# Torture doesn't work

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/torture-doesnt-work/750656>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [March 30, 2016, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/torture-doesnt-work/750656 "2016-03-30T17:53:36Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 563

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**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\
**Post date:** [July 6, 2016, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/torture-doesnt-work/750656/563 "2016-07-06T15:56:44Z")

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> [@Kobal2](#):
>
> Of course you’re more likely to give up.
> 
> 1. you know the instructor knows what he wants you to say and he knows that you know. So you know he won’t stop until you say exactly it
> 2. you know nothing bad will happen to you if you do say it, in fact you know for a fact the exercise will stop then
> 3. you know there’s no point in not saying it, as it just means the exercise continues
> 4. it’s just a game. There are no consequences either way. You do not get points for lasting one more minute, but you might get seriously hurt.
> 5. you’re not paid enough for this shit
> 
> Compare to a real torture sesh where the interrogator can’t assess the truth of what you say, will keep torturing you no matter what you say “just to be sure” and might just kill you once they deem you’re past your usefulness to them.

There is a reason I refer to those pussy ass Navy SEALS in that manner. Navy SEAL training is (by most accounts) more mentally demanding than physically demanding. Almost anyone accepted into the training program has the physical ability to complete it. These guys are mentally tough and serious about what they do. You seem to be making the argument that these pussy ass Navy SEALS are going to half ass this part of SERE training because, well, why the fuck not?

I agree that you can’t directly correlate the results from the controlled situation in SERE training with live fire situations. I don’t think that torture works 100% of the time in real life, no interrogation method does. But I think that the 100% success rate that torture has on pussy ass Navy SEALS under controlled conditions is strong evidence that torture works well enough (at least in some situations) that you can’t dismiss torture as not worth pursuing because it simply doesn’t work.

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