When did some stop being human?

I write this very shaken up and beyond upset. While following issues going on in the middle east, I happened upon a video, (which there is no way I will post here if it is even still on the net anywhere due to extreme graphic content) of the conflict in Syria going on today.
It's nothing new to see the wars going on there, or other places on the news...so much so that I thought at one point I was becoming desensitized to it. (Sad but true).
But this video showed what perhaps was an apartment building after being bombed TODAY in Syria and there were many casualties, including children. And that is where I snapped. I'm tearing up just writing this...
I don't give a damn what side thinks they are right, or wrong, or who follows what god, or who has the nastier bomb..
WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE SLAUGHTERING CHILDREN WHO ARE INNOCENT TO YOUR POLITICS AND YOUR WAR! These babies are not guilty of anything.They cannot pick a side for you to judge, let alone is it your place to judge.
If what separates us as human beings is our capability to have feelings and emotions I see a complete lack of compassion and a total and encompassing hate. I have used the middle east conflict as an example because that is what compelled me to post, however it is not unique to war scenarios. It's everywhere. People just don't seem to care anymore about anyone or anything.
I also viewed a documentary this morning titled "Enjoy Poverty". In a nutshell it was photojournalists in the Congo interviewing the crop farmers and taking pictures and footage of the way they are forced into living extreme poverty whilst the plantation owners are very wealthy. Not uncommon perhaps, but when you see that they work long hours, and come home to a ramshackle excuse for a home, and their children are dying, of starvation and disease...I just want to cry. We in the west have raped their land and with little knowledge here even of the horror they live just so we can have our affluent lifestyle. Even worse is the government there who even admits that POVERTY IS A BUSINESS ...and that their annual foreign aid from the US of $1.8 billion is more than all their exports combined including diamonds and copper. Not one of those poor children ever see a cent of that money I'm sure. I doubt a child ANYWHERE sees a cent of the trillions of dollars donated to charities worldwide that are supposed to benefit third world countries. I can't stand to think of the suffering these families endure. Power and greed is all that matter???
If there is a god surely he has every right to smite us where we stand...so many are no longer human that a redefinition is in order. We don't qualify as a single race.IMHO.

My apologies for the long winded post...but I had to get it out.
I need to go hug my children a bit tighter.

I know exactly how you feel. I am sick and tired of wars and political motivated murder!

In a world where infanticide is permitted, encouraged, and even subsidized, why would you expect any children to be treated better anywhere?

reply to post by AccessDenied


Happens everyday in several parts of the world, mostly Africa but you will only hear about it in areas that are of interest to the US, Israel and Europe.

WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE SLAUGHTERING CHILDREN WHO ARE INNOCENT TO YOUR POLITICS AND YOUR WAR!

They're reptilians, don't you know?

Seriously, I'm only half joking. As I've said before, the people who run this world, and commit these atrocities, can't be human. They're other. I just don't know what that other is. The word psychopath just doesn't seem to be sufficient.

reply to post by AccessDenied


Amen, Amen and Amen again OP! No I am not religious, but that was the best I could gather to show my agreement!

As long as we have normal everyday people who support the corrupt political regimes across the world, we will always have unwarranted deaths due to the evil parasites that have taken control of the worlds wealth! Sadly, we have people who actually believe that the different political parties are in the game to help them and actually believe it! (Just look at the idiotic arguements between the Democrats and Republicans in the US!).

We have the numbers to easily stop em, but as long as people rely on these criminals to make their lives better, the harder it will be for humanity to change the path that has been set before us.

Peace is a mere pipe dream as long as we allow those in charge to treat the majority as nothing more than stupid farm animals that will be disposed of when they are no longer needed......

What can we do about it?

Why can't we stop this, and protect people from these non-humans?

It's so sick and sad...helpless...

unfortunately, the youtube generation has created a population of uploaders and they have no shame when it comes to themselves and no regard for right and wrong and moral decency when it comes to others.

The end result is that there are thousands upon thousands of videos and images that should never have been captured and, if they were, they never, ever should have been made available.


I recently had a similar viewing which disgusted me. Not just the video itself but that it was being shown to me.

I was at my son's baseball game and one of the dads had a video of the bombing of the building that the hamas "military leader" was hiding in. He also had a video of a man dragging the remains of the hamas leader onto the street. It was a pair of legs trailed by innards.

The desensitization of our senses, thanks to shows like Walking Dead (which I love), resulted in my not seeing the video as disgusting as I should have. I knew it was horrible, and I didn't watch more than a couple of seconds, at most, but it almost looked like it could have been a scene from any zombie/slasher film..

What really made me ill was that this man, a father, a guy who I sat around, b.s.ing with the other dads, every weekend, would have this video and be so exicted and proud to show it.

The sad truth is our nation is twisted and filled with all the wrong kind of hatred and we no longer carry the morals and ethics that once graced the majority of the world.

We stopped being human when we embraced Capitalism and ignored the fact that capitalism embodies the Catholic Church's 7 deadly sins.

I'm not against capitalism or for the Catholic Church, but when the Christian Monk Evagrius Ponticus came up with his 8 deadly sins - he seemed to know the path that man would take towards evil deeds.

Now that path is played out in the name of profit and power and in the name of 'Free Enterprise.' The poor always pay the price, as they are cheap labor and are grateful for being allowed to work for scraps - what choice do they have?

[edit]: As for political and religious leaders - they use the same principles to stay in power. Most of them (them being midEast rulers) have a vested interest to stay in complete control - they want to ensure they can keep their wealth and livelihood - they'll keep what they have at any cost as long as they can. Same goes for the religious leaders - they want to stay on top so they have obedient followers to do their bidding - that bidding usually involves killing innocent people in a name. Those religious leaders also enjoy perks - they are more equal than their followers and they think they should be entitled to more religious freedoms (alcohol and women/men/children).

reply to post by AccessDenied


I've been saying this for a while now. We need to change the idea of war so that it is socially (TOTALLY) unacceptable to everyone - especially to those in the military.

Right now war is perceived as an event that turns boys into men. It's where only the brave dare tread. Old men look fondly back on the days of glory. War turns soldiers into heroes.

This is WRONG!

We need to make governments ashamed to go to war, to make it so that war is not the last option, but NOT an option - ever!

When our governments speak of war we need to tell them in one voice, YOU ARE NOT GOING TO MAKE OUR SOLDIERS INTO A BUNCH OF BABY KILLERS! You are not going to kill young moms and dads! You are not going to kill helpless old men and women!

I'd love to see dictionaries define war as:

WAR: When two or more governments cannot resolve their differences, they turn their soldiers into baby killers.

I don't even know how to respond except to say that I agree with every word that you said.

reply to post by AccessDenied



The slaughter of women and children is nothing new. It has happened all through out mankinds history.

No one has ever stopped being human, it is within our capacity to slaughter children as well as to care for them. Why are you so shocked??

The ability to kill children is part of being human. Although its funny how many find bombs and bullets killing children detestable but abortions are not.

so what is human?? I think being human is very complex. as humans we can care for children... we can also rationalize why killing them is okay... either as collateral damage for a cause or as a social decision that lets some exercise their rights.

The ability to kill children and the ability to rationalize it is very human.

what makes you think that people stop being human when they hurt children??

The simple answer, OP?

Money and the use of to control people and nations. The use of money = fear.
Religion as the moral centerpiece in our lives and the fight over which is correct or incorrect. Religion = fear.
Avarice and greed in relation to both aforementioned tools used, as a means of control over the populace of nations on Earth. Combined = insanity.

Putting possessions as well as power (or the illusion thereof) perceived from having these things has led to many people becoming inhuman in regard to each other.

reply to post by Crakeur


I disagree. I think we should be seeing these things. Everyday millions of children and adults are being forced to endure the disgusting madness of war. But here, we are "sheltered" and most people don't care for things deeper than celebrity baby names.

Those disgusting videos are the reality of this world. We need to be exposed so we can get upset.
We need go outside our comfort zones. It's like living in denial to say we shouldn't be seeing these things.
If you can't stomach them, that is fine, it is hard to.

But in the west, you hear people say "go back to your own country if you don't like ours" or "damn, refugees" and get upset when you hear the gov't is supporting them. Meanwhile, maybe their father was dragged out of a building in two pieces, entrails dangling and they watched their mother getting raped.

Life is not pretty.

The world isn't totally lost, because we have good loving people like you OP.

And you are not alone, there is still a lot of love in this world.

Here is a video of people doing good things.

reply to post by AccessDenied


Ouch. Man's inhumanity to man is pretty shocking.
I would submit, though, that even those people out there killing kids are still humans in every sense of the word. They still feel emotions, even good ones, I'm sure. They simply believe that whatever they are doing is worth it. Or maybe they don't really believe anything at all.
What I would say is, don't be surprised when it happens, but keep on being shocked. War and death and murder is quite routine for humans, but it's not good, and shouldn't be acceptable. Thanks for reminding us of that.

The sad thing is if this happened in the western world it would be treated as a great tragedy. In these places however it's just another casualty, like it's half expected.

I really understand your frustations , its indeed like there are 2 types of human : the one that destroy's everything and the one that creates.
I am really sensitive to injustice , to a point where my blood starts boiling when im in situations where any human is not treaten as equal , its usually other humans i care about cause i know there is not any power in the world that will get me on my knees.
i had incidents where i would be in the local supermarket and some customer would be very agressive and harrasing towards the staff ,trowing objects etc , i would calmly walk towards the customer , like im up to nothing and when i was near him i would strike him with full force fist on the face , just to take him out of combat pre emptive before he could do anything to the staffmember , wich was like a teen girl or boy who are barely capable to defend themself against a adult male.
I am not agressive in any way though , i have a fight like once each 10 years , purely in self defense , this has multiple reasons , the first is very personal , being diagnosed with ADHD from a young age , i cant afford to get into a fight because then i will lose all control over myself , both mentally and physically , i am well aware of this , so i always try and fix things through talking or other passive means of situation control mechanics
The second reason is i live by a strict moral code dedicated to serve others , its kinda hard to explain this state of mind in English writings ( wich is not my native language as you all noticed in my grammar )
I just believe that in order to succeed as a Civilisation the stronger amongst us must carry the ones that are less strong instead of wiping them out.
The only way i can see how you can fight injustice is by fighting back , but that will slowly makes you the Beast that you tried to destroy.
I would trade in my passport or "place" in my country anyday if i could give it to a young child stuck in a war , heavy traumatised and family members who have been killed , i wouldnt last a month , but i would be proud to know i gave someone a chance they really deserved , too bad such things are not possible by law.

reply to post by AccessDenied


Beware the Bleeding Hearts Brigade! There are several things that came to my mind instantly when I read your piece, so I'm just going to come out with it:

1) Get a grip and stop getting so over emotional! Emotionalism is not the cure, but the problem. That makes YOU the problem.

2) How do you know what is, or is not, best for other people? You only know what is best for yourself. You weep over children dying, but you have no idea why they are dying. People die. That is a fact. The only difference is how and when. Did these children suffer so much more than the child in the West being kept alive on cancer drugs, or being beaten daily to loosen up their lungs when they have cystic fibrosis etc., etc..I rather think that being blown up by a bomb would be preferable.

3) Yes, I agree, we live in a stinking, rotten violent world. Funny thing is, though, everyone pleads innocence. So if no one is guilty of creating this hellish world we live in, then why is it in such a mess in the first place???? For example, at work we had an anti-bullying workshop once. All my coworkers stood up and instanced times when they had been victims of bullying at that place of work. None of them, when asked, admitted to being or having been a bully. Funny thing is, though, I had experienced being bullied by every single one of them at one time or other!!!!!!! You don't need to be a top level mathematician to work that one out.

4) You are a godsend to newspapers and all people who work around and in the news media: do you really have no idea how they manipulate, and the amazing extent to which they can manipulate the events occurring around the world. (I have seen them make a puddle look like a flood just by shooting from the right angle, and then there's always somebody on hand to say suitably shocking a wildly exaggerated things about that "flood".) And why do they manipulate? Because they know it gets people like you fired up and doling out the money for more newspapers etc., etc..

Apologies for being tardy at getting back to this thread. I was quite emotionally charged and took the time to compose myself and gather my thoughts to respond accordingly.
First off- I cannot and will not condone the actions of anyone during war or otherwise that compromises the well being of a child in any form.
To anyone who brushes that off as, oh well it happens, why are you shocked..etc...I would seriously question how you became so complacent and rectify that. I'm sure were it happening in your back yard you would not be so nonchalant about it.
We can all see that humanity has degraded to almost zero morals or justice.Our technology has advanced, but we have not. It's not the influence of a reptilian species but the reptilian part of our brains . a switch has been turned off, and that which made us enlightened is now flickering out.
I too, cannot put the blame on those that video tragedy and put it out there for the world to see. We cannot live under a rock. We need to see what's behind the curtain, even if it's shocking.If we remain ignorant to injustice than we cannot demand change, especially for those who cannot defend themselves.ignorance is not something I deny only when I log in here. It has to be something that crosses over into real life.
As for what to do, or how to stop it...I don't know. I wish I did. I have zero trust or faith in charities who collect money for third world countries, knowing full well it is never spent for it's intention.Unicef, and others like it, play on the poverty and suffering of these children, and it sickens me. I refuse to support it.
So in closing..I apologize to anyone who was offended by my emotional outburst...
Unfortunately, I will forever have an image of a child being pulled from the rubble by a distraught parent with a visibly horrific head injury trying to speak....burned into my brain and I'll never forget it.
Pray, this never happens where you live.