In the belly of the beast Posted June 6, 2013 Share Posted June 6, 2013 Book: "On Killing", by Lt. Col. Dave Grossman http://www.amazon.com/Killing-Psychological-Cost-Learning-Society/dp/0316040932 I've only read scattered sections so far, but it's a fairly well written account of the obstacles to killing within the minds of most men new to the battlefield (and even those not so new, at times), as well as the techniques used by militaries and police forces to squash empathy in their ranks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skreimey Posted June 9, 2013 Share Posted June 9, 2013 I second the recommendation. This is a really insightful book, and I think Grossman brings some excellent points up in his work. I can tell you first hand that the training methods used by the military are very effective at producing people with a desire to kill. Life-like targets to shoot, providing role-models whom are characterized by cruelty and the complete alienation of enemies (all Muslims are "Hajj" and Hajj are a bunch of barbaric homosexuals and pedophiles). What was most intriguing to me was the bit about archaeologists recovering rifles from the Civil War that had been reloaded multiple times. Grossman posited that given that the killing-rates of both Confederate and Union units were far below their capabilities, soldiers were willing to go to a battlefield yet extremely reluctant to fire on another person. Some soldiers would just load their rifles again and again, putting themselves between enemies and their allies while unwilling to kill these enemies. I think it is a huge testament to the selflessness of the human spirit. Modern militaries are very good at removing this empathetic links between people, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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