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So it’s pretty much common knowledge now that there’s a video circulating of a Marine shooting an Iraqi in Fallujah. I saw the clip on TV last night, and I have no problem with the Marine making the decision himself. Not all of the details are known, of course, but for the most part I’m fine with his following his gut reaction. Those of us sitting over here on our asses have no fucking idea what was going through that Marine’s head. We cannot put ourselves in his shoes; we simply do not know his situation. So what right do we have to judge him?
I’ve heard rumors about what happened: supposedly the Marine was shot in the face the day before, or maybe he’d watched a buddy die a few hours prior to the incident; and I’ve heard rumors about why: the Iraqi was reaching for a detonator on his belt, or maybe he’d pulled a gun. But we don’t know. I regret the potentially unnecessary loss of life, I regret the investigation that the Marine is going to be forced through, I agree that it was a tragedy…but we should not judge this Marine.
Disclaimer: I am well aware that this post could be controversial; that’s part of why I published it: to get people thinking and spark discussion. It’s just a thought that came to me and I wrote about it quickly. I have not thought out the whole argument, and my mind can be changed.
Comments
“Those of us sitting over here on our asses have no fucking idea what was going through that Marine’s head. We cannot put ourselves in his shoes; we simply do not know his situation. So what right do we have to judge him?”
That argument is totally and utterly fallacious. It argues that because we weren’t present at a particular place and moment in time, that we shouldn’t judge people’s actions who were. How can a democratic society’s legal system function if we accept your argument? Who else shouldn’t we judge? Serial killers? Enron employees? War criminals?
Furthermore, we have lots of evidence to evaluate this marine’s actions. We’ve got first person accounts (both from military and civilian personnel), and there’s both still images and video (though I haven’t seen the latter) of the incident. We are, in fact, better equipped to judge this Marine’s act than most, aren’t we?
That said, I wouldn’t condemn that marine. Killing of unarmed miliatary personnel is as old as war itself. I’d just be wary of your argument.
Hi Darren, thanks for commenting!
You’re right, of course. While nobody said I couldn’t spew fallacies if I wanted, you’re right that I was posting emotionally without taking into account the fact that we do practice this kind of judgment all the time. What I meant was that we, the general public, should not judge or condemn him because we don’t have all the facts. That’s up to a military tribunal, which will review the available evidence and make their own ruling. We can’t personally decide if he was right or wrong.
I’m not sure if that makes any more sense…hopefully it’s clarified my position a little!
Thanks for this. I’d still disagree. I mean, I can personally decide if anybody’s right or wrong, whether it’s Mussolini or the kid who shoplifts a chocolate bar. Furthermore, military tribunals (not to mention courts of law) have been known to get things wrong. So, I’d hardly place all of my faith in one.
In fact, in the recent context of Remembrance Day (Veteran’s Day in the States), I was thinking a lot about individual soldiers’ responsibilities in war. That is, I’ve been evaluating the notion (most often offered by the Left) that “while I don’t support the war, I do support the troops”. I’ve never really been able to get my head around that one. Then, of course, I recognize that the people in the armed forces are mostly the poorest, least educated people in the US. Does this and/or their role as general’s pawns mitigate or absolve their role in what I believe to be an unlawful invasion? I’m not sure.