….Iraq murders reveal the warping power of conformity and dehumanization.
by Rosa Brooks, who is a professor at the University of Virginia School of Law, is an interesting look into the issue of Americans being “good people”.
She begins
Are Americans good people?
After Vietnam — after My Lai, after the free-fire zones — many Americans were no longer sure.
After Haditha, the same question is again beginning to haunt us. We’re supposed to be a virtuous nation; our troops are supposed to be the good guys. If it turns out that Marines murdered 24 civilians, including children and infants, how could that have happened?
She addresses the “bad apple theory” and provides a look at these “key factors” leading to good people doing terrible things, substantiated by examples in far past and recent history:
Continue reading



