whatever.' "

I don't think I can read the rest right now. Thank you, though, for posting it.

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lula

· #6 · Aug 16, 2006

What scares me just as much is the role of public/consumer video games in this "new training." It is pervasive enough that over 6 years ago reporters could use military experts to show that violent video games influence a person's psychology.

For eg. http://www.21stcenturysciencetech.co..._violence.html

I have whole files of this sort of stuff and researched a ton when I had 2 siblings enter the military.

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kama'aina mama

· #7 · Aug 16, 2006

They are very good at making normal people into killers.

They haven't a clue how to reverse the process and I don't think they give a damn.

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artgoddess

· #8 · Aug 16, 2006

somebody hold me.

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Tata

· #9 · Aug 16, 2006

And, when their tour of duty ends they will come home. They will be changed.

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mz_libbie22

· #10 · Aug 16, 2006

"The institutions that teach killing emphasize that they do so with built-in safeguards against indiscriminate violence. Their pupils know, at least theoretically, that if they fire in an unauthorized way, they can be ostracized, washed out, charged or court-martialed. In his seminal work "On Killing," Grossman takes pains to distinguish that kind of training from violent video games, which mimic the techniques of operant conditioning and desensitization without any of the safeguards.

But as the rape and homicide charges against Pfc. Green and four of his fellow soldiers show, in rare instances the safeguards simply fail."

That is a bunch of bullsh*t.

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Tata

· #11 · Aug 17, 2006

Rare, my a*s!

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