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| Thread ID: 108168 | 2010-03-16 21:31:00 | Long Distance Death Dehumanizes | SurferJoe46 (51) | PC World Chat |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 867732 | 2010-03-16 21:31:00 | I saw the big B52s take off from Guam after breakfast and return from a bombing sortie for lunch and take off again and return to dinner that same day . This was during VietNam, and I was in Camp Dealy in Apra for a short while, where they war was only visible by the sheer numbers of US bombers taking off and landing all the time . To the pilots and crew, it was a 9-to-5 job and they never got to see the victims and deaths on the ground . Removed as they were from the carnage, it was prolly a good thing so they could sleep at night . Enter a new fracas - Iraq and Afghanistan . Well, I C/P'd the article (since I buy it I am entitled to reprint it) by proxy . "In the beginning we feared that drones may make the operators not really care about what they're doing . But the opposite has turned out to be true . They may almost care too much . We're seeing higher levels of combat stress among remote units than among some units in Afghanistan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . there are different theories as to why . Traditional bomber pilots don't see their targets . A remote operator however sees the target up close, he sees what happens to it during the explosion and the aftermath . You're further away physically but you see more . Also, the drone war takes place 24/7, 365 days a year . The war doesn't stop on Christmas . It's like being a fireman when there's a fire every single day, day after day after day . . . . . . . . there's a disconnect . You're at war, and two minutes later you're changing your brain and you think about football practice with your kids in their schoolyard across town from your "office" where you just smote someone or a group of someones, and you get to play with the kids . Watch TV at home with your family . Surreal . Drone (combat) units don't show as much cohesion as traditional (combat) units . The whole (drone) unit used to share the emotional experience . Now there's no 'band of brothers' anymore . " It seems that the "actors" in these drone attacks don't even play video games much - if not at all - any more . Maybe they are playing a bigger video game . Seems like the fun of war has worn off . |
SurferJoe46 (51) | ||
| 867733 | 2010-03-16 22:32:00 | I thought a side effect of all death was dehumanising? ;) | R2x1 (4628) | ||
| 867734 | 2010-03-16 22:40:00 | Scary stuff. Just now they are giving AI the power to make decisions whether to kill or not. The US government doesnt even take care of the broken soldiers, mentally or physically after these escapades. Gulf war syndrome appears to be related to either nerve gas or vaccine for nerve gas. |
pkm (13527) | ||
| 867735 | 2010-03-16 22:56:00 | I hope after vietnam and iraq usa has learned a lesson, stop attacking and invading people for no good reason. | prefect (6291) | ||
| 867736 | 2010-03-16 23:04:00 | There awas a good reason, just depends where you come from and what part of society you are from | Gobe1 (6290) | ||
| 867737 | 2010-03-17 00:55:00 | Just now they are giving AI the power to make decisions whether to kill or not . Where did you read this? Automated weapons systems are a breach of international law in accordance with the Geneva Conventions . Otherwise there is no accountability to the kill . |
utopian201 (6245) | ||
| 867738 | 2010-03-17 01:11:00 | The AA CWE gun on our ships can be set to auto, sends out IFF not happy with reply can start shooting, no humans required. You cant take a computer to Hague world court for war crimes. |
prefect (6291) | ||
| 867739 | 2010-03-17 02:45:00 | You cant take a computer to Hague world court for war crimes. A very fortunate thing for Bill Gates. |
R2x1 (4628) | ||
| 867740 | 2010-03-17 06:27:00 | Where did you read this? Automated weapons systems are a breach of international law in accordance with the Geneva Conventions . Otherwise there is no accountability to the kill . The automation here is the same as turning the ignition key to fire up a fighter/bomber . There's still a human element - but in this case it's in a bunker in Nevada or Wyoming with a joystick, a firing trigger and a video cam with infra-red vision and thermal imaging . And I walked in - and sat down - and they gave me a piece of paper, said, "Kid - see the psychiatrist, room 604 . " And I went up there, I said, "Shrink, I want to kill . I mean, I wanna, I wanna kill . Kill . I wanna, I wanna see --- I wanna see blood - and gore - and guts and veins in my teeth . Eat dead burnt bodies . I mean kill, Kill, KILL, KILL . " And I started jumpin up and down yelling, "KILL, KILL," and he started jumpin up and down with me and we was both jumping up and down yelling, "KILL, KILL . " And the Sargent came over - pinned a medal on me - sent me down the hall - ' said, "You're our boy . " |
SurferJoe46 (51) | ||
| 867741 | 2010-03-17 07:22:00 | I thought a side effect of all death was dehumanising? ;) Hey! I wuz tongue-in-cheek first. And you spelled "dehumanizing" wrong. |
SurferJoe46 (51) | ||
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