Book Review on "On Killing"

Book Review 4 pages (1204 words) Sources: 1

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Killing

Dave Grossman's book "On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society" deals with the psychology of killing during warfare. One of the chief theories he wants to express through the document relates to how humans have a native instinct that makes them reluctant to kill. This instinct is disable during combat, given that the fighting environment prevents one from acting rationally and the military generally presses soldiers into being less receptive to their inborn resistance to take the life of a human being. Considering the impact such a writing leaves on those who read it, it is likely that war combat veterans would have a better perception of warfare and of all the factors involved consequent to going through the manuscript.

Those in charge of the military are also probable to learn something from reading this book, as it speaks about the aftermath manipulation leaves behind it, and about how human beings are permanently affected after they kill. Even though a great deal of individuals don't fire a single shot during warfare, the fact that they are instructed to commit murder at the slightest chance they get triggers a feeling of responsibility for the crimes others perform, making it more likely for them to feel guilty for the role they played in the war.

Grossman appears to be less interested in the general case involving soldiers who were influenced in losing some of their most basic instincts, as he particularly speaks about conditions during the Vietnam War. As they prepared to go to war, Americans were taught that it had not been abnormal to kill, and that particular circumstances justify this act. One can virtually say that soldiers were desensitized and left with the feeling life had little value in time of war. During training missions, bull's-eyes were actually replaced with human-like shapes, so as for soldiers to become accustomed to shooting at real-life individuals as if this had been part of a training exercise. While numerous soldiers were expected to be uncomfortable with shooting at targets that resembled real humans, matters gradually changed, given that after several training exercises it seemed perfectly normal to shoot at something that could have just as well be a human being. Soldiers were taught that it had not been a human being they were shooting at, but that it had been the enemy, someone who bears no name and has no face, as he or she is simply preventing them from successfully finishing their task.

According to Grossman, the Vietnam War is liable to take the first place for wars involving the best trained killers the world has ever seen. It was almost as if American soldiers were efficient killing machines, with their emotional side having been turned off by their leaders. Even with the fact that there were numerous wars fought by extremists who would stop at nothing from achieving their purpose, the Vietnam War is different. This difference stands in the fact that American soldiers were manipulated in believing that what they did was rational, and that there was nothing unusual about killing other people, considering that their main role as warriors was to complete missions.

While the Americans in Vietnam carried out their tasks courageously, it would seem uncharacteristic to condemn them for what they did back there, given that it is normal for communities to perform a purification ritual, through which warriors are absolved of any crime they may have committed. However, this did not happen in this case, as soldiers were instead harshly criticized for their participation in the war. The fact… READ MORE

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