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Aaron Scott

War is a WMD...

Hon. Dr. in Acts-celeratology Posts: 6042 **4/12/17 6:41 am**

Why do we get upset with the death of GASSED children...but not nearly so much as, say, children blown apart by bombs, children killed by stray (or targeted) bullets, or children dying of starvation or disease?

If the death of children so moves us to attack Syria, it seems to me that we should be willing to attack a lot of countries (perhaps, including our own, due to abortion).

I totally get that gassing seems especially egregious, but in truth, it's just one more form of killing. Is it that gas we're upset about...or that children who died. If it's the latter, we should be upset more often, don't you think?

bonnie knox

[Insert Acts Pun Here] Posts: 14803 **4/12/17 8:14 am**

Aaron, I think some people do get upset, but we have to sort of shut it off mentally or we might sink into paralyzing despair.
But, I think there are some distinctions that make some situations seem worse. One thing is if we see the images. Honestly, I try not to look at the images because I just can't handle it. Another thing is if the death is sudden or if it is drawn out. (So yes, that children are starving is a horrible reality.) In war, if the civilians are actually targeted, it does seem more egregious than if they were killed incidentally. Also, it seems more egregious if the killings are carried out by one's own government.
There is also the history of our failed foreign policy (i.e., the "red line," the subsequent assurance that chemical weapons were destroyed, etc.) in Syria that factors into the outrage about the attack in Syria.
War is hell.

Cojak

Re: War is a WMD...

01000001 01100011 01110100 01110011 Posts: 24285 **4/12/17 11:54 pm**