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How War Destroys Nation's Principles and Morality

TimmyBoy

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I would like to quote author Chris Hedges from his book "War is a Force That Gives Us Meaning." Here is the quoted text from his book:

"The young are drawn to those who wield violence and power. Why study to be a doctor or a lawyer when such academic toil was not rewarded, indeed often considered worthless? Why uphold a common morality, including hard work, when the outcome was destitution? Why have any personal or moral standards when these standards were irrelevant?

The killers and warlords became the object of sexual fantasy. The paramilitary leader Zeljko Raznatovic, known as Arkan, was, according to Serbian opinion polls, one of the most desired men in the country.

War turned Belgrade, along witth every other capital caught up in the conflict, into Caligula's Rome. There was a moral lassitude in the air, bred of hopelessness and apathy. The city's best known gangsters, sometimes in the company of Milosevic's son Marko, who threatened bar patrons with automatic weapons, cruised the streets in BMWs and Mercedes. They filled the nightclubs of Belgrade, dressed in their expensive black Italian suits and leather jackets....

War breaks down long-established prohibitions against violence, destruction and murder. And with this often comes the crumbling of sexual, social and political norms as the domination and brutality of the battlefield is carried into personal life. Rape, mutilation, abuse and theft are the natural outcome of a world in which force rules, in which human beings are objects. The infection is pervasive. Society in wartime becomes atomized. It rewards personal survival skills and very often leaves those with decency and compassion trampled under the rush. The pride one feels in life devoted to the nation or to an institution or a career or an ideal is often replaced by shame and guilt. Those who have lived upright, socially productive lives are punished for their gullibility in the new social order."

This sort of passage from his book is a good reason why we as Americans should learn about what happenned in the Former Yugoslavia. The common question many Americans pose is why should we care or learn about what happenned in a country half a world away? The answer to this question is simple, because by learning about what happenned during the violent break-up of Yugoslavia, we learn alot about ourselves.
 
TimmyBoy said:
I would like to quote author Chris Hedges from his book "War is a Force That Gives Us Meaning." Here is the quoted text from his book:

"The young are drawn to those who wield violence and power. Why study to be a doctor or a lawyer when such academic toil was not rewarded, indeed often considered worthless? Why uphold a common morality, including hard work, when the outcome was destitution? Why have any personal or moral standards when these standards were irrelevant?

The killers and warlords became the object of sexual fantasy. The paramilitary leader Zeljko Raznatovic, known as Arkan, was, according to Serbian opinion polls, one of the most desired men in the country.

War turned Belgrade, along witth every other capital caught up in the conflict, into Caligula's Rome. There was a moral lassitude in the air, bred of hopelessness and apathy. The city's best known gangsters, sometimes in the company of Milosevic's son Marko, who threatened bar patrons with automatic weapons, cruised the streets in BMWs and Mercedes. They filled the nightclubs of Belgrade, dressed in their expensive black Italian suits and leather jackets....

War breaks down long-established prohibitions against violence, destruction and murder. And with this often comes the crumbling of sexual, social and political norms as the domination and brutality of the battlefield is carried into personal life. Rape, mutilation, abuse and theft are the natural outcome of a world in which force rules, in which human beings are objects. The infection is pervasive. Society in wartime becomes atomized. It rewards personal survival skills and very often leaves those with decency and compassion trampled under the rush. The pride one feels in life devoted to the nation or to an institution or a career or an ideal is often replaced by shame and guilt. Those who have lived upright, socially productive lives are punished for their gullibility in the new social order."

This sort of passage from his book is a good reason why we as Americans should learn about what happenned in the Former Yugoslavia. The common question many Americans pose is why should we care or learn about what happenned in a country half a world away? The answer to this question is simple, because by learning about what happenned during the violent break-up of Yugoslavia, we learn alot about ourselves.

This could affect the world on a larger scale to. The USA influence the way the world thinks to a larger degree than any other county. Personally I think some of the actions taken by American forces are morally wrong, and I fear other countries might start think it ok to use the same means.

This is not an attempt to bash America. So there is no use to give lots of examples of how bad other county’s are. My argument is simply that bad actions taken by the USA lessens the trust in human rights around the world – this because USA simply exports lots of its ideas to other countries.
 
Herophant said:
This could affect the world on a larger scale to. The USA influence the way the world thinks to a larger degree than any other county. Personally I think some of the actions taken by American forces are morally wrong, and I fear other countries might start think it ok to use the same means.

This is not an attempt to bash America. So there is no use to give lots of examples of how bad other county’s are. My argument is simply that bad actions taken by the USA lessens the trust in human rights around the world – this because USA simply exports lots of its ideas to other countries.

Your statement is very true. Not to change the subject; you see, you seem to think that war is not terror. Have you seen the aftermath of war or ever fought in a war? Anybody who has fought or seen the aftermath of war will agree that war is terror. I am not arguing that sometimes you absolutely just have no choice but to fight a war, but when you do, be prepared to see degredation of morals in those people who are involved in the fighting and be prepared to be terrorized. Even in World War II fighting against the nazis, those soldiers were terrorized with incoming artillery shells blasting all around them and fighting for survival. War is and always be terror and it will always have long lasting destructive effect, even after all the fighting is over and even after fighting what most people consider for the most noblest causes.
 
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TimmyBoy said:
Your statement is very true. Not to change the subject; you see, you seem to think that war is not terror.

Convential warfare and terrorism are not the same thing.
Yes, people may terrified during conventional war, but terrorizing people is not the means through whcih conventional war is fought.
 
TimmyBoy said:
Your statement is very true. Not to change the subject; you see, you seem to think that war is not terror. Have you seen the aftermath of war or ever fought in a war? Anybody who has fought or seen the aftermath of war will agree that war is terror. I am not arguing that sometimes you absolutely just have no choice but to fight a war, but when you do, be prepared to see degredation of morals in those people who are involved in the fighting and be prepared to be terrorized. Even in World War II fighting against the nazis, those soldiers were terrorized with incoming artillery shells blasting all around them and fighting for survival. War is and always be terror and it will always have long lasting destructive effect, even after all the fighting is over and even after fighting what most people consider for the most noblest causes.

Actually I do agree believe that war is terror. Nevertheless I do distinguish from conventional warfare and terrorism. Therefore I feel your post on the effect of war is excellent, because it shows the terrible reality of conventional war. Some people seem to believe that conventional war is “nice” and underestimates the consciences of committing acts of violence.
 
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