It is confusing to think that torture has always been a part of
our pop culture and has been enjoyed for its entertainment value by so many,
yet at the same time, it’s a subject that is looked down upon by the same group
of people. Entertainment and reality are different, but in this article, the
documentary-like movie, Zero Dark Thirty,
does enough to blur the boundaries between these two mind-sets.
“Torture is not only about inflicting acute pain, but is a
calculated and systematic dismantling of a person’s identity and humanity,” as
the article states. If a person chooses to take away someone else’s freedom,
he/she knowingly loses some or all of his/her freedom. That’s the way it has
always been. There was an interesting article I read once about a doctor that
believed in the death penalty. This doctor believed that life imprisonment was
worse because this sentence had the prisoner suffer for the duration of a
lifetime, whereas the death penalty was fast and “humane,” as he put it. Who is
to say that his opinion is at fault? Who is to say that torture experienced
through life imprisonment is worse than the torture of terrorist, which have in
fact led to results – results that have securred physical and mental safety of
people all around the world? Every question has a gray area and should be taken
case by case.
Interestingly, in the case of the events that took place in Zero Dark Thirty, these so-called
“terrorists” weren’t doing this as a “crime,” but believed, or was fooled to
believe, that their actions were backed by religious motives. They believe
violence is a viable means of protecting their religion and, therefore,
freedom. Their culture is vastly different from the culture of Americans. So
how do Americans qualify to make these decision? As a follow up question, “How do
we quantify these facts.”
No decision will be unanimous with such a controversial topic as
torture. But in terms of this article, I believe that films like Zero Dark Thirty should be praised for
bringing us the other side of the story. This movie keeps reality “real” and
allows for the ignorant to confront their ignorance.
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