# So Where Are the Fallujah Civilians? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 17, 2004, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-where-are-the-fallujah-civilians/275305 "2004-11-17T18:05:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2004, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-where-are-the-fallujah-civilians/275305/41 "2004-11-18T22:04:29Z")
No joy in the deaths of civilians. At the same time, I think that narrative expectations sometimes kick in for people. Ever read a horror story, where you know, you just **know** , that the protagonist is gonna die horribly? The author knows you know, and draws out the suspense. And when the death comes, it’s just as awful as you imagined it. At the same time, the suspense is over, and there’s a certain terrible relief in that. Sartre wrote a story about it, perhaps someone smarter than me remembers the title, in which a soldier was sentenced to execution in the morning, and spent the night reflecting on how the terrible anticipation of death was worse than death itself. Narrative, story, is powerful. And I think sometimes that might be the vibe people give off: the anticipation, the **not knowing** , about the consequences of a military action is so awful for observers that they want to go ahead and hear about the consequences. Their eagerness to end the anticipation can be mistaken for eagerness for the consequences themselves. When I’m reading a horror story, I may race to the end, but I’m not rooting for the protagonist’s death. Sartre’s soldier desperately wanted morning to come, but would have given almost anything for a reprieve. And I want to know what happened in Fallujah, but if I had any control over it, I would not whatsoever want anyone to have died. Got it, **Roseworm**? I await your sincere apology for having made such an egregiously horrific charge against other posters. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2004, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-where-are-the-fallujah-civilians/275305/42 "2004-11-18T23:04:50Z")
Damn…I never make any list. ---
**Author:** ![malkavia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malkavia/32/5621_2.png) [@malkavia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/malkavia)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2004, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-where-are-the-fallujah-civilians/275305/43 "2004-11-18T23:12:17Z")
> [@Left Hand of Dorkness](#): > > When I’m reading a horror story, I may race to the end, but I’m not rooting for the protagonist’s death. > > Sartre’s soldier desperately wanted morning to come, but would have given almost anything for a reprieve. > > And I want to know what happened in Fallujah, but if I had any control over it, I would not whatsoever want anyone to have died. I just wanted to say that this is the most accurate explanation of how I have felt since this war began. Well spoken, sir. ---
**Author:** ![New\_Iskander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/db5fbb/32.png) [@New\_Iskander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/New_Iskander)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-where-are-the-fallujah-civilians/275305/44 "2004-11-19T00:56:58Z")
> [@Reeder](#): > > Damn…I never make any list. You are too \*unique \* for that. ---
**Author:** ![New\_Iskander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/db5fbb/32.png) [@New\_Iskander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/New_Iskander)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-where-are-the-fallujah-civilians/275305/45 "2004-11-19T01:09:10Z")
Here is an article from the Times of London, which mentions Fallujah civilians in some detail: > [@](#): > > [Such is the fear that the heavily armed militants held over Fallujah that many of the residents who emerged from the ruins welcomed the US marines, despite the massive destruction their firepower had inflicted on their city.](http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-1359782_2,00.html) 300,000 civilians moved away is nothing. Clinton cleared all of Kosovo Albanians (about 1,500,000 I believe) back to Albany, before bombing Kosovo serbs. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-where-are-the-fallujah-civilians/275305/46 "2004-11-19T01:24:42Z")
> [@New Iskander](#): > > … back to Albany… Extraordinary! ---
**Author:** ![New\_Iskander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/db5fbb/32.png) [@New\_Iskander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/New_Iskander)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-where-are-the-fallujah-civilians/275305/47 "2004-11-19T01:27:06Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Extraordinary! Ah-hah, you fellfor it! Correction, it was about [800,000 Kosovo Albanian refugees](http://www.infoplease.com/spot/kosovo-timeline1.html). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-where-are-the-fallujah-civilians/275305.md?page=2)