POW Conditions
- Heidi M Simone
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POW Conditions
Explain why you think POWs were (and probably still) treated so poorly. What do you think contributes to those imprisoning the soldiers to behave so harshly?
Or simply share some thoughts you have about these harsh conditions.
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- Heidi M Simone
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I have heard of the Geneva Conventions, it's a good point to bring up. Although, like you said, since many military conflicts are non-States, it's almost a moot document. It's heartbreaking to know that people are treated so poorly no matter what the reason. After all, we are all humans.
Thank you again for sharing.
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There was also a different experiment where people were asked to deliver shocks to strangers whom they could see in another room. An experimenter was in the room with the person delivering the shocks, giving them orders. At first people willingly and quickly turned up the dial, but once the shocks started getting more intense (and the actor in the other room starting crying out in pain) they became less willing to administer more shocks. However, if the experimenter became angry with them and ordered them to keep administering the shocks, only half of the subjects firmly stopped the experiment. The others administered the shocks despite saying they didn't want to because of their fear of the experimenter and need to follow orders.
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I think one of the reasons why they are able to do these actions to their POWs is because they disregard the other sides humanity, thus allowing themselves to treat them in such ways.
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I believe there are several things that occur to cause soldiers to be so terrible to POWs. The first issue is the stress of war. They idea that you may die at any time, that the war against these people is why you may die, and the belief that your side is the "right" side of the war and these people are the "wrong" side can cause a soldier to see a POW as a very negative personification of the hatred, anger, and death that war is. Another issue deals with the idea that one side believes they are better or doing good and the other side is doing the opposite. There is a lot of brainwashing and conditioning in soldiers to make them become patriotic and loyal to their country. Someone trying to kill you and fighting against what your country stands for, these people are not seen as people but as only an embodiment of the evil that the other side is. A third reason delves into the mob mentality. If you are with a group of men whose lives count on you and who you count on for your life, you feel like a part of that group. There is a strong structural bond created in groups of soldiers. There is also a need to look good, fit in, and be a part of what the group is and does. If a few guys have their testosterone pumping, are angry and take out their aggression on the people they see is at fault for their situation, it is natural for the rest of the group to fall in line. To stop one of your brethren and group from doing something to the "bad guys" is to go against the group and show support for the bad guy. It is survival, instinct, hormones, emotions, and the effects of PTSD that causes people to behave this way.
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- PashaRu
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Those who abuse prisoners in a POW camp are conditioned to look at those prisoners as inferior beings. Once that has been accomplished, the rest is easy.
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PashaRu wrote:Nationalism, patriotism, and pride of country - "My country is the best one" - are often the enemies of compassion and understanding. It's a very narrow-minded point of view, and when the propaganda machines churn out hate, prejudice, and lies, especially during wartime, this makes those on opposite sides look at one another one-dimensionally - simply as "the enemy" - and then it becomes easy to treat such ones as less than human. In the years leading up to WWII, Hitler methodically carried out propaganda campaigns to sub-humanize the Jews, and by the time the Final Solution was instituted, there were many who had already been so thoroughly brainwashed, participating in the genocide didn't present much of an ethical or moral dilemma for them.
Those who abuse prisoners in a POW camp are conditioned to look at those prisoners as inferior beings. Once that has been accomplished, the rest is easy.
Very well said.