Althouse: "You can imagine how many times each of these men and women have heard a parent tell their child, 'Don't look. Don't stare at him. That's rude.'"

May 25, 2015

"You can imagine how many times each of these men and women have heard a parent tell their child, 'Don't look. Don't stare at him. That's rude.'"

"I take these pictures so that we can look; we can see what we're not supposed to see. And we need to see them because we created them."

21 comments:

Wince said...: "And we need to see them because we created them."

As if they didn't exist before the injury, or amount to more than their wounds?; 5/25/15, 11:23 AM
rhhardin said...: Today's econtalk.org guest is Bent Flyvbjerg.

Don't stare at the name wondering how in the world it could be pronounced.; 5/25/15, 11:34 AM
Anonymous said...: Graphic and disturbing.
Even more disturbing to those , who in their wildest dreams, could never envision themselves in uniform and in harm's way; 5/25/15, 11:44 AM
Babaluigi said...: Today, we honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country, for its people, for our way of life...

...and we today, have so many reminders of the living casualties of war...These Veterans... Bless them and all who have given so much for America. There is obviously not anything we can say to truly express our appreciation. What we can do is to support them through the real charities which provide them and their families support, participate in home building/retrofitting programs, and relentlessly chide and remind our idiot government about the promises made to our Veterans!; 5/25/15, 11:48 AM
Eric the Fruit Bat said...: I have neighbors who are from Korea, and I have neighbors who are from China. None of them seems ever to have been taught that it is impolite to stare.

For example, just yesterday I was gardening in the front yard and one of them stops his car in the middle of the street and stares at me. I look up. No glint of recognition from him at all and he knows me.

What? You're in a car so you're invisible?

Two cars are behind him. They have to stop because they can't get past. He continues to stare, oblivious.

What the fuck happens if somebody twists their ankle on the sidewalk in Seoul? What? The entire city grinds to a halt as everyone and his mother stands around and gawks?

My sister-in-law is from Japan.

She's not like that at all.; 5/25/15, 11:56 AM
RazorSharpSundries said...: Fuck the idiot that says "we made them." Fuckin' Muslim terrorists "made" them and they want to "make" us all in the same fashion. Thanks is not enough for these brave men and women and I can't comment further on that because I can't put it into words. God I hate America hating left wingers who deliberately twist the truth to destroy our faith and values. Fuck 'em.; 5/25/15, 12:40 PM
Anonymous said...: All gave some and some gave all.

Absent Companions!; 5/25/15, 12:46 PM
David said...: "We made them."

Or perhaps we ignored them until they made themselves. These people all were volunteers. They did not have to be there. Most of us declined the opportunity. And now we notice.; 5/25/15, 1:11 PM
n.n said...: Why can't we hide them behind a veil of privacy? It works for the millions of other created victims that mark the feminists' pursuit of power, wealth, pleasure, and leisure. In fact, there are legal penalties imposed upon anyone who would dare stare at their victims, who are quickly flushed or recycled.

If the value of human life throughout its evolution is rejected on principle (e.g. selective-child or pro-choice doctrine), especially when we are uniquely vulnerable: from conception to birth, and approaching our natural death, them any concern expressed in the interim, including simulations of empathy, are evidence of ulterior motives.; 5/25/15, 1:15 PM
ken in tx said...: Japanese think that staring is rude. They have signs in their zoos telling people not to stare at the monkies. Koreans seem to have different rules of politeness for indoors and outdoors. They are very polite indoors but outdoors, almost anything goes.; 5/25/15, 1:16 PM
Anonymous said...: The most noble fate a man can endure is to place his own mortal body between his loved home and the war's desolation.
Lt. Col. Jean V. Dubois (Ret.)

There are no dangerous weapons; there are only dangerous men.
Sergeant Charles Zim; 5/25/15, 1:48 PM
Hammond X. Gritzkofe said...: Thank you, Bobby, and best wishes to you!

- Hammond; 5/25/15, 1:57 PM
Steve said...: Before seeing the pictures I assumed that they would be those, "Yes we all care about the troops and look how awful it is and let me use their commitment and suffering for my own political purposes."

After looking at the pictures, I think the photographer did a wonderful job. He has work with these guys to tell their stories with massive emotional impact. I was feeling quietly appreciative of the sacrifices made.

Then I started reading the comments. Boy, they love to stand on a coffin to make political points over there.; 5/25/15, 2:12 PM
Krumhorn said...: It's important to take a very close look. Too many have not really processed (or even cared?) what it has cost to keep us safe and free.

Stare hard, and be eternally thankful for such people.

- Krumhorn; 5/25/15, 2:43 PM
Birches said...: Then I started reading the comments. Boy, they love to stand on a coffin to make political points over there.

Yep, it was a lovely spread, but the comments now just make me want to go punch someone in the face. I wonder how many veterans or family members of fallen soldiers those commenters know. Idiots, the lot of them.; 5/25/15, 3:34 PM
Babaluigi said...: "...Then I started reading the comments. Boy, they love to stand on a coffin to make political points over there..."

Yup, I made the mistake of wading through them, wondering if I would find something different from what I expected....silly me..."forget it Jake, it's NPR..."; 5/25/15, 3:44 PM
The Godfather said...: Millions spent one night a week for the last few of months looking at Noah Galloway on Dancing With The Stars. He lost an arm (just below the shoulder) and a leg (above the knee) to an IED in Iraq (you remember: The war Obama and Biden won?). It was hard to look at his injuries, but he didn't ask for pity. He gave it his best and came in third.

In an earlier season, J.R. Martinez, terribly disfigured by an IED, performed on the same show.

After a quick glance at the comments on the linked site, I'll skip those who want to use the suffering of others to promote their childish political agendas.; 5/25/15, 4:14 PM
Chris N said...: Yet they pick and nag about war, military service, and paint everything as though it were PTSD, and every human problem as though their ideas will solve them (The VA, activism through gov't, psychology pop-psychology, sociology, pop-neuroscience etc).

Once you realize what unites many of them are secular humanist ideals and a common set of political ideals, it makes some sense.

So along with the good works and empathy, comes the dark side: Retrenched moralism, in-group---out-group tribalism, Human, all too human ignorance, harsh judgment and group-think.

The arts and real arts projects and decent photo-ops could be done a service by pointing out all the other problems at NPR.

Very few people/groups willing point out their own problems and shortcomings. It hurts.; 5/25/15, 9:10 PM
Michael The Magnificent said...: There but for the grace of God go I.; 5/25/15, 10:44 PM
rcommal said...: This brings to mind experiences at Lincoln Elementary School in Monmouth, Illinois 1967-1971, and even before that, at Greencastle, Indiana 1961-1967.; 5/25/15, 11:26 PM
n.n said...: Chris N:

An offset to PTSD is the sincere belief (and feedback) that your effort has value.; 5/26/15, 12:52 PM