We love you anyway.

I would be concerned over the psychological impact of watching something like that. Would it make you have a tendency toward violence? Post-traumatic shock? Numb to the point of indifference?

Pavlov's dog, once extremely loyal to his caretaker, began to act aggressively when emotional and medical stress was inflicted on him.

Alex in "Clockwork Orange" eventually links violence and the response to it with a subconscious feeling of death.

For that matter, What about video games and such... does violence beget violence?

Why deliberately subject yourself to such a traumatic scene? There's nothing to be learned from it, imo. Why are people drawn to the blood and guts and gore in life?

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“It is only with the heart that one sees rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.” - The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (1945)

I'm drawn to the fictional blood-and-guts of horror movies. A good exploding head scene, a la "Scanners" or "Dawn of the Dead", can be quite invigorating. This doesn't numb me to the horrors of real-life violence, though, nor does it make me more likely to participate in it. Seeing actual violence of this extreme and horrific nature makes me feel bad for a long time afterwards, so I rarely watch anything like that. It's enough for me to be aware that such things occur without having to see them.

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Legend, oh legend, the third wheel legend...always in the way.

That's the choice I made regarding this as well.

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ken.kaufman@gmail.com

But veiwing them is comepletly different. When you see these attrocites it just makes you lose faith in the human race. Why? Why did they cut that guys head off? It would serve no purpose except to get americans angry at them. They didnt inspire fear they inspired hatred. I mean the guy was a contractor sent to rebuild their war destroyed country and they cut his fucking head off. What the fuck kinda logic is that? Its probably the thing that distubed me the most was the look in the guys eyes as they were cutting of his head. They seemed like they knew what was coming and then they just went dead. It will probably stay with me forever. I probably shouldnt have started this thread sorry.

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possible savior probable SEX MACHINE

I absolutely learned something from watching such atrocities.

I learned that I truly value human life.

I learned that others do not.

I learned that hours of viewing these atrocities left me feeling sociopathic, to the point where I felt I could have strangled someone slowly and not felt anything about it. After a couple of hours, the feeling faded.

I learned I do not want to feel like that again.

I learned the world needs to change drastically before such things will stop happening.

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The giant three-phallused phallus of Uzbekistan will one day squirt the cosmic jizz of revenge all over Canada.

What I do not understand is what they hope to accomplish by this? What did the american contractors do to deserve such a heinous and vile punishment? What was the logic behind it? Does anyone have any insight on this? Or was it all just in the name of violence, senseless violence? Can there be any hope for the remaining contractors. I too am like biped drawn to the fake guts and gore of horror cinema but this, this made me enraged and then saddened and then numb.

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possible savior probable SEX MACHINE

Your reaction to it is exactly what they want. Their intention is to commit atrocities that will sicken and horrify people. They're hoping that this will sway political leaders to give in to their demands, or to prompt those who elect them to vote certain ways or demand certain things of their leaders. They have no political power themselves so they use terror in an attempt to influence world events. One reason I don't watch this stuff anymore is that they want me to watch it. Can you imagine standing there videotaping a beheading the way normal human beings videotape family get-togethers and shit? Fuck them and their fucking videos.

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Legend, oh legend, the third wheel legend...always in the way.

A reason I have a tendency to be drawn to it, is wanting a better understanding of death and power. Okay, granted I can see that with normal traffic accidents or sweet natural disasters, but seeing someone do that to someone else is is an absolutely fascinating display of death and power. To me anyway. The guy murdering the contractor is wielding such an aweful power; he must literally feel like God. He can choose the fate of another human in a very personal way. Granted I could choose whether or not to kill my neighbor, but it's not the same. The idea is unacceptable to me and I would probably never find myself in the same situation as the terrorist. Even crimes of passion can't compare. Probably because the terrorist knows what he can do to the contractor and the contractor knows it with absolute certainty.

I find it fascinating, but I'm also sickened. It's bad enough working tech support or for Wal-Mart in the south, but seeing people murder each other up close and personal that's not Hollywood-generated is the one thing that can completely shatter my faith in humanity. After seeing th Russian soldier video, it took me months before I stopped jumping whenever I saw someone holding a knife. I couldn't tell if it was someone who just carries a pocketknife or someone getting ready to slit the throat of the guy next to him.

It horrified me to a degree I never thought possible. I felt soiled and wrong. On one hand I never want to feel that again, but on the other hand, I think it's good for me. I know it sounds nuts, but think of someone who's seen friends, family members, or even complete strangers murdered right before their eyes. That feeling must be increased tenfold. At least. Seeing these videos certainly makes me feel like I have a better understanding of what others have gone through. Which I think is important.

And it is sad that humans do these things to each other. Humans are right bastards, but until we ascend to a higher plane of existence or be converted to robots, I doubt we'll ever stop. Barring mind control of course.

And now that I've rambled to a degree that makes me seem like a loony, I'll give the floor back to whoever is next.

I've actually addressed this in another thread. There are passages in Muslim law, taken from the Koran itself, that advocating beheading the enemy.

Also, they threatened to behead these prisoners if the coalition forces did not leave Iraq. They were using them just as any terrorist uses a hostage, which is for leverage. If demands are not met, the hostage is executed.

Although it is still heinous, that is why they do it. They believe that strongly in the U.S. getting out of Iraq.

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The giant three-phallused phallus of Uzbekistan will one day squirt the cosmic jizz of revenge all over Canada.

Look, I'm sorry I cut those heads off, ok? Jeez it was a mistake.

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Vote Jeb Bush 2008