Maxwell 1

Kristina Maxwell
Critical Thinking
Dr. Erika Smith
29 February 2016
Brutality, Bloodshed, and Resolution Reflection
In our society, we view genocide and mass murder as acts of the devil. As we look in
history books, we constantly read about different instances of genocide and brutality throughout
the ages, but we rarely stop to think about how much is actually going on around us in our world
today. As students, we look through history books and understand that these events happened in
our world at some point in time long ago, but we rarely stop to think that this present moment in
time is going to be history after the moment passes. We view genocides like the Holocaust and
Darfur as just another part of history, yet we are seeing similar acts right now that will be
considered history in just a matter of years like Iraq and Syria. The main problem in our society
today is that we refuse to listen to the horrific events occurring around us every day. We choose
to ignore because it is easier than putting our national safety, personal safety, and reputation at
risk, and eventually it will all just become another part of history that we can read about in the
books and say I remember when that happened. Our social ignorance combined with our
selfish fear for ourselves is the reason why genocide occurs so often and so easily around us, and
we often dont even know about it. After a thorough analysis of the Global Values 101 book, as
well as the film Worse Than War, it is much easier to prove this theory on brutality and
bloodshed.
Daniel Jonah Goldhagens documentary Worse Than War takes a closer look on genocide
and the impact of organized mass murder on our society today through the eyes of those who

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lived through the events. Throughout the film, he interviews several individuals who have
experienced the bloodshed that is genocide and almost all of those who were involved made it
apparent that at the time of the massacres, they believed that what they were doing was right.
One man was explaining that he used to murder women and babies without a second thought. He
told that if he was chasing after a person who put up a good enough fight, he would sometimes
consider sparing them, but even that was a rarity. He explained to Goldhagen and his crew that at
the time, he believed that this was the only way to survive. When so many people are telling you
that another group of people is bad and you fear for your safety and your life, then why wouldnt
you go along with it? This is something that is happening in the United States right now.
Everybody is so concerned with the threat of ISIS because we are being constantly told by
everyone around us that they are a dangerous enemy that we must stop, but has it never crossed
anybody elses mind that ISIS is being told the exact same thing about the United States? We are
unsure of what is true, so we believe what we hear because we are in fear of our own safety. If
we end up in a war with ISIS, who is to say that we are in the right? Just because we live in the
United States and everybody here is saying that ISIS is the enemy, then does that make us
correct? Does this give us a right to go and kill every suspected member of ISIS, or every person
practicing Islam? This is where the argument becomes more difficult. Nobody wants to believe
that they are in the wrong, but what if we are? How can we go back and apologize after we
murder millions of people? This was the case with the Holocaust, it was the case with Darfur,
and many other famous genocides. We kill other people because we feel threatened that they will
kill us first. We are concerned for our own well-being because there are voices in our ear left and
right telling us that we are next to die. We see the unknown as a threat because it is exactly
that: unknown to us. We cannot be blamed for believing these claims, but we also cannot

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ethically kill other people because we are unsure of their motives. There is no such thing as
ethical brutality. It is an oxymoron for a reason. Goldhagens film was extremely thoughtprovoking because he chose to show genocide through a different lens. He didnt show it through
a history book full of bland statements and statistics about the death toll and weaponry used. He
showed us genocide through the eyes of those committing the crime. He showed us that we may
also be committing a similar crime in the ways of our thoughts.
In the Brutality, Bloodshed, and Resolution chapter in the Global Values 101 book,
Martha Minow, a legal scholar from Harvard Law School outlines the effects of genocide on a
nation. Minow believes that genocide is a result of a desire for power; that everyone wants to be
seen as the strongest power. She feels that there is an intangible strife for strength and rule in the
World, and that people are willing to do almost anything to get what they desire, and this is how
genocides, race wars, and mass murders occur. If everybody wants to have all of the power, and
nobody is willing to share, then naturally there will be a fight for it, and in many cases, the fight
ends bloody. People are pinned as the enemy, and they are painted by society as evil and
dangerous. This is when the fear factor comes into play. People are scared into believing that
someone who is different than them is their enemy, and that their differences have bred them to
kill. This is where genocide spawns from, and this is why we are able to kill others with so little
remorse.
Although Minow believes that genocide is the result of a struggle and desire for power,
one of her strongest core values is forgiveness. She believes that forgiveness must be granted,
rather than forced, and to expect forgiveness from victims of collective violence is the equivalent
of revictimizing them. She calls forgiveness an inadequate response to collective violence
because forcing forgiveness does nothing for the victim or the criminal. Minow argues that a

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society needs forgiveness as an ultimate goal in order to truly be able to get past an act of such
great violence, but it cannot be forced. This is true for more than just brutality, because there are
not many circumstances where a forced apology means anything. In order for forgiveness to
actually mean something, the person asking for it needs to truly wish to be forgiven.
When a human being is afraid or threatened, they have two options: fight or flight. We
either prepare to fight for our safety or desires, or we run and hide in order to avoid the conflict
altogether. The problem that exists with acts of brutality and bloodshed today is that we live in a
society that relies heavily on the fight or flight response. Nations choose to either remove
themselves from the situation and play dumb, or engage in bloody warfare in order to gain
power. Genocide, race wars, and organized mass murders are all reactions to a threat or fear,
whether it was planted by a political leader or the media. We hear news about constant threats
from other countries and radical religious groups, and we are often quick to prepare for a bloody
war without even considering that the other side may be feeling the same way about us. Humans
tend to react in a very radical manner when they feel that they dont have time to think things
through, and this is why genocide happens. Nobody thinks about the opposing side until its too
late, and we are then left with nothing but another set of statistics for a history textbook.