Korean Job Discussion Forums

[On the other hand]

From Andrew Sullivan's PRO-WAR blog(Sept 21st):

[rapier]

This is where they all end up anyway.


This site features footage from the Iraqi insurgents as well: be warned, it can get gruesome.

[Gopher]

Rapier: those pictures are the worst thing I've ever seen. I've seen death before, but this is a terrible website, and it should be banned, it's not right.

On the Other Hand: I would not ever underestimate what war might produce. However, I can assure you that had anyone done anything like that in my unit in the Marine Corps, or at least been caught doing that, they would have been court-martialed, imprisoned, and thrown out of the corps, faster than you might imagine.

[On the other hand]

[Gopher]

[Bo Peabody]

Oh lord.

I don't even have to click on the link to know what kind of stuff is gonna be there.

Horrible.

Then yet again, that's the reality of war. Made me think for a minute.

[On the other hand]

[rapier]

I've removed the link at Gophers prompting.
As you say there is gut-wrenching real footage of death all over that site- filmed by insurgents and soldiers not only in Iraq, but from many other conflicts as well.

I think its good for people to see reality -occasionally. Not to dwell on it, -but to know the reality. Makes for an informed view, a more mature person I think. Also,throughout history, I think the public has often been protected from the reality of the wars that have been promulgated with their support, which to me is wrong.
What is horrifying and apparent in some of that footage is the ease with which men can kill others, when given an ideological reason for doing so.

Apologies for causing offence/not giving enough warning as to the full nature of that material.

[Gopher]

[khyber]

i met people at my uni (farm boys in my dorm i'm affraid) who were big into sites like that and woul yell at each other if they found a new site with a particularly gory picture.

There are dysfunctional people all around.

[Bo Peabody]

[Nowhere Man]

I will take a moment here to agree with Gopher.

The site has periodically floated up on CE threads.

I went there to view the original beheading video. It was disturbing. Haven't sought out another since.

What was clear on my short visit there was that the atmosphere was one of titillation. Click here for "extreme rape" and such...

And now it comes out as a pay site. Not exactly surprising, but I do think that should make it criminal. Said site is marketing human rights abuse.

Even encouraging it, apparently, with free offers.

It's hard to imagine something sicker.

But, how should one go about effectively reporting it to the military?

Let's not talk. Let's do something.

[rapier]

To be honest i think most westerners, in all the comfort of modern society, have largely been protected from the reality of blood, gore and death. Death is taboo in the west. (Unless you happen to work as a paramedic or in the emergency ward i guess.)

-that is why websites like the one I posted spring up; they are utterly fascinated by it. same can be said for ultra violent tarantino-esque movies etc.

I don't think someone from Sudan or Rwanda would give that site much attention, because they've already seen enough of it...

I also think that films like schindlers list went a long way to reminding people of what happened: and anyone who viewed a couple of vids of real life car accidents on there are a lot more likely to take care on the roads.

Its a bit like that "bodyworks" exhibition that toured seoul, (and the world infact)- made up of real human bodies from medical science. i went with a friend. the crowds attending were massive. And who could forget the exhibit of the lungs of a smoker?

Overall I would agree though, that site does appear to glory in the violence of it all, -without posing any constructive, moral, or productive framework.

PS Nowhere man must be referring to the other site, not the one i posted.

[Bo Peabody]

Yeah. Let me add to that, I also agree with Gopher. Those site owners that exploit raw war imagery as some form of sick entertainment should all be court-martialled.

[Nowhere Man]

To be quite exact Rapier,

I don't blame you in anyway for linking to the site. You were not the first. I don't necessarily believe you'll be the last.

While it's true that we have been sanitized from our actions and I believe that, if more of the horrors of war were brought to general attention, we might lose our collective stomach for such things, this site is by no stretch of the imagination displaying what it does for humanitarian purposes.

It's really quite the opposite. Mercenary would be the nicest word.

I feel like i'm promoting it by talking about it.

While I assume the site is legal, soldiers selling videos of human rights abuse obviously is not.

How do we bring this to the attention of the proper authorities?