Coming our way? Soon, to the domestic tranquility or our cities, towns, and neighborhoods, or the vast stretches of lonely interstate, and back roads? The unaware will never know what hit them, while those that are aware will have seen it coming, but to no avail.... how does one out run a Hellfire?
The movie looks to be a study in this mans personal morality. Just how far does one go, when you daily push your personal boundaries, your beliefs as to right and wrong in the name of service to your country. No easy answers, for anyone in this position (imagine a room with a known evil POS in it, but also just happens to be occupied by a family with no clue about the nature of the POS in their home, and many young kids around, just being kids) do you pull the trigger, orders be dammed? There are those who would without a second thought. "if our families are game".... I'm sure that .gov have no concerns for our families. We've seen the "concern" for families shown at Ruby Ridge, and Waco.
Most people can grasp the need to dole out violence when faced with violence. It's ugly and primal but it's a condition we as a species and in fact ALL species must face in the real world. It's part of the survival of the fittest programming of nature. But the concept of killing people thousands of miles away while sitting in an air conditioned room 20 minutes from your home is new. It's not normal and deep down in the human psyche we know IT'S WRONG. As a developed intellectual species we have learned that there are some things that are just not right, not fair, not proper. And while the political and tactical factors involved may justify the practice the human subconscious isn't so easily reprogrammed. I suspect we are going to see a LOT of mental health issues from these drone operators.....that is if they are normal relatively moral people. Only sociopaths can push a button and kill dozens of people including children half a world away and then walk away like it was nothing.
That premise was used in the popular novel/movie Enders Game. If you haven't read it I highly recommend it. The movie is decent but does not do justice to the book....the usual case with movies. But one scene in the book has the protagonist waging war in real time with brutal efficiency because he believes it's a training scenario....a game in a simulator, only to learn afterwards that it was reality.
If we are a generation that fights a total war the rules definitely change. The indian wars were fought for a hundred years and for those who have read the currently nonpopular stories of the early indian wars (James Fennimore Cooper as one example) know that a very large number of white people died in these wars and there was little mercy show by either side. Pass that and get to the Civil War, WWI, and especially WWII and it is not unusual to see large numbers of noncombatant die in what we like to call collateral damage. What happened in Tokyo, Dresden, Nagasaki, or Berlin is not unusual in total war. Later generations will criticize the action but it was not a war they were part of or had to live through. Smaller bush wars are usually not that bloody and that is what we currently experiencing and are living with and as these are not wars for our national survival we are more altruistic. That is perhaps more philosophical than I like but not all wars are the same or tolerate the same rules of engagement. The political , civilian, and warrior class do not see war the same and it shouldn't surprise anyone.
War as it was historically fought involved face to face conflict. Kill or be killed. While difficult the protagonists are at real risk and can justify the use of force from that perspective. Modern warfare brought us artillery...the killing of enemy troops from a distance....you didn't see the enemy but he was there and could shoot back....you were still at risk. Then along came bombers and the total destruction of cities. The plane crews never saw much more than the smoke from their bombs....they didn't see the actual damage. And again....there was AA and enemy CAP....so the risk of death was still there, you were still fighting a "war". Now....with drones and remote C&C operations from thousands of miles away the 'warriors' aren't risking ANYTHING. They sit back and watch other people die REAL TIME in LIVING COLOR. Often including women and children. The very real kill or be killed programming that allows people to engage in violence with some semblance of justification is now gone. And with nothing for the psyche to use as a means to justify ones actions the mind must then rationalize it using falsehoods and lies. A situation that is NOT conducive to good mental hygiene or proper socialization. These people who operate these drones are going to either suffer serious mental illness or become sociopathic....perhaps to the point where it's not just people half way round the world they harm with no compunction but the neighbors annoying kid.
Coming our way? Soon, to the domestic tranquility or our cities, towns, and neighborhoods, or the vast stretches of lonely interstate, and back roads? The unaware will never know what hit them, while those that are aware will have seen it coming, but to no avail.... how does one out run a Hellfire?
ReplyDeleteIf our families are game..............
DeleteThe movie looks to be a study in this mans personal morality. Just how far does one go, when you daily push your personal boundaries, your beliefs as to right and wrong in the name of service to your country. No easy answers, for anyone in this position (imagine a room with a known evil POS in it, but also just happens to be occupied by a family with no clue about the nature of the POS in their home, and many young kids around, just being kids) do you pull the trigger, orders be dammed? There are those who would without a second thought.
Delete"if our families are game".... I'm sure that .gov have no concerns for our families. We've seen the "concern" for families shown at Ruby Ridge, and Waco.
Ruby Ridge, and Waco.
DeleteIndeed.
Wow - looks like a powerful movie...
ReplyDeleteDoes indeed.
DeleteMost people can grasp the need to dole out violence when faced with violence. It's ugly and primal but it's a condition we as a species and in fact ALL species must face in the real world. It's part of the survival of the fittest programming of nature. But the concept of killing people thousands of miles away while sitting in an air conditioned room 20 minutes from your home is new. It's not normal and deep down in the human psyche we know IT'S WRONG. As a developed intellectual species we have learned that there are some things that are just not right, not fair, not proper. And while the political and tactical factors involved may justify the practice the human
ReplyDeletesubconscious isn't so easily reprogrammed. I suspect we are going to see a LOT of mental health issues from these drone operators.....that is if they are normal relatively moral people. Only sociopaths can push a button and kill dozens of people including children half a world away and then walk away like it was nothing.
Only sociopaths can push a button and kill dozens of people including children half a world away and then walk away like it was nothing.
DeleteI imagine there are some freak gamers who would be convinced that it was all just a game.
That premise was used in the popular novel/movie Enders Game. If you haven't read it I highly recommend it. The movie is decent but does not do justice to the book....the usual case with movies. But one scene in the book has the protagonist waging war in real time with brutal efficiency because he believes it's a training scenario....a game in a simulator, only to learn afterwards that it was reality.
DeleteIf we are a generation that fights a total war the rules definitely change. The indian wars were fought for a hundred years and for those who have read the currently nonpopular stories of the early indian wars (James Fennimore Cooper as one example) know that a very large number of white people died in these wars and there was little mercy show by either side. Pass that and get to the Civil War, WWI, and especially WWII and it is not unusual to see large numbers of noncombatant die in what we like to call collateral damage. What happened in Tokyo, Dresden, Nagasaki, or Berlin is not unusual in total war. Later generations will criticize the action but it was not a war they were part of or had to live through. Smaller bush wars are usually not that bloody and that is what we currently experiencing and are living with and as these are not wars for our national survival we are more altruistic. That is perhaps more philosophical than I like but not all wars are the same or tolerate the same rules of engagement. The political , civilian, and warrior class do not see war the same and it shouldn't surprise anyone.
ReplyDeleteYes, well said.
DeleteWar as it was historically fought involved face to face conflict. Kill or be killed. While difficult the protagonists are at real risk and can justify the use
Deleteof force from that perspective. Modern warfare brought us artillery...the killing of enemy troops from a distance....you didn't see the enemy but he was there and could shoot back....you were still at risk. Then along came
bombers and the total destruction of cities. The plane crews never saw much more than the smoke from their bombs....they didn't see the actual damage. And again....there was AA and enemy CAP....so the risk of death was still there, you were still fighting a "war". Now....with drones and remote C&C operations from thousands of miles away the 'warriors' aren't risking ANYTHING. They sit back and watch other people die REAL TIME in LIVING COLOR. Often including women and children. The very real
kill or be killed programming that allows people to engage in violence with some semblance of justification is now gone. And with nothing for the psyche to use as a means to justify ones actions the mind must then rationalize it using falsehoods and lies. A situation that is NOT conducive to good mental hygiene or proper socialization. These people who operate these drones are going to either suffer serious mental illness or become sociopathic....perhaps to the point where it's not just people half way round the world they harm with no compunction but the neighbors annoying kid.