I did not see Ted Turner on Piers Morgan myself. But today I am very familiar with Mr. Turner's remarks about more people dying by suicide than are dying in combat in war. I along with everyone else have read the outrage all over Facebook and Twitter, that Mr. Turner (supposedly) believes that it's a "good" thing that more men are committing suicide, rather than being killed in combat.
I wanted to state my opinion about this unfortunate situation. Let me do that by giving this example: Back in the 60's, Beatle John Lennon was terribly ridiculed for making a statement that the Beatles were bigger than Jesus. Beatles fans everywhere began burning their Beatles records and the outrage became so bad that John Lennon had to give an explanation as well as a public apology (and this was before social media). Now the statement that Lennon made was not intended to be blasphemous. I believe his meaning was only that it was shocking that a rock group had seemed to get more attention (at that point) than Christ himself did. He was saying that it's amazing how big the Beatles had become! Was he wrong??
What does that have to do with Ted Turner? Well, obviously, the situation is not the same; but I think that the principle is. John Lennon was terribly misunderstood, and I believe Ted turner has been as well. It is my opinion that Mr. Turner's remarks have been taken out of context.
I believe that what Mr. Turner was saying refers not so much to suicide, as it does an attack of conscience. As I had said on Facebook this morning; men were not designed to kill each other (as mr. Turner said on the show.). But, in war, men are forced to do this, seeing unspeakable things that we would not want to imagine. After all of this, those men must live with the horror of what they had to do. Many men can't live with this reality. Their "conscience" becomes so wounded, that they take their own lives. This act, in itself, is not good (of course)... It's tragic. I'm sure Mr. Turner would agree. I don't believe he was trying to say that suicide is good...he was talking about the REALIZATION that ALL these men are dying (whether by suicide or combat). This is important because we are a culture systematically trained to believe that war and violent death are just normal, everyday occurrences. We glamorize it in our movies.... And hope that everything will be "normal" again when they come home, but not really able to comprehend that nothing (for them) will be normal (as they knew it) again.
What proof do we have of this with our glossy news stories of veterans coming home excited and jubilant (as well, they should be... But what's really going on inside), and movies that glorify the violence, and patriotic television shows that seem to take the stance that we ought to be so proud that so many men and women are putting their lives on the line for us. But what if any of us could ask any of our men who have committed suicide, "What has all this done to you?". What would THEY say about it? We can't ask because those men have ended their lives. This is PROOF that not EVERYBODY is completely unaware of what killing, or being killed in combat does to a person.
Some people are so torn up about it that they cannot live with themselves anymore... and they kill themselves. Now, the numbers are reversed... Men are still tragically dying... But maybe the fact that more of them are taking their lives OFF the battlefield is proof that this normalized, never-ending, desensitization of war needs to STOP!!! I think Ted Turner was trying to say all this suicide, means that people are recognizing that the genocide needs to stop. Was he wrong??
Note: I have since watched the interview myself on You Tube :)
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