Fwd: Some soldiers refuse to go along

[Dave Farber <dave () farber net>]

Delivered-To: dfarber+ () ux13 sp cs cmu edu
Date: Fri, 14 May 2004 09:43:29 -0700
From: DV Henkel-Wallace <gumby () henkel-wallace org>
Subject: Some soldiers refuse to go along
To: dave () farber net

This article is more thoughtful than most newspaper articles.

I do feel that the mistreatment of prisoners is a natural outgrowth of a 
culture of retribution.  But the full article sheds light on further 
unstated questions that have puzzled me, for example why would someone who 
has nothing to gain participate in (e.g.) the Enron or Worldcom coverups?

From http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/14/international/14RESI.html

May 14, 2004
PSYCHOLOGY

Pressure to Go Along With Abuse Is Strong, but Some Soldiers Find Strength 
to Refuse
By ANAHAD O'CONNOR


The images of prisoner abuse still trickling out of Iraq show a side of 
human behavior that psychologists have sought to understand for decades. 
But the murky reports of a handful of soldiers who refused to take part 
bring to light a behavior psychologists find even more puzzling: disobedience.

Buried in his report earlier this year on Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, Maj. 
Gen. Antonio M. Taguba praised the actions of three men who tried to stop 
the mistreatment of Iraqi detainees. They are nowhere to be seen in the 
portraits of brutality that have touched off outrage around the world.

Although details of their actions are sketchy, it is known that one 
soldier, Lt. David O. Sutton, put an end to one incident and alerted his 
commanders. William J. Kimbro, a Navy dog handler, "refused to participate 
in improper interrogations despite significant pressure" from military 
intelligence, according to the report. And Specialist Joseph M. Darby gave 
military police the evidence that sounded the alarm.

[...]

In numerous studies over the past few decades, psychologists have found 
that a certain percentage of people simply refuse to give in to pressure — 
by authorities or by peers — if they feel certain actions are wrong.

[...]

People who break from the crowd to blow the whistle, history shows, are 
often the most psychologically distanced from the situation.

[...]

Copyright 2004 The New York Times Company

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