WW II and the human reflex?

[Rock of the Fraternity]

I was reading a bit on another forum, and saw this: http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost ... stcount=82 I thought it was rather interesting. What do you guys think?

[High Priest Mikhal]

Sadly I'd have to agree completely with that post. Tales of soldiers losing it because they killed date back millennia, as do methods of coping and psychological healing. It's not the killing spree itself so much as the actual killing that will cause a psychotic break. Dehumanization is one of the oldest and possibly most heinous practices in the human experience and is still used today to motivate people to kill. They stop seeing humans and start seeing essentially objects.

When you strip someone of their humanity like that, you lose any respect for them. With respect gone it's a slippery slope to things far worse than killing--rape, torture, forced enslavement. I know folks would disagree that those are worse, but remember it's possible to kill someone and still respect them. It's not possible to do any of those latter things to people you have any amount of respect for. The lingering suffering and trauma of the latter are what make them worse than murder to many philosophers and even lawmakers.

[Rock of the Fraternity]

One glimmer of -- should I call it hope? -- in all this: at least in the majority of humanity, that kind of desensitizing is needed to turn them into killers of their fellow human beings. This implies that it isn't the default state of humanity, which is ... mildly positive, right?

[High Priest Mikhal]

It's not the default state of humanity, no. At least biologically. But throw in parental and peer influence and social attitudes in a culture and it's a lot more widespread than we'd like to think. And such indoctrination, though a lot less vile, is a part of life. Brand loyalty, devotion to a sport's team, those are examples of indoctrination in the everyday world.

[Sorti]

And don't forget religion, a lot of people kill for that kind of indoctrination, and many more do less extreme stupid things.

[High Priest Mikhal]

And don't forget religion, a lot of people kill for that kind of indoctrination, and many more do less extreme stupid things.

Actually I didn't forget it. I deliberately didn't bring it up. That's a real touchy point of argument that people get defensive about.

[Zilfer]

Yes, I agree. You have to put yourself higher than the other person in some way. Make them less human so you don't feel as much guilt. I think it happens to a lesser scale when you blame humanity or "stupid drivers" or when you wish ill luck on someone.

I remember reading a book about this back in high school and generally agree I don't think I could kill people without dramtically locking down my personality and perhaps "conditioning" if that is the right word to be something else.