In the article “The Myth of ‘Torture Lite’” by Jessica Wolfendale, assistant professor of Philosophy at West Virginia University, the author mainly discusses the misconceptions that exist about so-called “torture lite” and how the public has been led to believe that it is not and cannot be as severe to victims as normal torture can. Jessica Wolfendale breaks down this belief and shows how torture lite can be just as mentally and even physically violent as the more familiar form of torture. Wolfendale goes through the article first explaining what torture lite is, followed by describing the impact it can have on the victim, then comparing it with the more well-known form of torture, and lastly showing how torture lite can even make the victim feel that they are responsible for what is happening to them.
The article starts off with Wolfendale discussing and explaining the main differences between torture and torture lite. She says that torture lite, unlike the more violent form of torture, leaves the victim with without any signs of physical harm. There is normally no actual contact between the torturer and the victim while the torture is undergoing and it can take time for the victim to feel any serious form of pain or discomfort from the torture. Some of the different techniques that exist for torture lite include manipulating temperature, noise bombardment, and solitary confinement (Wolfendale, 2009). Torture lite also more easily allows the torturers to cope with what it is they are doing, since this form of torture is so much less brutally violent towards the victim, and also feel that they are doing what is needed for their country. According to Wolfendale, the term “torture lite” has been brought up in many news repor...
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...l in exposing torture lite as being potentially as dangerous to prisoners as any other form of torture, both physically and mentally. Though her article is not without any flaws, such as giving alternatives to using such types of torture to extract information needed by the state, it is still written very well overall. This article can be very valuable to anyone hoping to learn more about torture lite and is almost certainly one of the best articles written on the subject to date.
Works Cited
Sussman, D.. (2009). "Torture Lite": A Response. Ethics & International Affairs, 23(1), 63-67. Retrieved July 18, 2010, from Social Science Module. (Document ID: 1688856531).
Wolfendale, J.. (2009). The Myth of "Torture Lite". Ethics & International Affairs, 23(1), 47-61. Retrieved July 18, 2010, from Social Science Module. (Document ID: 1688856521).
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Torture is a loaded word. It conjures images in a readers' mind of any number of horrors, physical and mental. Many writers rely on this reaction and use pathos in their articles to illicit a strong response in their audience. Pathos is an emotional appeal used to gain sympathy and trust from the audience and works for people of all intellectual levels. It often casts the author or characters in a story as an Everyman, easy to identify, and therefore see eye to eye, with. In my opinion, the more an author is able to create a personal connection to torture, the stronger their argument becomes. Strong emotions create a more appealing argument for an everyday audience.
Our interrogation tactics have come a long way from using physical force to retrieve incriminating evidence, which was referred to as the “third degree”, to non-violent methods of obtaining information. We’d like to think that the system we have instilled in America is perfect and fair, but that is far from the reality. Although we have eliminated physical force from interrogations, the new equivalent implemented to the third degree is psychological torture. The nation-wide system used to interrogate potential suspects- the Reid Technique- is heavily flawed and corrupt. In his book Unfair, author Adam Benforado, unveils the truth behind modern interrogation style: it coerces suspects into producing false confessions by subjecting them to grueling
The Line Between Right and Wrong Draws Thin; Torture in Modern America and how it is reflected in The Crucible
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In 1986, Warren Hill was sentenced to death for killing his girlfriend, and then was sentenced to death for a deadly prison beating of a fellow inmate in 1990. What is special about Hill’s case is that he has seen the death chamber four separate times. Although it is not uncommon for an inmate to have numerous execution dates, all of Warren’s reprieves were last minute, during his last hour of being alive. One in which he was already strapped to the gurney and heavily sedated. Brian Evans, head of Amnesty International USA’s Death Penalty Abolition Campaign, states that mock executions are a form of torture under international law. Just imagine being strapped to a gurney, knowing that your life has come to an end. You think of all the good and bad things that have happened in your lifetime, in which you have finally accepted death, only to have that stripped away from
Ross, Brian and Richard Esposito. “CIA's Harsh Interrogation Techniques Described.” 18 Nov. 2005. Web. 6 Nov. 2013.
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Torture lite is a form of torturing someone without leaving a mark. These techniques include “waterboarding”, submersion in water or dousing to produce the sensation of drowning, and denying food, water or sleep for days or weeks on end.
In the article, “The Torture Myth,” Anne Applebaum explores the controversial topic of torture practices, focused primarily in The United States. The article was published on January 12, 2005, inspired by the dramatic increase of tensions between terrorist organizations and The United States. Applebaum explores three equality titillating concepts within the article. Applebaum's questions the actual effectiveness of using torture as a means of obtaining valuable information in urgent times. Applebaum explores the ways in which she feels that the United States’ torture policy ultimately produces negative effects upon the country. Applebaum's final question is if torture is not optimally successful, why so much of society believes it works efficiently.
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Around the world and around the clock, human rights violations seem to never cease. In particular, torture violations are still rampant all over the world. One regime, the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, establishes a strong elaboration of norms against torture. Despite its efforts, many countries still outright reject its policies against torture while other countries openly accept them, but surreptitiously still violate them. The US, Israel, and Saudi Arabia have all failed to end torture despite accepting the provisions of the Convention.
Torture is the process of inflicting pain upon other people in order to force them to say something against their own will. The word “torture” comes from the Latin word “torquere,” which means to twist. Torture can not only be psychologically but mentally painful. Before the Enlightenment, it was perfectly legal to torture individuals but nowadays, it is illegal to torture anyone under any circumstances. In this essay, I will demonstrate why torture should never acceptable, not matter the condition.