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RE: An Exercise of Gratefulness - Taking a Look at History and Our Luxuries and Building a Better World Through Positive Change
That quote from Eric Hopper really hit home for me. Makes so much sense.
I do have to take semi-issue with this though:
Even wars are more "civilized" now.
I don't know if someone sitting at a computer, dropping $50,000 bombs on poor farmers half way around the world would be considered 'civilized'. At least back in the day, you would see the whites of your enemies eyes before you personally pulled the trigger.
But maybe this is just me complaining because my sub-conscious told me to complain because the post had the word 'complain' a lot...who knows?
Wars these days are without doubt hugely civilized compared to the wars that happened less than a century ago. Here are some reading material:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiping_Rebellion
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanking_Massacre
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_war_crimes
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_war_crimes
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rape_during_the_occupation_of_Germany
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rape_during_the_Soviet_occupation_of_Poland
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_war_crimes
Modern wars almost look heavenly compared to what happened in the past. take a look at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geneva_Conventions. All those things that were banned were a standard practice in wars. Rape was considered one of the "perks/benefits" of being a soldiers and they were underpaid and they were expected to treat the "opportunities" presented as part of the compensation. At least no military except Jihadists practice low pay + "spoils of war" (AKA fuck all you want. Take the stuff. Kill at leisure and sell some for slaves)
So I stand by my statement that modern wars have become "Quote, Unquote" civilized.
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I see what you're saying and won't argue that point further. What I meant by it, was that it no longer seems like a fair and honest fight. Back in the day it could'a been hand to hand combat to the death. Or a sword fight or joust. Like I said earlier, in the civil war men waited to see the whites of their enemies eyes before they fired. At least you saw the person you were trying to kill. There was a semblance of honor in your death, that's what I meant by civilized.
Today a person at a computer in Virginia hits a button and a few minutes later you and your whole family are blown to bits without the slightest inkling that it's coming. War is never civilized imo, but today's methods are far from honorable.
I agree that the wars have become more de-humanized. There isn't much of honor in a war but modern wars have turned into a bureaucracy with violence. Good Kill is probably the best example of this:
And here is one of the best scenes from the anime Fate/Zero:
Thanks for commenting.