What do You think about On Killing: The Psychological Cost Of Learning To Kill In War And Society (2003)?
"On Killing" is a fascinating book that details through heavily documented research the effects of killing during war on the individual. It's a dense read, but engrossing, and worth reading for anybody who is curious about the affect of war on the average soldier, or curious about why the Vietnam War stands out as such a stark and glaring watermark on combat.Unfortunately, the last chapter of the book has three notable flaws. One, it blames violence on media, and not on parental control. Two, it relies heavily on noted loon Michael Medved as a primary source. In the previous chapters, Grossman does a good (if not great) job citing a variety of sources to support his conclusions. This chapter feels rushed, probably because it doesn't develop its points as well and winds up relying on crackpot analyses. Three, the past 14 years of statistics run counter to the facts that Grossman DOES use in the chapter. Violence in America has generally decreased since On Killing was published in 1995, while video game consumption has skyrocketed.This is all quite disappointing, since the other 290 pages of the book are nothing less than a shocking documentation on real-world consequences of Pavlovian and Skinnerian theories. Ideally, Grossman will revisit the last chapter at some point to either bolster his stated view with more facts and better-respected media critics, or add a supplement explaining where he erred.
—Seth
I think it is absolutely imperative that every member of American society read, digest, and discuss such a telling piece of literature. This book was released in the 90's and even I recall the discussion it created regarding the role of violent media in the creation of a violent society. However, that discussion is just one of the many that we need to have.This book is not simply a reflection of the role that violence in television, movies and video games serves in the desensitization of our society towards killing. It is also a discussion on the role that society plays in the successful reintroduction of our military forces back into civilian life. Both topics - though incredibly different - deserve the same amount of attention from our society as a whole.It's a difficult book to read, no doubt. It is one of those books that is an eye opener and I know that people are afraid of learning that they may be doing something wrong. But there are two key current events that I think this book could apply to and both are the responsibility of every individual to address and deal with.One is that with the pulling out of troops in Middle East, we are seeing an influx of members of the Armed Forces back into our civilian world. If we do not treat them with the respect and honor they deserve and give them the support that they need, we could be facing another Vietnam-era crisis. Thousands of returning soldiers were marginalized in society following Vietnam. PTSD went untreated, and the validation that they so strongly needed was withheld. That's our fault as a society, and we can't let that happen again.Secondly, the Second Amendment has recently made it back into the spotlight and our country is once again strongly divided over the "right to bear arms". I would like to see everyone read this book to understand that firearms are just a tool and currently, given our ability to condition ourselves that killing is a justified practice, that tool is in the wrong hands. We need to look beyond the issue of firearms into the issue of a culture that encourages and nourishes violence and we need to discuss the root cause of the issues, not just the symptoms. I don't know what more to say. Read it. It could be the most important book you will ever read.
—Caity
This is a wonderful, eye-opening book. I read it and couldn't stop thinking about it. I wanted to share my learning with everyone, but I was worried people would find me a bit imbalanced and inappropriate for being so excited about death.Which is oddly enough, the author's main point. Death is a taboo topic is our modern society. It used to be that people killed the animals they ate, family members and friends died at young ages, and old people died at home, surrounded by their loved ones. Nowadays, animals are killed in masses at large slaughterhouses, most people live to be very old, and when they die, it is in a separate, sterile hospital. As a society, we don't know how to deal with death. We don't talk about death, we don't see death, we can't accept it as a normal part of life.Unfortunately, the only group willing to talk about death is the media. They promote the extremely dangerous message that death is violent and killing doesn't affect a person. This is completely untrue. Their message continues to skew our understanding of death.Then there is killing in the military, done for war purposes. It too is completely misunderstood. We think it is easy for soldiers to kill in battle. It isn't. There are all kinds of ramifications and negative effects that the general public and even the soldiers themselves don't understand. David Grossman attempts to help the reader understand what happens to an individual, even a well-trained professional individual, when he kills. He tries to help us understand death.My friend who is in the Marines suggested this book to me. He got it from a Marine's list of required reading. Honestly, I didn't finish the book because it was due at the library and it's a very intense book to read in one sitting. I think I'll buy this book because I feel it's an important topic to have in my personal library.
—Priscilla
