# Taliban Terrorists **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 13, 2012, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taliban-terrorists/609383 "2012-01-13T12:44:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Zep\_Tepi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/59ef9b/32.png) [@Zep\_Tepi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zep_Tepi)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taliban-terrorists/609383/1 "2012-01-13T12:44:38Z")
Could someone please explain to me that it is fine to kill a Taliban terrorist, in fact you will be praised for it, but you cannot pee on them. That is definitely a no, no. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taliban-terrorists/609383/2 "2012-01-13T12:49:18Z")
I’m sure the Taliban don’t see killing of their members to be “fine” either. But desecration of the dead is a big taboo in most societies, with the remains being seen as sacred objects. And particularly in hard-core [Muslim](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_funeral) ones, in which the US is trying to build hearts and minds. There may even be grudging respect for valor on the battlefield, and urinating on the vanquished is not a valorous act. ---
**Author:** ![Hallucinex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ba9def/32.png) [@Hallucinex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hallucinex)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taliban-terrorists/609383/3 "2012-01-13T12:53:43Z")
Killing enemy combatants can be a necessary means to an end in achieving wartime goals. Peeing on them is just being a dick, and can actively work against the goals you’re trying to achieve (such as by alienating local populations or making your opponents hate you even more) ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taliban-terrorists/609383/4 "2012-01-13T12:57:40Z")
> **[Marines Urinating On Corpses Reportedly Identified](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/marines-urinating-taliban-video_n_1202139)** > > Marines Urinating On Corpses Reportedly Identified I think jjimm nailed it. An incredibly boorish thing to do, and beyond stupid to record the act. Related - it’s OK to show bloody corpses, but not the marine’s genitalia. Really? ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taliban-terrorists/609383/5 "2012-01-13T12:59:02Z")
I’ll give you a rather more extreme example with which you may hopefully be able to draw an parallel: do you remember in 2004 when four Blackwater contractors were ambushed and killed in Fallujah? Pictures of their corpses being dragged around town behind cars, beaten, incinerated, and strung up were broadcast around the world. The international outrage, particularly in the US was palpable. It was horrific. But contractors were being killed all over Iraq at the time - what was it about this particular incident that made it so unpalatable (and created impetus the first Battle of Fallujah)? After all, they were already dead when it happened. ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taliban-terrorists/609383/6 "2012-01-13T13:37:10Z")
I think it’s shameful and does much harm in our efforts to not be hated around the world. My eyes have been opened. We aren’t better than this. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taliban-terrorists/609383/7 "2012-01-13T13:57:14Z")
> [@Zep\_Tepi](#): > > Could someone please explain to me that it is fine to kill a Taliban terrorist, in fact you will be praised for it, but you cannot pee on them. That is definitely a no, no. 😕 Do you _need_ to pee on them? ---
**Author:** ![Candyman74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Candyman74](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Candyman74)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taliban-terrorists/609383/8 "2012-01-13T14:15:54Z")
> [@Zep\_Tepi](#): > > Could someone please explain to me that it is fine to kill a Taliban terrorist, in fact you will be praised for it, but you cannot pee on them. That is definitely a no, no. 😕 You don’t understand why desecrating the dead is a big no-no in our society? That’s pretty disturbing. You kill them because you have to. Self-defence (even on a military scale) is not a big no-no in our society. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taliban-terrorists/609383/9 "2012-01-13T14:36:44Z")
Same reason we can nuke people but not waterboard them. The former is necessary to fight a war. The latter is not. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taliban-terrorists/609383/10 "2012-01-13T14:44:06Z")
Mangetout: > [@](#): > > Do you _need_ to pee on them? Hey, when you gotta go, you gotta go. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taliban-terrorists/609383/11 "2012-01-13T14:53:07Z")
Maybe the Marines had already given their water to local orphans and the guy was on fire? ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taliban-terrorists/609383/12 "2012-01-13T15:34:44Z")
> [@Zep\_Tepi](#): > > Could someone please explain to me that it is fine to kill a Taliban terrorist, in fact you will be praised for it, but you cannot pee on them. That is definitely a no, no. 😕 Since you’re taking the position that defiling a corpse is OK, I’m sure you had no problem with the bodies of U.S. Marines being dragged around Mogadishu some years ago, yes? Or is this more of an us vs. them issue, and peeing is all right in this case because they’re classified as terrorists? ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taliban-terrorists/609383/13 "2012-01-13T16:47:34Z")
[“15 People Who Don’t Understand America”](http://www.buzzfeed.com/bearvsshark/15-people-who-dont-understand-america-p3g) ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taliban-terrorists/609383/14 "2012-01-13T17:05:38Z")
> [@Mach Tuck](#): > > Or is this more of an us vs. them issue, and peeing is all right in this case because they’re classified as terrorists? Actually, I’d like to point out that the Taliban is not a terrorist organization according to the US, UK, or Canada. Tehrik-i-Taliban is, but they’re not the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taliban-terrorists/609383/15 "2012-01-13T18:29:03Z")
Too many people in the West assign their own outlooks on different cultures, and are surprised when people from those cultures don’t love them back. Instead they look on the West as effete, hypocrites who are happy to use military force, but then act ashamed of their actions, and try to make them like them. Not surprisingly, in spite of our physical power they look on us with contempt. A bit like a man who’s attacked by a mugger, beats the crap out of him and then trys to rehabilitate him. In many non Western cultures might is respected, victory is respected, and mercy is looked on as weakness. If you’ve won then god is on your side because you’re right. The sight of bodies being abused shocks US, but to people who torture and behead living people …not so much. Watching television news doesn’t make you an expert. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taliban-terrorists/609383/16 "2012-01-13T19:08:41Z")
Peeing on the bodies demonstrates that you have absolutely no regard for them or their culture. This is important because we are not just trying to defeat the Taliban on the battlefield, but also convince a significant part of Afghan society that the US military are there to help them build a better life free of Taliban tyranny. When a video is released of American military being so disrespectful, it undermines our ulitmate goal of winning “heart and minds.” ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taliban-terrorists/609383/17 "2012-01-13T19:14:58Z")
> [@Lust4Life](#): > > In many non Western cultures might is respected, victory is respected, and mercy is looked on as weakness. Do any of those cultures respect the time-honored warrior tradition of peeing on your enemy? > [@Lust4Life](#): > > If you’ve won then god is on your side because you’re right. > > The sight of bodies being abused shocks US, but to people who torture and behead living people …not so much. > > Watching television news doesn’t make you an expert. I wonder how many people were “shocked” versus how many times the media painted us a picture of a shocking story we should be shocked by. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taliban-terrorists/609383/18 "2012-01-13T19:25:10Z")
> [@Lust4Life](#): > > Too many people in the West assign their own outlooks on different cultures, and are surprised when people from those cultures don’t love them back… > > The sight of bodies being abused shocks US, but to people who torture and behead living people …not so much. > > Watching television news doesn’t make you an expert. Speaking of cultural bias, you seem to be of the opinion that our culture doesn’t abuse corpses, but there have been a few scandals now in which US troops have documented themselves abusing corpses. It would seem that it is a somewhat common practice (common enough that it is discussed on these boards ever few months when such an incident occurs). Is it possible that you are more aware of the actions of people who “torture and behead living people,” but tend to tune it out when done by people from your own culture?. Also, we’ve been using torture quite a lot in the last ten years. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taliban-terrorists/609383/19 "2012-01-13T19:42:33Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > Also, we’ve been using torture quite a lot in the last ten years. No we haven’t. Waterboarding is not torture, it’s an interrogation enhancment technique. So there. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taliban-terrorists/609383/20 "2012-01-13T20:03:03Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > [“15 People Who Don’t Understand America”](http://www.buzzfeed.com/bearvsshark/15-people-who-dont-understand-america-p3g) It is so interesting to listen to knuckleheads, especially when they inform me of “facts” like how everyone thought it was “okay” when an American is beheaded. We all recall the outpouring of support for the murderers during all those beheadings, right? And how those who spoke out and said that beheading is a bad thing to do were shouted down by the pro-beheading majority? And how the leadership of the US government issued those statements like, “Hey, fellow Americans – don’t get all riled up about your countryman being beheaded. Ain’t no thang.” I mean, I must have missed all of that, but surely it happened. Otherwise people wouldn’t keep saying that it is okay for the Taliban to behead people. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taliban-terrorists/609383.md?page=2)