Why is it easier to rape, torture, & murder those we see as sub-human?

[Philosoraptor]

As in the recent cases of U.S. soldiers engaging in alleged atrocities. What turns a young man like Steven Green into a monster? Was he already a monster? Did the stress make him and his buddies crack? Or did the sub human factor kick in?

When you can see others as sub human, you can more easily wipe them out, its been that way all through human history.

I personally cannot look at another human being as sub human, that is, until they do what Steven Green and his buddies are alleged to have done, then I could see the theory of sub humanity, only in reverse.

Many modern American Christians see the Muslims as sub human, I've heard it out of their own mouths. They condemn them by claiming that their god is a false god, and their souls are damned anyway. This is another way of making people sub human.

[bryant69]

1. this is traditional throughout the ages

And works both ways of course. Moral laws only apply to humans who are like us. Our tribe.

Moral progression generally involves expanding the circle of who one considers human.

Much of Conservatism seems to believe that only one's immediate family should count as human.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[Igel]

9. I don't limit the observation

to just other tribes.

I include my own tribe in it, not just the knuckle-dragging freepers. To coin a phrase.

Not.

[ComerPerro]

2. Well, you answered your own rhetorical question

its easier to kill and abuse things if they aren't fully human.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

3. Heinrich Himmler and the guards at Auschwitz could answer that.

Or, any number of soldiers "protecting" their country by killing the chosen "enemy".

[madmusic]

4. This is more common that we think

Bush executed more people than any governor in modern history, and "didn't lose a minute's sleep" over it. Is it any wonder he can kill so easily in war?

Sometimes the objectification of people is the same here as it is in Freeperville, though the objects are usually different.

Often, people just need a good excuse to be inhumane. Iraq thrives on that. Our in-humaneness is "more civilized."

[SteppingRazor]

5. I think being a soldier has a lot to do with it...

not that all soldiers are capable of this sort of thing, of course. But soldiers are instilled with the idea that the enemy is subhuman. WWII era cartoons pictured Japanese soldiers as little more than buck-toothed baboons.

Of course, such distortions serve a simple purpose. Yes, it's easier to rape and murder people you see as subhuman. But more important, in terms of warfare, it's also much easier to kill enemy soldiers.

[deaniac21]

11. Trophy skulls

http://www.codoh.com/atro/ATRUSA1.HTML

[CoffeeCat]

6. The "objectification" of people is an epidemic in our country...

In order to kill someone, sexually abuse someone or harm someone--you must have no empathy or compassion for that person--no feelings whatsoever.

Many serial killers, child molesters and serial sex abusers have no feelings about anything because they were traumatized as children. This isn't true for all violent criminals, but it's true for the majority of them. When children are brutalized, they lack the ability to physically escape or deal with their overwhelming emotions. So they shut down, in order to stave off the pain and to survive. After years of being terrorized, they shut off so many times, that it's now disadvantageous to feel anything. Hence--a sociopath or a psychopath is born.

This is how many people are able to sexually abuse their own children, kill people and commit other violent crimes. Their humanity is gone and they are unable to recognize it in others.

It is a fact that one in four girls, and one in seven boys, will be sexually abused before the age of 18. The majority of these molestations are perpetrated by someone in the home or a very close relative. I've met hundreds of sexual-abuse victims, and not one was molested by a stranger or a victim of stranger abduction. Ninety percent were sexually abused, for years--by their fathers or stepfathers. These perps were accountants, lawyers, doctors, professors, restaurant owners, police officers, pastors and insurance salespeople.

So folks...we need to deal with the fact that there are millions of "average citizens" who are sexually abusing their own children--and creating a crop of traumatized people who end up being violent criminals.

I'm not excusing the behavior of violent criminals. Not at all. However, we must take this epidemic of sexual abuse--and it's effect on people--extremely seriously. Otherwise, these crimes will affect every person and every family on the planet.

[azurnoir]

7. Not dissing soldiers

but as it stands right now with an all volunteer military anyone who joins up as regular army or a "grunt" in the marines knows where they're going and why. What I am getting at here is that some of these guys or girls want to kill "sandni*****" or "ragheads" or whatever slur is being used. No, not all of the recruits are like that but some are. If this is so then we'll be seeing more Hadithas.

[madmusic]

8. There was a report on kcal9 new about troubled teens last night.

They were given homeless dogs to care for. The idea was to teach them empathy. Great idea and there are programs in prisons and inmates teach seeing eye dogs.

It is amazing how some can regain their empathy when they find the unconditional love of a dog.

However, the teen program was deeply flawed. For one, it completely missed the point about it being safe for the teens to love and care for the dogs because the dogs offered unconditional love they could trust.

Even worse, after 3 weeks, the length of the program for each, the dogs were taken from them and returned to the kennel. The teens wouldn't even know if the dogs would live or not.

Though the programs worked wonders while the teens were involved with it, knowing the dogs might be put to sleep had to sabotage the teen's love for them. Right back where they started.

At least prison inmates knew their dog training was going to survive and was a worthy cause.

All too often what we call "psychopaths" are actually PEOPLE afraid to love and trust, and for good reason, not only because of sexual abuse. Often physical or mental abuse can be just as devastating or even more so.

[genie_weenie]

10. Submission to Authority

http://www.new-life.net/milgram.htm

And religion is all about the HIGHEST Authority. After all if you've come to do God's work who is man to stand in the way.

Also my tagline is appropriate to this thread, taken from Breaker Morant...

[lectrobyte]

12. We have an innate sense of empathy that must be overcome. nt.