Torture and What it Means to Be Human

Before September 11^th, Americans smugly puffed out their chests, stuck their noses in the air, and declared themselves too civilized and God-fearing to stoop so low as to use torture in any form and under any circumstances. These were ordinary Americans, of course, oblivious to many of their own government's routine shady dealings, some involving torture all along. At any rate, the ordinary American on the street was pretty pleased with himself or herself and counted their blessings that they were, obviously, "better than" many other kinds of folks on the planet because they would never torture anyone.

After September 11^th, one in three Americans now claim to believe that, in the name of national security, government-sanctioned torture is acceptable. The most interesting aspect of this viewpoint is the fact that they believe this in the face of clear and compelling research that proves information gained through torture is virtually useless because the victim will say anything they think their torturers want to hear, just to make the pain and/or degradation stop. Thus, with this evidence before them, no rational mind would believe that any form of torture is acceptable, and certainly not simply on the face of the stated purpose, i.e. to preserve national security. Of what possible use could suspect information gained, as a result of torture, be to national security? Yet, one-third of the American population doggedly holds on to the viewpoint that torture is ok under the mythical (and equally vague) banner of certain circumstances.

What kind of person would, almost overnight, move from being proud of the fact that they did not believe in torture to one who not only believes it is alright, but actually supports it, knowing that it is going on at that very moment and in his own name? Torture is the tool of a person or society that feels weak and threatened and, at the same time, is both savage and ignorant. On September 11^th, it was brought home to Americans that they are not the safe haven they have been told they were in their own propaganda. In fact, they are considered, by many of their historical victims, to be a beast whose time for destruction has come. They never thought of themselves that way. Now, they were small and defenseless, and needed to hit back; but there was nothing and no one to hit, except anyone they could round up and point to as a possible terrorist. ...and hit them they did. In a frenzy, like Romans at the Forum, they cheered on an out of control government, as it expanded the use of torture around the globe, in their name.

At almost six years out from September 11, the rage of Americans is no longer a flash-point. Instead, it is a river that is flowing through the psyche of a significant portion of the population. The fact that government-sanctioned torture is going on is no longer shocking to Americans, but they still do not understand why the rest of the world objects to the manner in which they have reacted to September 11^th. Torture is a display of power, carried out by a weak and out of control person or nation. Torture is the product of blind fear combined with the ability to inflict pain on all who come near them. This equates to an inability to reconnect now with a large part of their own humanity, rendering them a danger to themselves and to others.

Will Americans, both individually and as a nation, find their humanity again? At this point, they still do not believe it has been lost, even in the face of worldwide outcries against their human rights violations. Somehow, it just doesn't seem to register that being human means not torturing anyone or anything, no matter what the reason, as an intrinsic characteristic of the values of one's self and of one's culture - and not simply refraining from torturing others because the world had a fit when they caught us at it. Would you rather your child refrain from bank robbery because he is not a thief? ... or would you rather your child refrain from bank robbery because he fears jail? One of those choices defines what it means to be human; and one does not. This is the dilemma that must be faced by Americans today, especially with respect to the issue of torture. What kind of people are we? We must answer that question now, bot individually and as a nation. The answer will determine our survival as human beings and as a nation.