Russia Invades Ukraine 2022

[mike]

Russian foreign minister

[Ernie]

Random sidenote from the wife: Lately I have been thinking that whoeverf thought I could make a good soldier was a dingbat (including myself). War is so horribly disgusting, what 'normal' people will do in combat is horrible and I always figured I'd get ptsd if I did go. Also, it seems like whatever side you are fighting for, many soldiers do their best to dehumanize their opponents, probably to make the whole thing easier. I think that was half the reason I got turned off of the military during boot camp and beyond. Just talk to some of our military/former military about what they think of Muslims or listen in on some of their jokes. Not all of them, but I think many of our military members could be convinced to do the same things the Russians are doing as long as the victims were Muslims or some other group they've been trained to hate and fear.

Good thoughts.
Dean Taylor and others have explained how the US went from getting _____% to pull the trigger a century ago to _______% today, using psychological bombardment of the mind. Can somebody can point me to an article on this?

[Szdfan]

Russian foreign minister

Well, yes. That’s one reason why the West is freaking out about this.

[temporal1]

Ukraine is calling on the West/U.S.
Russia is reportedly calling on China.

(i’ve read, China is telling the U.S. and Russia to settle this - soon.) i hope so.
various things have been reported about China - pot-stirring is gold.

it’s hard not to recognize this is Putin/biden, Ukraine is the unfortunate staging ground.

when i was very young, i recall one grandmother’s fears that the Bible tells us “the end” will begin in the Middle East.
when the U.S. invaded Iraq (after 9/11/2001) lots of people spoke of this (not politicians or the press).

the sales job on invading Iraq 2003 was massive.
following 9/11, it wasn’t a hard sale. in 2003, people were still reeling from NYC, the Pentagon. the move was shaky. and bipartisan.

i was terrified for U.S. soldiers. after all, who are soldiers??! young (kids) - in the U.S., generally raised NOT to fight, NOT to bully, then, in the military, expected to leave all that behind. many or most join because they want to better themselves, get an education, some for citizenship, etc. a volunteer military appeals to those with less. military drafts much more draw from across the board.

i was afraid for them. fears were spread about gas/chemical warfare in Iraq. who wants to do this to young men+women?
of course, the fact they are so young, maybe never been away from home before, etc., is NOT emphasized.
they are presumed to be tough, hardened soldiers, full adults, ready to kill. “they signed up for it!” no mercy.

that’s not what our culture teaches. put on a uniform, that’s what our culture expects. Spartans.
no wonder there’s so much damage, PTSD, suicides, etc.

[temporal1]

Random sidenote from the wife: Lately I have been thinking that whoeverf thought I could make a good soldier was a dingbat (including myself). War is so horribly disgusting, what 'normal' people will do in combat is horrible and I always figured I'd get ptsd if I did go. Also, it seems like whatever side you are fighting for, many soldiers do their best to dehumanize their opponents, probably to make the whole thing easier. I think that was half the reason I got turned off of the military during boot camp and beyond. Just talk to some of our military/former military about what they think of Muslims or listen in on some of their jokes. Not all of them, but I think many of our military members could be convinced to do the same things the Russians are doing as long as the victims were Muslims or some other group they've been trained to hate and fear.

Good thoughts.
Dean Taylor and others have explained how the US went from getting _____% to pull the trigger a century ago to _______% today, using psychological bombardment of the mind. Can somebody can point me to an article on this?

a century ago, was just following WWI, they hoped “the war to end all wars.”
after the reality of war, people tend to cool off on enthusiasm for war.
i’m afraid we’re seeing cooling off from the trauma of vietnam.

entertainment has long been a source of glamorizing violence, and war.

in recent years, VIDEO GAMES thrive on war. the pandemic was good to video game companies. $$$$
in video games, females can be just as strong, evil, deadly, as males. effective propaganda for children/teens.

i’m not attempting to answer your question. just want to point out contributing factors.

the video game industry staunchly denies culpability. just as hollywood did before them. they have the cash for effective legal defense. they are well educated, prepared to prevail. Congress finds them useful.

[barnhart]

Random sidenote from the wife: Lately I have been thinking that whoeverf thought I could make a good soldier was a dingbat (including myself). War is so horribly disgusting, what 'normal' people will do in combat is horrible and I always figured I'd get ptsd if I did go. Also, it seems like whatever side you are fighting for, many soldiers do their best to dehumanize their opponents, probably to make the whole thing easier. I think that was half the reason I got turned off of the military during boot camp and beyond. Just talk to some of our military/former military about what they think of Muslims or listen in on some of their jokes. Not all of them, but I think many of our military members could be convinced to do the same things the Russians are doing as long as the victims were Muslims or some other group they've been trained to hate and fear.

Good thoughts.
Dean Taylor and others have explained how the US went from getting _____% to pull the trigger a century ago to _______% today, using psychological bombardment of the mind. Can somebody can point me to an article on this?

Years ago I read a book by a retired military man of some rank about the difficulties of persuading soldiers to kill their opponents. It was well documented from military reports about the many strategies used by soldiers to avoid killing, even to the point of risking their own lives. It also followed the various attempts of the military to overcome this retisence.

As I recall, they abandoned the concept of conscripts fighting for high ideals like freedom and focused on volunteers intentionally desensitized to killing through film, repetitive presentation of human form targets, dehumanizing the target people group and by hazing small groups of fighters with traumatic rituals to create closeness so the members will fight to defend each other.

It was a depressing book.

[Dan Z]

Russian foreign minister

Well, yes. That’s one reason why the West is freaking out about this.

Um...I believe it could get there...but this reads like hyperbole to me at the moment. At this point, I think this is more simply a Russian land-grab in the face of NATO expansion.

[Soloist]

Years ago I read a book by a retired military man of some rank about the difficulties of persuading soldiers to kill their opponents. It was well documented from military reports about the many strategies used by soldiers to avoid killing, even to the point of risking their own lives. It also followed the various attempts of the military to overcome this retisence.

As I recall, they abandoned the concept of conscripts fighting for high ideals like freedom and focused on volunteers intentionally desensitized to killing through film, repetitive presentation of human form targets, dehumanizing the target people group and by hazing small groups of fighters with traumatic rituals to create closeness so the members will fight to defend each other.

It was a depressing book.

yeah... the propaganda was thick. Civilians were cancer... The very model of the military is designed to break you and build you in their way and their ideals. Who I am today is heavily influenced by my military experience, just not how they expected. I would throughout college go to the military lounges and converse with the other vets and the way they spoke of the enemy tells much. Every single one of them who was in combat has PTSD and mental health concerns.

[nett]

Democracies tend to be self-correcting. Dictatorships not so much.

historical sources please.

[barnhart]

yeah... the propaganda was thick. Civilians were cancer... The very model of the military is designed to break you and build you in their way and their ideals. Who I am today is heavily influenced by my military experience, just not how they expected. I would throughout college go to the military lounges and converse with the other vets and the way they spoke of the enemy tells much. Every single one of them who was in combat has PTSD and mental health concerns.

I have sensed some of this brokeness just being near some veterans, and it fills me with compassion, the degrading of a human soul, so unnecessary, so tragic. I sometimes wonder if hearing society constantly thank them and reinforce that their brokeness is a worthy or necessary sacrifice for the nation must also be tiring. There is a part of me that wants to weep with/ for them and declare the price was too high.