Monday, April 18, 2011

Teens On Torture


In 1973, the United States made the decision to end the draft, resulting in an all-volunteer military force.  Since then, some critics have argued that subsequent generations of Americans, who have not experienced the draft, are “soft” and “weak”, especially the young men. This may be because many young Americans who have never experienced the draft have begun to take their liberties and privileges for granted, and have never had to prepare themselves to face the challenge of being torn away from their comfortable lives to go to war.  Perhaps this is why a recent study conducted by the Daily Beast reported that teenagers in America “look more favorably on torture”, especially in the war.
According to the study, more than 60% of American teens felt that things like “water-boarding and sleep deprivation” are sometimes acceptable. The support for torture that teens expressed far outstripped the support reported by adults. It is debatable as to whether this is attributable to the end of the draft, or perhaps to the Bush Administration’s decision to normalize torture. When the Commander and Chief makes that argument that torture is acceptable, it can have a profound influence on the values of the nation. Another possible factor shaping the opinions that teens have of torture could be the influence that the media has on the popular perceptions of war. The graphic war images that are so readily accessible today on the Internet, as well as through more traditional forms of media, such as television, could be a factor in making teens numb to the horrors of war.
Another possible source of the tolerance teens show for violence may be the prevalence of graphically violent video games. Through games such as “Counter Strike” and “Call of Duty,” young boys are exposed to violence and gore, and many come to see such violence as normal and even enjoyable. A study conducted by the American Psychological Association noted that when boys play violent video games, even for just a few minutes, they display elevated levels of aggression. The boys who played violent video games reported that they felt like behaving in a more aggressive manner, and wanted to do something violent. Statistics like these make me question why we allow such violent video games to be marketed to young people.
The acceptance that American teens display toward torture is a troubling sign for the future of our nation. The prohibition on torture has been an important principle that has guided our nation throughout its history.  If the next generation is willing to accept torture, and in doing so, sacrifice their freedom from being tortured, what other rights will they be willing to give up?  Should there be more censorship of the media and video games in order to educate our teens as to the importance of civil liberties? If our society decides that tortures such as waterboarding are acceptable, only worse will come after.

2 comments:

  1. I really like this post. I whole-heartedly agree that people need to have a better understand of what the sacrifice of war means and what the soldiers have to do. Even watching shows such as Band of Brothers moves you to a point where it is very difficult to believe that anyone has gone through such circumstances. Part of the reason for the entitlement is that we grow up with the idea that the United States is automatically #1 and could never be "defeated". The notion of being "defeated" has completely changed in today's nuclear world, but at the outbreak of World War II, those young men who were volunteering truly believed they were fighting for their freedom and against a true evil (and all of that was true). Today, war is no longer like that, and for that matter I believe that the entire subject of war and how it effects International relations has undergone a paradigm shift (which the world has not recognized to a great enough extent). Either way, our generation certainly needs more educations regarding war, especially regarding its' costs and outcomes.

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  2. I really liked this post as well. I believe there is an exceptionally high tolerance for violence and torture among younger generations, and this tolerance will eventually lead to ignorance. I agree that the draft is part of the reason, and I also agree that there has been a paradigm shift. To me, this shift is mainly one of terminology; war has become an ideological term. Due to the way that war is perceived by younger generations, if one does not agree with the ideology that is being fought for, they seem to become apathetic about the subject all together. I do not think that censorship is the correct route, but instead educating the younger generations to better understand the content that is available to them.

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