The Reaction to a U.S. Marine Killing a Puppy in Iraq

Everyday in Iraq a bomb explodes on a crowded street. Innocent children and women are the targets of violence. Soldiers on both sides face unrelenting danger. Villages are destroyed as lives are disrupted. These are just some of the destructive results of war. But what news do we receive back home? Is it of the horrible conditions the people of Iraq must live in as a result of their government's choices? Home about our own troops? Do we receive personal stories about our soldiers in Iraq, or do we hear unemotional statistics. Our society has become so detached from this war that we have no sense of the worth of human life.

A few weeks ago, a disturbing story came out of Iraq. American soldiers on patrol found a puppy by itself, and picked it up. As they were recording themselves playing with this dog, one of the Marines abruptly turned and hurled the puppy off a cliff and to it's death. Even more shocking was the demeanor of the soldier afterwords, showing no remorse. These soldiers have to be under such unimaginable stress that it is impossible for anyone else to even venture a guess as to his mindset. Still, it would be hard to justify killing a harmless puppy. As the video eventually began to circulate on-line and be picked up by the media, there was a wide uproar from the American public. People were so upset by this story that they became angry. They wanted immediate repercussions to be taken against the soldier. Knowing this story would attract wide appeal, almost every major media outlet ran the story. Trying to play into the emotional draw of this story, newscasters deemed this event as heartbreaking, tragic, horrible, and so on. Many people were interviewed asking how they felt on the subject, and their responses were fascinating. People were saying how this was the worst news to come out of Iraq, and how it was such a disregard for life. People felt worse for the dog than for any of the soldiers risking their lives everyday.

First off, to kill anything for no reason is unjustifiable. The soldiers who participated in this action clearly have some sort of disruptive emotional mindset, more than likely a result of their situation. With that said, people need to let it go. Think about how much horrible, atrocious, destructive, inhumane activity happens on this planet everyday. Millions of people die because they don't get enough food. Religious fanatics will go to any length to kill another human being because of faith. Innocent people die because of their governments. Individuals are denied basic rights and opportunities based on their backgrounds. Working class people are faced with daily economic choices as big corporations exploit the world. And what is the saddest, most upsetting, emotional evoking story that there is? A dog died. Why are people so upset? Clearly it isn't the loss of innocent life. If they got so upset about one dog then they wouldn't be able to bear the horror of the entire world. So what is it then? How about because people can connect with the image of a cute, little puppy. Most people have pets or generally like animals, so they can relate to pain of an animal dying. Isn't it sad that people feel more connected to one animal dying than millions of people? Our society has become so obsessed with unimportant things that they can't even grasp the value of human life. Another reason the reaction to all of this is so over the top is the fact that people are hypocritical. They will say all life is important, not just humans. Well what if it hadn't been a cute little puppy, but rather a venomous snake? If a video of an American soldier killing a rattlesnake in Iraq made its way home, it would be discarded. There would be no selling factor because people would not feel emotionally attached. Certain things have a higher emotional appeal, and can gain greater attention. A man being killed isn't as upsetting as a child. A bird getting hit by a car isn't as sad as a dog or cat. An Iraqi being killed isn't as bad as an American dieing. Most people only care about things related to themselves, and are incapable of truly feeling empathy for another group. Maybe the reason is because people would be so overwhelmed if they allowed themselves to be affected by every sad story. If they don't think about it, then it can't upset them.

Was the soldier wrong for killing a puppy? Yes, but it should not be the biggest story about Iraq. People should feel more attached to the wrong doings against humans, not animals. If we allow this act of poor judgment to consume our attention, we risk losing all sense of the value of life. If you want to be upset at a person for killing an animal, that's your choice. Just try to keep it from overshadowing the big picture.