Comments on: On Violence and Freedom http://www.lies.com/wp/2005/07/06/on-violence-and-freedom/ believe nothing... Fri, 25 Jul 2008 05:28:23 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.4 by: Aaron http://www.lies.com/wp/2005/07/06/on-violence-and-freedom/#comment-14328 Thu, 07 Jul 2005 19:04:03 +0000 http://www.lies.com/wp/2005/07/06/on-violence-and-freedom/#comment-14328 I think the former observation has more resonance in theory than in practice. That is, it is easy to be astonished that somebody <em>could</em> participate in such training or commit acts that seem utterly barbaric, then go back to a "normal life". Yet that does seem to be what most people do. I know a number of Vietnam War veterans, for example, who are still deeply troubled by their experience, but who were nonetheless wonderful parents. And isn't the classic counter-example the death camp guard who goes home to his wife and kids at the end of his shift? To some extent, this can be explained by the fact that humans have an ability to compartmentalize their lives. Another part of the answer, at least with the worst acts of barbarity, is that humans also seem to have a remarkable ability to regard the subjects of organized oppression or brutality as somehow less than human, thereby excusing themselves from culpability for mistreating the "garbage / dogs / cockroaches / pigs / cancer / vermin / swine / monkeys" or whatever other euphemism they apply to the subjects of their actions. As for the second observation, I think the real problem is that people tend not to recognize that they are giving away their <em>own</em> rights - they believe that they are <em>merely</em> giving away the rights of <em>other</em> people. I think the former observation has more resonance in theory than in practice. That is, it is easy to be astonished that somebody could participate in such training or commit acts that seem utterly barbaric, then go back to a “normal life”. Yet that does seem to be what most people do. I know a number of Vietnam War veterans, for example, who are still deeply troubled by their experience, but who were nonetheless wonderful parents. And isn’t the classic counter-example the death camp guard who goes home to his wife and kids at the end of his shift?

To some extent, this can be explained by the fact that humans have an ability to compartmentalize their lives. Another part of the answer, at least with the worst acts of barbarity, is that humans also seem to have a remarkable ability to regard the subjects of organized oppression or brutality as somehow less than human, thereby excusing themselves from culpability for mistreating the “garbage / dogs / cockroaches / pigs / cancer / vermin / swine / monkeys” or whatever other euphemism they apply to the subjects of their actions.

As for the second observation, I think the real problem is that people tend not to recognize that they are giving away their own rights - they believe that they are merely giving away the rights of other people.

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