That sinking sensation

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

11-21-2008 @ 12:10PM

spinn said...

I was similarly not pleased. I might have gotten along with that quest a little bit better if it turned out the guy gave you info that sent you into a trap, because (surprise!) information obtained under torture is not guaranteed to be reliable.

"It's just a game" arguments don't pan out. The TV show 24 was big on arguing the merits of casual torture, and I might've said "it's just a tv show" at one point, except for the fact that I would astonishingly see actual U.S. Senators making actual arguments referencing the merits of the actions of the fictional Jack Bauer. Of course I wouldn't say "24 causes torture", but that's a pretty direct correlation to suggest that it's at least used as a tool to make some people more accepting of it.

Also, tangentially, "doesn't cause lasting damage" arguments also don't pan out, because I'm not sure you can argue that being helpless and required to act against your will under excruciating circumstances has no mental effect on you whatsoever.

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