[lbo-talk] We can lose, or we can just lose later

Wojtek Sokolowski sokol at jhu.edu
Wed Nov 23 13:37:36 PST 2005


Doug:
> No. They're trained killers who follow orders without question. Yeah,
> I know all about the pressures that make people join, but they are,
> in the final analysis, volunteers. And yeah, it's nasty risky work,
> but they signed on the dotted line. I don't owe them any gratitude.
>
> And, as we learned at Nuremburg, following orders is no excuse.

I am certainly sympathetic to this line of reasoning, but I also spent enough time among the GIs to believe that things are that simple. Yes, they do voluntarily sign the dotted line, but they are not necessarily trained killers who follow orders without question. More likely, they become such killers as a result of the circumstances - as for example superbly portrayed in the film _A full metal jacket_.

I think there is a lot of middle ground and shadows of grey between gratitude and condemnation.

Wojtek



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