Hacker News new | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit login

How does one determine who's a good guy and who's a bad guy?

I would have thought most people are somewhere in between.




So far, the people they kill are very much in line with my definition of "bad guys" (e.g. bin Laden).


Are you paying attention to how many "good guys" are being killed by 'your side' daily? Because thats more important than your other stat.


I don't think you're really engaging with my point.


Yes, most people are somewhere in between. What's your point?


My point is that it's not at all easy to determine who's 'good' and who's 'bad'. In fact I think those are extremely simplistic labels to tag people with, expecially when discussing what could amount to summary execution.

Is an enemy combatant with a weapon a bad guy? How about an unarmed enemy combatant? How about an enemy combatant with just a knife, or a rudimentary club? How about an armed civilian who might be an enemy combatant?

Is a bank robber a bad guy? If so, do they deserve to die? How about a white-collar fraudster? How about someone running from the police? How about a mentally ill person running from the police?

This stuff is never clear cut. It's why we have courts and military tribunals. If you can't think beyond 'good guys' and 'bad guys', I don't respect your opinion.


I'm still not sure what your point is. Are you saying that people in US government/military/etc who decide who to kill make bad decisions? If so, give some examples, and suggest how we can improve the situation.


http://airwars.org/

Pay attention to the facts behind the curtain.


This is the main reason why we need more intelligent weapons - to minimize civilian casualties.




Consider applying for YC's Spring batch! Applications are open till Feb 11.

Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: