What's a hero, what's a coward

[napho]

When Americans use missiles from a safe distance and blow people away like it's a video game, they're heroes. When the bad guys attack from close range in a suicidal manner, they're cowards. No wonder GWB is such a heroic figure; he sat out any war from a position of complete safety. :oompa:

[eclectica]

I disagree with the labeling of people who commit suicide as cowards.

Because the American military is more advanced, that means that the people doing the killing in the American military are more cowardly than the ones they are killing, as Goliath was more of a coward than David was. These American soldiers have something like a 3% chance of getting injured or killed while being deployed in Iraq for their 15-month tours. Not too bad for a year of being in a war.

I think though the real cowards are the leaders who sent these soldiers to die; such as Bush, his political lackeys, and his top generals who are safe in the Pentagon. They wouldn't dare visit Iraq and put their life on the line as the soldiers do. And they wouldn't want to be Iraqi civilians, stuck there forever either. Let me not forget to mention that the American people are cowards too because in 2004 most either voted for Bush or Kerry, both of who supported the Iraq war. For these armchair warriors, it was great sport and entertainment to go send some soldiers to kick some Arab ass.

The army of the future may be even more cowardly, with joystick nerds operating predator drones which drop bombs on people thousands of miles away. They could play their war games with impunity.

[nicobie]

Could it be that the real cowards are the Israelies and the others that hide behind the USA's skirts?

[Dollar_Girl]

The way in which war is conducted has changed dramatically over the decades. War was once conducted with traditonal clashing armies at defined battlefields and a recognisable homefront. This is evident in historical records where people can recall war at certain points in time by the location of the major battle where the armies clashed. People killed people face to face. Today war is more of a technical decision and budgetary problem than an ethical problem. It comes down to how much per bomb costs. Single maned planes drop bombs from skies, indiscriminately murdering armies and civilians, the homefront is everywhere and everyone is a potential target. War is far more chaotic the more technology advances.

I think the terms 'coward' and 'hero' are war propoganda tools. Such labellings are hard to take seriously. The enemy, as brave as they may or may not be, will always be targeted to be a coward.