Comments on: As A Socierty Have We Become Immune To The Concept Of War http://alpersa.edublogs.org/2008/04/06/as-a-socierty-have-we-become-immune-to-the-concept-of-war/ Just another Edublogs.org weblog Fri, 18 Apr 2008 07:45:38 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.2 hourly 1 By: ortizjo http://alpersa.edublogs.org/2008/04/06/as-a-socierty-have-we-become-immune-to-the-concept-of-war/comment-page-1/#comment-34 ortizjo Fri, 18 Apr 2008 07:45:38 +0000 http://alpersa.edublogs.org/2008/04/06/as-a-socierty-have-we-become-immune-to-the-concept-of-war/#comment-34 There is so much truth to this blog, it's scary. As a criminal justice major, I am exposed to the most heinous crimes a human being can possibly do to another fellow human being. We are repeatedly shown death and injury in the media through videos, movies, cartoons, video games, etc. So of course it won't be anything new to us. It eventually becomes something that just happens, like a leaf falling to the ground. So we know the ways in which someone can die, thanks to movies like SAW and Full Metal Jacket. It's no big deal because they're just actors. Could it be that in real wartime, we still keep that mentality? The soldiers are just actors or numbers? Like Gavin said, we just see numbers in casualties, we don't see the casualties. There is so much truth to this blog, it’s scary. As a criminal justice major, I am exposed to the most heinous crimes a human being can possibly do to another fellow human being. We are repeatedly shown death and injury in the media through videos, movies, cartoons, video games, etc. So of course it won’t be anything new to us. It eventually becomes something that just happens, like a leaf falling to the ground.
So we know the ways in which someone can die, thanks to movies like SAW and Full Metal Jacket. It’s no big deal because they’re just actors. Could it be that in real wartime, we still keep that mentality? The soldiers are just actors or numbers?
Like Gavin said, we just see numbers in casualties, we don’t see the casualties.

]]> By: If You Can’t Say Anything Nice… Share It With The World | Those who live with us are our brothers. http://alpersa.edublogs.org/2008/04/06/as-a-socierty-have-we-become-immune-to-the-concept-of-war/comment-page-1/#comment-29 If You Can’t Say Anything Nice… Share It With The World | Those who live with us are our brothers. Wed, 16 Apr 2008 20:36:12 +0000 http://alpersa.edublogs.org/2008/04/06/as-a-socierty-have-we-become-immune-to-the-concept-of-war/#comment-29 [...] Abby [...] [...] Abby [...]

]]> By: Gavin http://alpersa.edublogs.org/2008/04/06/as-a-socierty-have-we-become-immune-to-the-concept-of-war/comment-page-1/#comment-27 Gavin Wed, 16 Apr 2008 18:50:48 +0000 http://alpersa.edublogs.org/2008/04/06/as-a-socierty-have-we-become-immune-to-the-concept-of-war/#comment-27 It’s also important that the number of 4,000 is just the number of US soldiers killed in the line of duty in Iraq. Not the one who were wounded and not the countless innocent civilians who have died as well. The number is much more staggering, but it in only what we choose to see. While it is important to be sympathetic and empathetic when possible, if it is done too much it can lead to apathy. Everyone’s grief and pain becomes the same. Coping mechanisms blur together and counseling becomes a series of mad-libs with fill in the blank emotions ad nouns. It is true that just talking about war and violence slowly desensitizes us. But how long can we be held underwater before we finally grow gills. This class will pass before us in just one week and we will go without major discussion of war and violence for months, and then it will seem just a horrific again. We are a nation of desensitization. Smoking kills the taste buds, drinking kills the reality, and war kills the soul. We are all running out of nerves to kill, but the human body is a spring of hope. We can repair our lungs until we are thirty-something to offset the smoking we did. We can put the bottle of Jim Beam down and pick up cranberry juice and flush our system out and be anew in hours. We can reflect upon other things than war and return to a balance of our soul in which we aren’t indebted to our own conscience. “Man is a creature of hope and invention, both of which belie the idea that things cannot be changed.” - Tom Clancy It’s also important that the number of 4,000 is just the number of US soldiers killed in the line of duty in Iraq. Not the one who were wounded and not the countless innocent civilians who have died as well. The number is much more staggering, but it in only what we choose to see.

While it is important to be sympathetic and empathetic when possible, if it is done too much it can lead to apathy. Everyone’s grief and pain becomes the same. Coping mechanisms blur together and counseling becomes a series of mad-libs with fill in the blank emotions ad nouns.

It is true that just talking about war and violence slowly desensitizes us. But how long can we be held underwater before we finally grow gills. This class will pass before us in just one week and we will go without major discussion of war and violence for months, and then it will seem just a horrific again. We are a nation of desensitization. Smoking kills the taste buds, drinking kills the reality, and war kills the soul. We are all running out of nerves to kill, but the human body is a spring of hope. We can repair our lungs until we are thirty-something to offset the smoking we did. We can put the bottle of Jim Beam down and pick up cranberry juice and flush our system out and be anew in hours. We can reflect upon other things than war and return to a balance of our soul in which we aren’t indebted to our own conscience.

“Man is a creature of hope and invention, both of which belie the idea that things cannot be changed.” – Tom Clancy

]]> By: War In Iraq » As A Socierty Have We Become Immune To The Concept Of War http://alpersa.edublogs.org/2008/04/06/as-a-socierty-have-we-become-immune-to-the-concept-of-war/comment-page-1/#comment-12 War In Iraq » As A Socierty Have We Become Immune To The Concept Of War Sun, 06 Apr 2008 23:38:09 +0000 http://alpersa.edublogs.org/2008/04/06/as-a-socierty-have-we-become-immune-to-the-concept-of-war/#comment-12 [...] alpersa wrote an interesting post today on As A Socierty Have We Become Immune To The Concept Of WarHere’s a quick excerptThe Iraq War began with the attacks on the World Trade Towers on September 11, 2001. Just under three thousand innocent Americans lost their lives. This was a tragic day in history and will definitely be one in everyone’s hearts. … [...] [...] alpersa wrote an interesting post today on As A Socierty Have We Become Immune To The Concept Of WarHere’s a quick excerptThe Iraq War began with the attacks on the World Trade Towers on September 11, 2001. Just under three thousand innocent Americans lost their lives. This was a tragic day in history and will definitely be one in everyone’s hearts. … [...]

]]> By: Iraq War » As A Socierty Have We Become Immune To The Concept Of War http://alpersa.edublogs.org/2008/04/06/as-a-socierty-have-we-become-immune-to-the-concept-of-war/comment-page-1/#comment-10 Iraq War » As A Socierty Have We Become Immune To The Concept Of War Sun, 06 Apr 2008 23:03:32 +0000 http://alpersa.edublogs.org/2008/04/06/as-a-socierty-have-we-become-immune-to-the-concept-of-war/#comment-10 [...] alpersa wrote an interesting post today on As A Socierty Have We Become Immune To The Concept Of WarHere’s a quick excerptThe Iraq War began with the attacks on the World Trade Towers on September 11, 2001. Just under three thousand innocent Americans lost their lives. This was a tragic day in history and will definitely be one in everyone’s hearts. … [...] [...] alpersa wrote an interesting post today on As A Socierty Have We Become Immune To The Concept Of WarHere’s a quick excerptThe Iraq War began with the attacks on the World Trade Towers on September 11, 2001. Just under three thousand innocent Americans lost their lives. This was a tragic day in history and will definitely be one in everyone’s hearts. … [...]

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