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From: omo@mcnc.UUCP (Julie Omohundro)
Newsgroups: net.politics,net.flame
Subject: Re: American Hostages
Message-ID: <726@mcnc.mcnc.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 18-Aug-85 21:20:21 EDT
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Posted: Sun Aug 18 21:20:21 1985
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On Americans in war zones deserving what they get:

I can sort of see your point, but I find this attitude bothersome,
because it seems to echo statments I heard in the 50s and 60s
about how blacks who got beaten up for trying to enter all-white
establishments or segregated schools were getting their just deserts.
Also statements then and now about women wearing provocative clothing
or walking alone at night deserving to get raped.

Do you also agree with these statements?  Or do you perceive some
real difference between principles that I'm not sure I do?

Also, there seems to be an assumption that all Americans traveling
or living in politically unstable areas are just tourists on a
frivolous lark (for some, a wicked sin apparently, punishable
by any barbarian torture popular with local insurgents that week).

A substantial number of these people are involved in efforts to
ameliorate the poverty and suffering of the local populations
(Remember them?  The ones everyone's been so concerned about in
recent postings?)  Whether their efforts meet with your approval
or not, you must recognize that these people are knowingly exposing
themselves to danger in order to help others.  Although I myself
hardly qualify for the do-gooder category (I'm safe at my little
terminal, aren't I?), I can't see that these people deserve anything
but respect and, should their efforts bring them harm, deepest
sympathy.

I would certainly extend this to the Marine who died at
the Beirut airport, and I would never even momentarily consider
serving in any branch of the armed forces, anywhere, anytime.
In my own belief system, the fellow was a fool for joining up in
the first place.  But even fools don't `deserve' to have their hands
tied behind their backs to be beaten, have their kneecaps
broken, and then be shot and their bodies dumped out on a tarmack.
Also, he wasn't functioning in MY belief system, he had his own.

I don't see how we're ever going to get anywhere with anything
if we can't learn the simple lesson that we're all in this stupid
thing together (life, etc), and most of us are doing the best we
can under circumstances as we perceive them, and that EVERYONE's
perception is woefully lacking, so you better give the other guy
his due.

I should add that my perception of these and similar attitudes
is that the people holding them can't deal with the randomness
of death and disaster and want very badly to believe that, if
they do everything just right, nothing bad will happen.  Or,
similarly, that they are just as distressed when these tragedies
happen to others, and they are helpless to prevent them.  So they
want to find cause, lay blame, or find fault (the `If Only...'
Syndrome).  But bad things happen, sometimes without rhyme or 
reason.  Nobody deserves it.