"Science of CREATING KILLERS" (Killology)-SF Chronicle today

[fed-up]

Am too late to post this to Latest breaking news

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/08/13/INGKFKDJHC1.DTL

THE SCIENCE OF CREATING KILLERS
Human reluctance to take a life can be reversed through training in the method known as killology

Vicki Haddock, Insight Staff Writer
Sunday, August 13, 2006


What exactly does it take to kill someone? Here's how 21-year-old West Texas Army Pvt. Steven Green described shooting a man who refused to stop at an Iraqi checkpoint: "It was like nothing. Over here, killing people is like squashing an ant. I mean, you kill somebody, and it's like, 'All right, let's go get some pizza,' " he told the military newspaper Stars & Stripes.

...

The reality is that the brains of human beings -- unless they fall within the demographic sliver we call psychopaths -- are hardwired not to kill other humans. Like rattlesnakes that fatally bite other species but fight fellow rattlers by wrestling them, humans overwhelmingly recoil from homicide. That's usually a good thing, because it prevents society from disintegrating into bloodthirsty anarchy.

...

Some training focuses on rationales for killing -- to overcome an enemy that threatens the "American way of life" or "wages war against freedom" or simply trying to kill innocent victims. But a key part of many programs is to make killing more palatable -- even socially acceptable and desirable....

...

...Another technique is to create physical and emotional distance between the killer and the target by fostering a sense of us versus them. While physical distance is achieved with bombs, rocket launchers and even night-vision goggles, which reduce humans to ghostly green silhouettes, emotional distance often is achieved by categorizing targets as different because of their race, ethnicity or religion. The military does whatever it can to deny the fellow humanity of enemy soldiers and is loath to repeat the spectacle of Christmas Day in 1914, when German and British soldiers crawled out of their trenches to share cigarettes, candy and soccer.

...


sickening, but informative read


a sad comment I heard when talking to a National Guard soldier a few weeks ago, was that he WANTED to go back to Iraq since the only job skill he had was to kill, he discussed at length that he and many others (military) thought we needed more wars so that our military (and the officers) could get the training/experience they needed- "in the field"

[Dover]

1. Thanks for the info.

I have read about violent city gangs who do the same thing.
Initiation usually involves killing or badly injuring someone. After the first time, it apparently gets easier. The gang becomes the conscience of the individual rather than relying on inner guidance. That is why they get them when they're young. Though not killing others is genetically and spiritually hardwired, when young people are still learning to socialize they are very susceptible to peer pressure and pleasing the group. They often have not yet developed a sense of self as an individual.

I can imagine in the chaos of Iraq that one quickly becomes numb. And seeing one's friends killed also evokes a desire for revenge.

Once you kill someone, you lose part of your soul.

This is from Ed Tick, a psychotherapist who works with soldiers experiencing post traumatic stress and other disorders:

The key to healing, says psychotherapist Ed Tick, is in how we understand PTSD. In war’s overwhelming violence the true self flees and can become lost for life. He redefines PTSD as an identity disorder with radical implications for therapy. First, Tick establishes the traditional context of war in mythology and religion. Then he describes PTSD as an identity issue and a soul wound. Finally, he presents ways to nurture a positive identity based in compassion and forgiveness.
http://www.mentorthesoul.com/soldiersheart.htm