Abu Ghraib: "Who was watching the store? Nobody, and it was on purpose."

[kpete]

" The power is in the system. It's not bad apples, but bad barrel makers."


Abu Ghraib Prison Turned Soldiers Evil by Design: Researcher
Submitted by Chip on Fri, 2008-02-29 08:05.
Glenn Chapman |

MONTEREY, California (AFP) - The very design of Abu Ghraib in Iraq turned good soldiers into evil tormentors that humiliated and brutalized prisoners, a famed social psychologist said Thursday.

Stanford University professor Philip Zimbardo described a "Lucifer effect" as he flashed shocking images of Abu Ghraib horrors for those at an elite Technology, Entertainment and Design conference in California.

"If you give people power without oversight it is a formula for abuse," Zimbardo said to a stunned audience the included famous actors, entrepreneurs and politicians.

"Abu Ghraib abuses went on for three months ... Who was watching the store? Nobody, and it was on purpose."

more at:
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/31428

[babylonsister]

1. Rec'd. This is awful. nt

[SpiralHawk]

2. "Lucifer effect? Hmm, try Ahrimanic effect. Smirk." - Commander AWOL

"These REPUBLICON-INSPIRED VIOLATIONS of all moral and international standards are perfectly okay, because we are torturing Evil Doers in the name of Christ and America and freedom and stuff. Smirk.

- Commander AWOL

[patrice]

3. F-ing "Plausible Deniability" will do it for you EVERY time!!

This is one thing that all of these new political activists that are geing generated could do = Make sure that everyone they talk to understands the concept and application of "Plausible Deniability" in terms of its many many historical manifestations in the U.S.

This is the mechanism by which power structures in all arenas (government, business, military, religion etc. etc.) shift responsibility for their mistakes to YOU.

[spanone]

4. the buck stops with george w bu$h*

[lumberjack_jeff]

5. Yes. Abu Ghraib was a giant milgram experiment.

One in which the victims really *were* getting shocked.

I highly recomment Naomi Klein's latest book "Shock Doctrine". Iraq was the culmination of 30 years of torture training. Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Chile were the training grounds.

Karpinski was a scapegoat. The activities of the prison were outside her control.