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Biological versus social influences on personality
Biological, psychological and sociocultural influences upon personality
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In her novel “They Would Never Hurt a Fly”, author Slavenka Drakulic spends a majority of the book individually examining and discussing criminals from the Yugoslav war. One of the primary focuses of each individual was questioning how such commonplace individuals could alter themselves into the seemingly callous and unfeeling instigators of war crimes. Drakulic argues that these men were transformed by the constant alienation of the “other” group by both the government and key power figures. The quote “ This policy of small steps, of everyday decisions and concessions on a much smaller scale.” (Drakulic Pg.95) helps to convey the idea that the mental basis for genocide and other war crimes had already been placed amongst the citizens of the …show more content…
As stated by Drakulic, “The task of propaganda is to shape this difference so that it creates a feeling that there is a threat from the other side and strengthens the urge for homogenization.” (Drakulic Pg. 192) which displays the primary reason that the propaganda was created and used. The extreme media manipulation also held the capability of convincing these everyday citizens that the Bosnians were a callous group that deserved the treatment given to them. As a result, the transformation from ordinary men into war criminals was both relatively quick and almost unnoticeable. This perpetuates the idea that these men came from an extreme cultural environment that cultivated the unjust feeling towards the various populations of the Yugoslav state. With time this eventually allowed for the development of the desensitized state of mind, which was necessary for a majority of the individuals to commit the war crimes of which they are …show more content…
As stated by Drakulic, “We even go so far as to say that their crimes were inhuman, as if evil (as well as good) were not a part of human nature.” (Drakulic Pg. 188). However, I am firmly entrenched in the belief that it takes an extreme and unforgivable environment for such qualities to be brought out in those who are seen as normal or good. While I do not believe that there is one overlapping reason that caused this transformation, I do believe that the transformation of these men into war criminals was in part a direct result of the various circumstances and the environment stipulated by the main instigators of the Yugoslav Wars. For some of these men, their survival instincts caused them to become subservient to their moral consciousness, as evident in the case of Drazen Erdemovic. For others, the intensely charged environment simply unlocked the restraints keeping the more violent parts of their nature locked away. Another reason that may have had an impact on the transformation of these men was the extremely fragmented history of their nations. The Balkan region has had a long history of war amongst the various nations, as a result of differing ethnicities and religions. In particular there has been a stringent history of wars being started by opposing religious groups, as seen in the Balkan Wars of the early 1900’s. The various war crimes that were
Cormac McCarthy once said, “I think the notion that the species can be improved in some way, that everyone can live in harmony is a really dangerous idea.” (Overview) This quote leaves us with the impression that humanity as a whole is innately violent, and we will explore this idea by examining “Blood Meridian.” This paper consists of three main topics, all of which have subtopics. The first topic explores the Western setting of “Blood Meridian” and its effect on human behavior. Its subtopics are the absence of responsibility, the failure of manifest destiny’s ideals, and seeing the west as an escape from the past and time. The second topic delves deeper into the nature of Cormac McCarthy’s quote; it asks whether humans are inherently violent. The subtopics for this section are racism and hate as a drive, greed as a drive, and the metaphorical significance of two events in the book. The last topic is man’s need to be led and the way their leader leads them. The subtopics for the last section are the parallel between Hitler and Judge Holden, and the Judge’s general philosophy including the way he leads the men.
Words and images were silent weapons used by all governments involved during World War II. Wars are generally fought between soldiers, but the different ideologies often meet on the battlefield as well. The support of the people is crucial during these times since general knowledge of strength relies on numbers. Propaganda targets people’s emotions and feelings and changes people’s perception about a particular idea, people, or situation. Propaganda goes hand in hand with the art of persuasion and convincing; these tools can control and manipulate the collective minds of a massive amount of its audience.
Fuller, J.F.C. "Propaganda and War. The New Technique of Mendacity as a Psychological Weapon." Ordnance, Dec
Bennett, Christopher Michael. "Bosnia and Herzegovina." Encyclopedia of Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity. Ed. Dinah L. Shelton. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2005.World History in Context. Web. 20 Feb. 2014.
Although Milosevic was a key figure during this period whose actions undoubtedly influenced the chain of events that unfolded, I believe his power-seeking motives were not unique to him; his actions in the former Yugoslavia could have been committed by a number of others who had the same desire for power driving them. Nevertheless, as he was president of Serbia and essentially commander-in-chief of Serb forces who carried out unconscionable acts of cruelty against Muslims and other non-Serb civilians, particularly in the attempt to annex Bosnia-Herzegovina, he bears responsibility for his actions as an authority figure. Though his main goal seemed to be focused on territorial expansion of the Serbian state, he led military forces to deport and murder non-Serb civilians in massive numbers and therefore was in vi...
Franklin Foer’s first chapter “How Soccer Explains The Gangster’s paradise” tells about the relationship between the well known football club the Red Star Belgrade and the Serbian paramilitaries who committed many crimes against the Croats and the Bosnians in reason of the collapse of former Yugoslavia. This seems very dangerous and unfair that the Serbian paramilitaries committed many crimes against the Croats and the Bosnians. The very well known and well respected Zeljko Raznatovic Serb Volunteer Force started as an ensemble of 20 Red Star hooligans, after a while the ensemble became 10,000 well-trained fighters and these men were responsible for many deaths. To me, this seems to dangerous of measures and the Red Star hooligans should not have been responsible for any deaths at all, they should not be so corruptive towards their passion that it drives them so far as deaths. This to me is the most dangerous group of tribalism. In the s...
Jonathan Glover, born in 1941, is a British philosopher known for his studies on ethics. Earlier in his career he was a fellow and tutor at New College, Oxford, but he is currently a professor at King’s College London. He, much like Professor R.J. Rummel (1932-2014) of the University of Hawaii who revived and redefined the term democide, believes that humanity and morality were at their worst and most questionable times during the 20th century. Throughout his book, Glover considers the moral predispositions which cause humanity to commit barbaric acts of genocide such as the ones committed by so many world leaders before this time. Each chapter of Glover’s analysis focuses on one historical event which he rips apart and tries to make sense of. Though this approach to the book may be a bit distracting and confusing at times, one must understand that a simple ethical and philosophical analysis of those horrific events is not enough...
In the pursuit of safety, acceptance, and the public good, many atrocities have been committed in places such as Abu Ghraib and My Lai, where simple, generally harmless people became the wiling torturers and murderers of innocent people. Many claim to have just been following orders, which illustrates a disturbing trend in both the modern military and modern societies as a whole; when forced into an obedient mindset, many normal and everyday people can become tools of destruction and sorrow, uncaringly inflicting pain and death upon the innocent.
The last two decades of the twentieth century gave rise to turbulent times for constituent republics of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, eventually leading them to split apart. There were a number of damaging aspects of past history and of the political and economic circumstances that contributed to the breakup and eventually caused the situation to snowball into a deadly series of inter-ethnic conflicts. Yugoslavia was reunified at the end of the war when the communist forces of Josip Broz Tito liberated the country. Under Tito, Yugoslavia adopted a relatively liberal form of government in comparison to other East European communist states at the time and experienced a period of relative economic and political stability until Tito’s death in 1980. In addition to internal power struggles following the loss of their longtime leader, Yugoslavia faced an unprecedented economic crisis in the 1980’s. As other communist states began to fall in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, some former Communist leaders abandoned communism and founded or supported ethno-national parties, blaming the economic suffering on the flaws of communism and other ethnic groups. The ethnic violence that followed would not have been possible without the willingness of politicians from every side to promote ethno-nationalist symbols and myths through media blitzes, which were especially effective due to low levels of education in the former Yugoslavia. Shadows of the events of World War II gave these politicians, especially the Serbs, an opportunity to encourage the discussion and exaggeration of past atrocities later in the century. The ethnic violence in the former Yugoslavia can be traced back to a series of linked damaging factors such as the de...
In January 2002 James Waller released the first edition of the book “Becoming Evil – How Ordinary People Commit Genocide and Mass Killings.” Dr. James Waller is a professor at Keene State College in New Hampshire and is home to one of the nation’s oldest Holocaust resource centers, the Cohen Center for Genocide and Holocaust Studies. Becoming Evil uncovers the historical and modern day reasons to why people do evil and attempts to debunk common explanations for genocide and mass killings. Some of Waller’s other notable works include “Prejudice across America” and “Face to Face: The Changing State of Racism Across America.” Waller takes and in depth look at the societal, psychopathological and cultural reasons that would make a good person commit such heinous acts of evil. “What culture, society, or nation, what ideology, historical prejudice, or ethnic hatred, what psychological profile or cluster of personality traits, what unusual situation or special circumstance is to be deemed the cause of such aberrant human behavior?” (Browning/Waller) Why do humans commit genocide and mass killings?
Gagnon, V. P. (2004). The myth of ethnic war: Serbia and Croatia in the 1990s. Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press.
Propaganda has long been used as a tool to defend institutions and organizations. It was used during World War One and World War Two to placate the masses and to protect the governments at the time. Simply put, propaganda is a tool used by the intelligent to ma...
Imagine waking up one day to the thundering of blows given at the door telling you to “open up or be shot down.” It is the Serb police, and they are telling you that you and your whole family had to leave your home immediately. This is how it went for many Albanian people during what some Serb extremists called “demographic genocide.” This was the beginning of what many would call the Kosovo War, and it lasted from March to June 1999. After NATO’s intervention in Kosovo, something strange happened. Now the people being victimized were the Serbs and anyone who was “friendly” to them. In this paper, I will speak about what happened before and after the war in Kosovo.
What led up to the massacre, what would make someone want to kill many of the innocent Europeans men and boys? The purpose of the genocide was supposed to be a racial cleansing, a man by the name of general Miadic told his soldiers, “Our plans cannot be realized without committing genocide.” Before the genocide happened On January 7th Bosnian Muslim forces attacked a Serb-controlled village and killed people from the village. During the month of April the Naser Oric was withdrawn from the enclave by the Muslim leaders, leaving the Muslims demoralized and unequipped. Then in May 350 Dutch Peacekeepers were held hostage by the Serbs, in the capital city of Sarajevo, in response to the NATO air strikes, which stunned the UN. Finally General Janvier, who was the United Nations Commander in Bosnia, confronted the New York United Nations headquarters, urging the Security Council to protect the Safe Area by giving them a massive troop increase, or take the peacekeepers away, so they are able to conduct air strikes, Janvier was told to carry on. These events led up to what has been the second largest massacre in European history.
Humans, in general, are relatively destructive creatures. Since the dawn of man, bloodshed is common. War is, by definition, a human creation. However, humans rationalize war with more noble ideals: courage, pride, etc. Nations raise their warriors up as heroes, and in some cases, treat them like gods; Samurai, Aztec, Gladiator, Marine. All warriors from different times and all wielding different weapons. But all have one core thing in common. All are murderers. What sets these men apart from criminals? Is it a cause? Does fighting for a country forgive the many families left without a loved one? The answer to these questions is simply a matter of human emotion. Like most humans, most of these warriors had empathy for their opponents