This has always being quite amazing..

[Pekka]

.. I'm of course talking about mutilation of the body.

Amazing in a sense that we tend to shut up and not talk too much about certain things, such as some individuals getting mutilated by enemy forces. That's OK and fine, I'm sure everyone is doing it and basically out of rage and when going nuts, that can happen to anyone.

However, what about those celebratory marches with mutilated bodies dragging, everyone cheering and giving their own spit and little touch to the mutilated body, afterwards perhaps burning it and I'm sure some pervert gets a small chunk of something to also get a taste.

This is a no no in our western civilizations. I do see us beating people to death, mobs goign nuts and ripping someone apart, especially enemy, enemy soldier, for sure.

But when they are dead, would we mutilate them and bring our children to the streets and celebrate and drag the mutilated bodies for a day or two in downtown and have ourselves a carnival? This I seriously doubt.

yet this seems to be happening in certain parts of the world, Afghanistan (or was it Iraq?), Somalia etc...

Explain why. Cultural relativism has to be explained into detailed if you are going to explain it with that.

I mean.. my opinion is that there's something seriously wrong with people who would do that. Be it that it is your worst enemy. I wouldn't eat my worst enemy, even if I did gain his powers. I regard that as sick, perversed and definitely sexual twistation of the mind.

So why is savagery OK if it is done by 'poor' people, and even us rich folks giving some critics to action of that nature is hypocritical and downright racism? Who really gets their panties on a twist and basically defends body mutilators and big show with the dead bodies type of action?

[SlowwHand]

Definitely happened in Somalia.

[Pekka]

Definitely did happen in Somalia.

I understand that some of them people got shot up and had no part in it except lived in Aidid's neighbourhood so they got pissed off and thought killing some Americans would get them to leave and they'd be safe again.

I understand they wanted to kill Americans. This is no surprise at all. However, mutilating bodies and dragging them in streets in celebratory ways.. I mean that's a bit twisted isn't it? And yes you can do it, there's always a looney to do it, but to bring your kids and hey, let's go see some mutilated bodies and cheer as loud as we can and feel happy about this whole thing.. I mean.. that's defiintely weird.

[Pekka]

I mean, I think it's amazing in a way, and would like to understand why it's so wide spread joy for so many. I would, again, understand that OK we killed this guy and he's our enemy #1 and they killed so many of us, that we're taking his body and secure it. Show it to cameras. Or heck, have people come and see it.

But mutilate it and have a big party? That's just not the same. It must be a symbolical thing most of all, but that again brings me to think about more primitive cultures, like these old tribes in jungles that used to eat their enemies to gain their power. Maybe they even really believed they would.

BUt let's face it, the next step of that big orgy party is to eat them. Would it still be 'well they are pissed off, so it's what they do'. To some, sure.. to me,, no. It's definitely not normal. It's a sign of less developed brains in action.

And to honestly believe, that this is so that we will scare our enemy so they are too afraid... how stupid is that? That will just make people pissed off and care less about collateral damage. That will only bring about counter attacks that are going to be more brutal. So both sides lose, no one wins.

[Spiffor]

Re: This has always being quite amazing..

Originally posted by Pekka
Explain why.

IMO, expression of collective hatred, which in consequence binds the haters with a stronger sense of kinship. When the initiators of the hatred hysteria want maximal effect, they might want to strip the hated person out of all that makes his dignity, i.e. all that is normally taboo to a "normal" person.

Since the enlightenment, the west has changed wrt collective hatred. The western ways are more subtle, and generally less harmful*



*at least to the poor sod that serves as an "example". When a western population is beaten into hatred, it can lead to results far more atrocious than the odd barbaric lynching.

[Footie Mad]

Some of them are not removed that much from the reality of crude death and the sight of dead flesh. If you go back to the farming days of europe where most people would participate in slaughter of the animals on the farm and such, you will see similar things were done here.

Am I equalling humans with animals? No. But when turning the neck off a chicken, cutting the throat of a lamb or butchering animals from death to finished product on the table. Then you become less sensitive to these things that we may find revolting. The enemy may be worse in their eyes than an animal, so why not treat it like that. This I write thinking of a place like Somalia.

[Gangerolf]

Happened in Iraq too. I remember seeing some charred bodies hanging from a bridge in Fallujah.

I'd say it's a kind of celebration. When they finally get hold on one of their enemies, who they usually see as more or less invinsible (like US marines in black hawks), they go bananas. One could call it mass hysteria I guess. Also remember that these are very violent societies, so the people there are obviously different from normal western suburban folks.

[Lorizael]

Re: This has always being quite amazing..

Originally posted by Pekka
I wouldn't eat my worst enemy, even if I did gain his powers.

This is one of the funnier things you've said recently. Keep it up!

[MRT144]

im actually for cannibalism solely based on gaining other people's life force.

[ajbera]

Pekka, you're awesome.

Didn't they mutilate Mussolini? Carried his liver around on a stick, I believe. I thought they mutilated Ceaucescu as well, but I could be wrong.

Give anyone sufficient emotional excitation and they'll mutilate those they hate. We're all beasts masquerading as something better.

[Combat Ingrid]

Mutilation