Totally disgusted...
Sep. 28th, 2005 01:44 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
semiotic_pirate*steps up onto the soap box*
First reported here
here and then here,
Now being dissected here,
and reported (officially) here.
Of course it is happening. Of course, in this digital age, soldiers are taking photographs of the carnage that previously we would never have seen and putting it out there for all to see. Proudly putting it out there is what it looks like. Detached from the reality of what they are showing, the horror of it. Desensitized by both training and circumstances... what are they becoming and how are we going to reintigrate their current mindset back into our society? Where is the humanity?
WTF?!
This is why, when I was in NYC and saw some of the original abuse photos on display I had such a visceral reaction. I was a soldier once. I was a Military Police Officer. My unit (while I was in training, I won't try and say I was there and knew what happened) went to Iraq the first time around in Desert Shield/Storm and they were running a POW camp for the many Iraqis who turned themselves in during the famous leaflet releases. It horrifies me still (what happened with England and all that's come since) because I would like to think that I would not have been doing the same thing, but how do I really know? How does anyone know how they will actually react until they are put in the situation themselves?
I recently finished reading Thud! by Terry Pratchett where Commander Vimes defeats the demon of the Summoning Dark that was lurking within him because he had a self-created policeman in his head, to keep him from doing the things that would make him (in his own eyes) into an animal (someone who mistreats prisoners, who uses his/her power for their own good and not for the good of the people, etc...). In the final pages, there is an internal confrontation between the two inside Vimes' head as the Summoning Dark tries to encourage him to kill those who had not only caused the deaths of his city's citizens but threatened to harm his own family during a deliberate attack on them:
In the darkness of the inner city, above the rustle of the never-ending rain, it heard the sound of boots approaching.
A shape appeared in the mist.
It drew nearer.
Water cascaded off a metal helmet and an oiled leather cloak as the figure stopped and, entirely unconcerned, cupped its hand in front of its face and lit a cigar.
Then the match was dropped on the cobbles, where it hissed out, and the figure said: What are you?"
The entity stirred, like an old fish in a deep pool. It was too tired to flee.
"I am the Summoning Dark." It was not, in fact, a sound, but had it been, it would have been a hiss. "Who are you?"
"I am the Watchman."
"They would have killed his family!" the darkness lunged, and met resistance. "Think of the deaths they have caused! Who are you to stop me?"
"He created me. Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? Who watches the watchmen? Me. I watch him. Always. You will not force him to murder for you."
"What kind of human creates his own policeman?"
"One who fears the dark"
"And so he should," said the entity, with satisfaction.
"Indeed. But I think you misunderstand. I am not here to keep darkness out. I'm here to keep it in." There was a clink of metal as the shadowy watchman lifted a dark lantern and opened its little door: Orange light cut through the blackness. "Call me... the Guarding Dark. Imagine how strong I must be."
The Summoning Dark backed desperately into the alley, but the light followed it, burning it.
"And now," said the watchman, "get out of town."
It was because of this inner policeman (which earlier in the book he had thought was present in each person's mind to one degree or another) that whenever he was tempted throughout the book to do something horrible, tempted to do something that would be the quick and dirty way of getting something done by breaking his own laws (internal or external) in order to get either satisfaction or his job done, he was able to pull back and do it in a different way, one that agreed with the internal policeman's way of thinking, and still get the job done. With his sense of humanity intact. And he did this for his own personal ethical code, he did it for family, honor, and duty. Because somebody has to do it, and damn it if they don't do it right.
Do we become no better than the enemy in order to defeat the enemy? Would it have worked in LOTR if those in the Fellowship of the Ring, and all those who supported them were to have used Sauron's own tactics against him?
*steps down off of the soap box*
First reported here
here and then here,
Now being dissected here,
and reported (officially) here.
Of course it is happening. Of course, in this digital age, soldiers are taking photographs of the carnage that previously we would never have seen and putting it out there for all to see. Proudly putting it out there is what it looks like. Detached from the reality of what they are showing, the horror of it. Desensitized by both training and circumstances... what are they becoming and how are we going to reintigrate their current mindset back into our society? Where is the humanity?
WTF?!
This is why, when I was in NYC and saw some of the original abuse photos on display I had such a visceral reaction. I was a soldier once. I was a Military Police Officer. My unit (while I was in training, I won't try and say I was there and knew what happened) went to Iraq the first time around in Desert Shield/Storm and they were running a POW camp for the many Iraqis who turned themselves in during the famous leaflet releases. It horrifies me still (what happened with England and all that's come since) because I would like to think that I would not have been doing the same thing, but how do I really know? How does anyone know how they will actually react until they are put in the situation themselves?
I recently finished reading Thud! by Terry Pratchett where Commander Vimes defeats the demon of the Summoning Dark that was lurking within him because he had a self-created policeman in his head, to keep him from doing the things that would make him (in his own eyes) into an animal (someone who mistreats prisoners, who uses his/her power for their own good and not for the good of the people, etc...). In the final pages, there is an internal confrontation between the two inside Vimes' head as the Summoning Dark tries to encourage him to kill those who had not only caused the deaths of his city's citizens but threatened to harm his own family during a deliberate attack on them:
In the darkness of the inner city, above the rustle of the never-ending rain, it heard the sound of boots approaching.
A shape appeared in the mist.
It drew nearer.
Water cascaded off a metal helmet and an oiled leather cloak as the figure stopped and, entirely unconcerned, cupped its hand in front of its face and lit a cigar.
Then the match was dropped on the cobbles, where it hissed out, and the figure said: What are you?"
The entity stirred, like an old fish in a deep pool. It was too tired to flee.
"I am the Summoning Dark." It was not, in fact, a sound, but had it been, it would have been a hiss. "Who are you?"
"I am the Watchman."
"They would have killed his family!" the darkness lunged, and met resistance. "Think of the deaths they have caused! Who are you to stop me?"
"He created me. Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? Who watches the watchmen? Me. I watch him. Always. You will not force him to murder for you."
"What kind of human creates his own policeman?"
"One who fears the dark"
"And so he should," said the entity, with satisfaction.
"Indeed. But I think you misunderstand. I am not here to keep darkness out. I'm here to keep it in." There was a clink of metal as the shadowy watchman lifted a dark lantern and opened its little door: Orange light cut through the blackness. "Call me... the Guarding Dark. Imagine how strong I must be."
The Summoning Dark backed desperately into the alley, but the light followed it, burning it.
"And now," said the watchman, "get out of town."
It was because of this inner policeman (which earlier in the book he had thought was present in each person's mind to one degree or another) that whenever he was tempted throughout the book to do something horrible, tempted to do something that would be the quick and dirty way of getting something done by breaking his own laws (internal or external) in order to get either satisfaction or his job done, he was able to pull back and do it in a different way, one that agreed with the internal policeman's way of thinking, and still get the job done. With his sense of humanity intact. And he did this for his own personal ethical code, he did it for family, honor, and duty. Because somebody has to do it, and damn it if they don't do it right.
Do we become no better than the enemy in order to defeat the enemy? Would it have worked in LOTR if those in the Fellowship of the Ring, and all those who supported them were to have used Sauron's own tactics against him?
*steps down off of the soap box*
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2005-09-28 07:29 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-09-28 07:41 pm (UTC)btw: I see you are a Firefly/Serentiy fan... when are you seeing the show? One of my friends here on LJ was able to see it last night I believe (sneak preview showing of the finished movie....) damn them! Earliest I could get around here was the midnight showing, well, 12:25 AM.
no subject
Date: 2005-09-29 12:30 am (UTC)I look forward to reading your thoughts on the BDM. :)