George Lakoff: Torture, Empathy, and Democracy

[babylonsister]

Torture, Empathy, and Democracy
By: George Lakoff Sunday April 26, 2009 10:30 am


Should there be a commission to publicly investigate the use of torture by the Bush administration?

Pragmatic Democrats argue no, that it will divert our attention from all the other, positive things that have to be done.

I disagree. But not for the usual reasons, all of which are good reasons: Maintaining the rule of law. Punishing the criminal activities of the Bush administration. Beginning to reclaim our moral stature in the world. Refusing to accept the we-were-just-following-orders defense that must never again be tolerated. All good reasons. But there is one overriding reason behind all of the others.

It is crucial to understand why torture is so overpowering an issue. Not killing and maiming hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians in the shock-and-awe approach to Iraq. Not ignoring the horrors of Darfur. Not the thousands of gun deaths and maimings in America each year. Not all the deaths and illnesses that come from the denial of care by a private health care system that cares about profits over people. There are plenty of things to be outraged about. What is it about torture?

The clearest clue comes from Greg Mitchell of Editor & Publisher in his piece at Huffington Post, retelling the story of a female American G.I., Alyssa Peterson, who committed suicide after refusing to participate in the torture of Iraqi prisoners.

"The official probe of her death would later note that earlier she had been "reprimanded" for showing "empathy" for the prisoners. One of the most moving parts of the report, in fact, is this: "She said that she did not know how to be two people; she ... could not be one person in the cage and another outside the wire.""

Repeat: "She did not know how to be two people..." Reprimanded for showing “empathy.”

more...

http://firedoglake.com/2009/04/26/torture-empathy-and-democracy/

[Duer 157099]

1. Yep. And another issue that leads to is that

those who have learned to suppress their natural tendency towards empathy are then released back into civil society.

And that's not a disaster waiting to happen? I think we all know it's already bearing it's fruits.

[Voice for Peace]

2. k/r

[BR_Parkway]

3. Fuck - I know, not the greatest, most eloquent statement I could possibly

make, but the only one that comes to mind after reading that.

Will we ever know how many lives Bush/Cheney destroyed? Will there be some commonly recognized name for it - the way we refer to "the Holocaust"?

In spite of all the things we can set back to right, there are still so many that can never be repaired.

And yet, in DC - there are still "pragmatic Democrats" who wish us to simply move along, get with the program - because they can't even fathom getting more than one thing done at the same time.