[lit-ideas] Re: Seriously
- From: "Lawrence Helm" <lawrencehelm@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 10 Jun 2010 10:29:50 -0700
Carol, I just ordered the Chabon novel. Since I tried to imagine in a
"counterfactual" consisting of a Jewish nation in Argentina, it will be
interesting to see how Chabon does it in Alaska.
And in answer to David Ritchie, no, we didn't have a required reading list
when I was in the Marine Corps. Well, we had the Marine Corps Manual --
that was required reading -- but that was it.
And about being 'trained killers," that is one way of looking at it, I
suppose, but when I was in we were trained to function as units and not
individually. We were trained to move toward the enemy in rifle teams,
leapfrogging each other. No one told us we were trained killers, but that
was another time and another war.
Lawrence
From: lit-ideas-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:lit-ideas-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
On Behalf Of carol kirschenbaum
Sent: Wednesday, June 09, 2010 3:37 PM
To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: Seriously
David,
Have you read Michael Chabon's recent piece on Israel (and its ability to be
blockheaded) in the NYT? If not, perhaps add it to your reading list. It's
wonderful.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/06/opinion/06chabon.html?sq=michael
chabon&st=cse&scp=4&pagewanted=all
Carol K.
On Wed, Jun 9, 2010 at 3:20 PM, David Ritchie <ritchierd@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
I have three fresh pieces of reading to suggest to your attention:
http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2010/jun/10/failure-american-jewish
-establishment/?page=1
http://www.stratfor.com/weekly/20100607_limits_public_opinion_arabs_israelis
_and_strategic_balance?utm_source=GWeekly
<http://www.stratfor.com/weekly/20100607_limits_public_opinion_arabs_israeli
s_and_strategic_balance?utm_source=GWeekly&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=100
608&utm_content=readmore&elq=a82e9578eadf4380bb920fe1011acdcb>
&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=100608&utm_content=readmore&elq=a82e9578eadf4
380bb920fe1011acdcb
Both remind you that Israel, if not a state "like any other," is not
monolithic. When you read that "Israel" is behaving this way or that, and
"the Palestinians" are responding thus, its easy to forget that both
entities are made up of competing factions, each with its own history.
Those who wrote about Milgram earlier might be interested to learn what the
U.S. army has done in response to studies by Marshall and Milgram and so on.
How do they make killers out of civilians? The book is by Lt. Col. Dave
Grossman, "On Killing; The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and
Society." First published in 1995, it was updated last year to take account
of recent events. The introduction claims that it is now on the USMC
Commandant's Required Reading List. Maybe Lawrence can tell us if this is a
new thing, or if marines always had a Commandant's Required Reading List?
I picked it up in Powell's just now, while handling books for three new
courses. It survived the "dip" test is all I can say about it at present.
The "dip" test is a random sampling of pages and a quick look at the
bibliography and notes. Normally I wouldn't bother you with a book I
haven't read, but I figure that by the time I get round to reading it, the
Milgram posts will have been long forgotten.
David Ritchie,
Portland, Oregon
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