# It's fun to shoot people. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 3, 2005, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-fun-to-shoot-people/288259 "2005-02-03T21:43:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2005, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-fun-to-shoot-people/288259/1 "2005-02-03T21:43:11Z")
Not my sentiments, but the words of a [Marine commander](http://www.nbc4.tv/politics/4155808/detail.html) serving in Iraq > [@](#): > > The comment, made by Lt. Gen. James Mattis, came in reference to fighting insurgents in Iraq. He went on to say, “Actually, its a lot of fun to fight. You know, it’s a hell of a hoot. I like brawling.” > > “You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for 5 years because they didn’t wear a veil,” Mattis continued. “You know, guys like that ain’t got no manhood left anyway. So it’s a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them.” He’s been [officially rebuked](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4234751.stm), but is this the standard we should expect from the USMC? ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2005, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-fun-to-shoot-people/288259/2 "2005-02-03T21:47:41Z")
Sounds more like the standard of an asshole. ---
**Author:** ![Domokun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c77e96/32.png) [@Domokun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Domokun)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2005, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-fun-to-shoot-people/288259/3 "2005-02-03T21:48:15Z")
The Doom generation at war. ---
**Author:** ![lno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a8b319/32.png) [@lno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lno)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2005, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-fun-to-shoot-people/288259/4 "2005-02-03T21:52:20Z")
> [@Domokun](#): > > The Doom generation at war. The guy’s a lieutenant general. I’d be surprised if he was playing Doom a decade ago. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2005, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-fun-to-shoot-people/288259/5 "2005-02-04T00:42:59Z")
> [@Tapioca Dextrin](#): > > […]is this the standard we should expect from the USMC? I dunno, but this is certainly the standard the Corps expects from itself. I heard a fairly senior Marine officer quoted awhile back to this effect: “The general public has no idea what we really do, and I think that’s good, because it would scare the hell out of them.” Think about that. It poses some interesting questions as to what our defenders think about the people they’re defending. ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2005, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-fun-to-shoot-people/288259/6 "2005-02-04T01:11:56Z")
He’s a soldier. His words aren’t suprising. Patton was one of our greatest Generals, but in the movie biopic about his life he has this to say about war: “I love it. God help me, I do love it so. I love it more than my life”. The quote may be apocryphal, but I think it illustrates the mind of a career soldier very well. At the very heart of it, a soldier’s job is to make war. That means killing people. It ain’t pretty, but that is what a soldier does. That is what we, as taxpayers, pay them to do. I can understand Lt. Col. Mattis’ coments. The guy simply likes his job. Now, his comments may seem callous to civilians, but I’d still rather have a guy like that commanding me in the field than someone who agonizes every death incurred by military action. My signature may be oddly apt here: ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2005, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-fun-to-shoot-people/288259/7 "2005-02-04T01:31:28Z")
> [@Beware of Doug](#): > > “The general public has no idea what we really do, and I think that’s good, because it would scare the hell out of them.” I’m currently reading Swofford’s _Jarhead_, and as a result neither this comment nor the sentiment expressed by the Lt. Gen. in the OP strike me as being particularly surprising. Depressing, sure. Surprising, no. ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2005, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-fun-to-shoot-people/288259/8 "2005-02-04T01:32:15Z")
> [@lno](#): > > The guy’s a lieutenant general. I’d be surprised if he was playing Doom a decade ago. Good point, I didn’t even notice his rank. Given that, I’d be surprised if he’s even shot anyone recently, either. ---
**Author:** ![Gadfly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/aeb1de/32.png) [@Gadfly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gadfly)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2005, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-fun-to-shoot-people/288259/9 "2005-02-04T01:40:53Z")
> [@Domokun](#): > > The Doom generation at war. I’ve played first person shooters and other violent games. I’m also emotionally stable, have an active social life, and am not a violent person. James Mattis’ comments nearly made me physically sick. Fuck off. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2005, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-fun-to-shoot-people/288259/10 "2005-02-04T01:49:46Z")
> [@Gadfly](#): > > James Mattis’ comments nearly made me physically sick. Well, obviously you can’t _handle_ the truth! Heh. The comments inspire a bit of “yikes, was the filter in your head malfunctioning that day, General?” in me, but not sickness or shock. Actually, if you want _really_ offensive, an instructor of mine once told us of a short but pointed speech made by a retiring senior NCO: “When I joined the army, sucking cocks was forbidden. Now it’s allowed. I’m leaving before it’s mandatory.” My instructor thought this was hilarious, but apparantly was one of the few who’d admit it. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2005, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-fun-to-shoot-people/288259/11 "2005-02-04T01:50:57Z")
**AMwaG:** \*He’s a soldier. His words aren’t suprising. […] At the very heart of it, a soldier’s job is to make war. That means killing people. […] The guy simply likes his job. Now, his comments may seem callous to civilians […] \* I can stand the callousness of his **personal sentiments** , and I agree that there’s nothing particularly surprising about them. What does surprise me is that a USMC **LIEUTENANT GENERAL** leading a division in **IRAQ** would be so **fucking stupid** as to make a remark like that **in a public panel discussion**. Cheeses Rice, like the terrorists don’t already have enough propaganda to use against us: “High-ranking American officer says Iraqis ‘have no manhood’ and ‘it’s fun to shoot them’”. Actual quotes. I don’t expect soldiers to be superhumans or saints, but I **do** expect them to have enough intelligence and elementary discipline **not to say things in public that make the military look bad**. And it is clear from the USMC’s statement, that the officer in question had been “counselled” on his remarks and had agreed that he should have “chosen his words more carefully”, that they know damn well such comments **do** make the military look bad. Especially when they’ve got tens of thousands of soldiers in an occupied country, some of whom are having to shoot at people nearly every day. Og Magog, what a clueless maroon. ---
**Author:** ![Metacom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecae2f/32.png) [@Metacom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Metacom)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2005, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-fun-to-shoot-people/288259/12 "2005-02-04T01:57:25Z")
We ask them to kill people; do we want them to be sad and depressed because of it? Do we want them to cry and beg for prozac every time they pull the trigger? Killing people is one of the things armies are for. If becoming desensitized lets them sleep at night, then so be it… ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2005, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-fun-to-shoot-people/288259/13 "2005-02-04T01:58:14Z")
> [@Bryan Ekers](#): > > The comments inspire a bit of “yikes, was the filter in your head malfunctioning that day, General?” in me, but not sickness or shock. Maybe a _little_ shock. If the guy’s so out of control that he’s talking like this at civilian functions, what was he saying to his guys during the first attack on Fallujah? Did he clearly tell them that torture and mayhem were not acceptable, or did he give his troops wholesale permission to play bad apples? ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2005, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-fun-to-shoot-people/288259/14 "2005-02-04T02:00:00Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > **AMwaG:** \*He’s a soldier. His words aren’t suprising. […] > At the very heart of it, a soldier’s job is to make war. That means killing people. […] The guy simply likes his job. > Now, his comments may seem callous to civilians […] \* > > I can stand the callousness of his **personal sentiments** , and I agree that there’s nothing particularly surprising about them. > > What does surprise me is that a USMC **LIEUTENANT GENERAL** leading a division in **IRAQ** would be so **fucking stupid** as to make a remark like that **in a public panel discussion**. > > Cheeses Rice, like the terrorists don’t already have enough propaganda to use against us: “High-ranking American officer says Iraqis ‘have no manhood’ and ‘it’s fun to shoot them’”. Actual quotes. > > I don’t expect soldiers to be superhumans or saints, but I **do** expect them to have enough intelligence and elementary discipline **not to say things in public that make the military look bad**. And it is clear from the USMC’s statement, that the officer in question had been “counselled” on his remarks and had agreed that he should have “chosen his words more carefully”, that they know damn well such comments **do** make the military look bad. Especially when they’ve got tens of thousands of soldiers in an occupied country, some of whom are having to shoot at people nearly every day. Og Magog, what a clueless maroon. I could not agree with you more. A Lt. Gen. Speaking that way… > [@](#): > > expect them to have enough intelligence and elementary discipline Yes, and yes. ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2005, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-fun-to-shoot-people/288259/15 "2005-02-04T02:02:43Z")
> [@](#): > > It’s fun to shoot people. Yer goddamn right it is! ---
**Author:** ![Polerius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d78d45/32.png) [@Polerius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polerius)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2005, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-fun-to-shoot-people/288259/16 "2005-02-04T02:13:44Z")
> [@Gadfly](#): > > I’ve played first person shooters and other violent games. I’m also emotionally stable, have an active social life, and am not a violent person. “I’ve smoked heavily for decades and haven’t died of cancer, which proves that smoking isn’t bad for you” ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2005, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-fun-to-shoot-people/288259/17 "2005-02-04T02:23:33Z")
> [@A Monkey With a Gun](#): > > He’s a soldier. Don’t tell him that. ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2005, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-fun-to-shoot-people/288259/18 "2005-02-04T02:49:37Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > What does surprise me is that a USMC **LIEUTENANT GENERAL** leading a division in **IRAQ** would be so **fucking stupid** as to make a remark like that **in a public panel discussion**. _\_ I don’t expect soldiers to be superhumans or saints, but I **do** expect them to have enough intelligence and elementary discipline **not to say things in public that make the military look bad**. Preaching to the choir, man, preacing to the choir. What he feels is understasndable, but you just can’t _say_ that shit. It’s kind of sad in a way. You can’t say that because the public doesn’t really _want_ to know what happens in war. It ain’t no video game. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2005, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-fun-to-shoot-people/288259/19 "2005-02-04T02:59:44Z")
> [@Metacom](#): > > We ask them to kill people; do we want them to be sad and depressed because of it? Do we want them to cry and beg for prozac every time they pull the trigger? I understand that killing the bad guys is their job. Having fun while doing so is not part of the job. Being professional is. YMMV, apparently. ---
**Author:** ![Domokun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c77e96/32.png) [@Domokun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Domokun)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2005, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-fun-to-shoot-people/288259/20 "2005-02-04T06:21:42Z")
> [@Gadfly](#): > > James Mattis’ comments nearly made me physically sick. You probably should pick up a medipack for that. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-fun-to-shoot-people/288259.md?page=2)