Why 60% of Young People Support Torture
(And 41 percent thought it was permissible for American troops to be tortured overseas.)
"It’s a simple question with a gut-wrenching answer: In a time of war, is it ever OK to torture an enemy?
For decades, the answer was an automatic no. The often-cruel conditions endured by prisoners of war during World War Two spurred the Geneva Conventions, which stipulated an agreed-upon set of standards for handling war victims.
“I think it suggests the national conscious is becoming more and more corroded and more accustomed to the violation of fundamental principles of human rights and international law,” says Lawrence Tribe, a cons utional law professor at Harvard, who blames programs like 24 that trivialize serious issues."
More blame should be laid at the feet of Obama and Bush for making enhanced interrogation, indefinite detention and a two tiered system of justice, official US policy. Blaming it on "24" trivializes serious issues like adherence to the rule of law and the (diminished) prestige and credibility of the US.
Last edited by Winehole23; 04-14-2011 at 03:19 AM.
No, I would blame the numbers (if true - where is the actual poll?) on the lies and politics of what did happen. There were people calling things torture that were not, and others supporting the same actions saying it wasn't torture.
Don't young minds do co infuse easily?
Last edited by Wild Cobra; 04-15-2011 at 12:09 AM.
Straw man: of course, the article does not posit "24" as the sole cause of these changes in at ude, and mentions the political actions of Bush and Obama along with other social factors.
I did not say it was. I was making fun of Larry Tribe, not the article in toto.
Also, what social factors are you referring to? Media coverage? With specific reference to the article, if you can.
To be fair, Lawrence Tribe was one of 300 or so lawyers who rebuked Obama recently for his stances on civil liberties.
It's a dumb thing to say regardless.
Why do you think it's a dumb thing to say? I think that pop culture that glorifies/accepts torture as a necessary tool can surely have an effect on what younger children believe is acceptable.
You said that more blame should be laid at the feet of Obama. He's done that. But shows that glorify torture arguably have as great an impact on the beliefs of children than the politics of what actually is happening.
Political realities trump TV fantasies, but these are not negligible. Fair enough.
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