Trump and torture
By: Devin Cluff
Background
We all know Donald Trump can say some pretty out there things, and make
himself sound pretty good doing it. However, what he said in February 2016 ,and
more recently in July, caught my attention. I had never really thought about my
thoughts on enhanced interrogation, so when I saw this I had to read it and
find out more.
Trump, Feb. 17: Torture works. OK, folks?
You know, I have these guys—”Torture doesn’t work!”—believe me, it works. And
waterboarding is your minor form. Some people say it’s not actually torture.
Let’s assume it is. But they asked me the question: What do you think of
waterboarding? Absolutely fine. But we should go much stronger than
waterboarding.
Trump is a hilarious character that
thinks that he is credible enough that he can make claims and then say “believe
me, it works.” We need some proof Mr. Trump. So lets take some time together
and find the real facts on the subjects our political leaders make claims on.
Purpose of Blog
As I read
more and dug into the subject I realized there was much to be learned and I came
to the opinion that Trump is wrong. I do
not believe that torture works as Donald Trump claims. Studies show that not
only is enhanced interrogation unethical, it is also ineffective.
Evidence
Enhanced
interrogation, or torture, has been around for a long time and many different
cultures and people have used it over the centuries to extract wanted
information from enemies. It has been long thought to be an effective way to extract
information but research in neuroscience and psychology tell another story. A
brain researcher from Trinity College in Dublin Ireland wrote a Cognitive Sciences review paper. In it he
said, “The use of
[enhanced interrogation] techniques appears motivated by a folk psychology
that is demonstrably incorrect.” His research of previous studies showed
that under high stress or physical trauma and pain the brain doesn't function
properly. The parts of the brain that facilitate memory and judgment skills are
greatly affected. In fact everything that is intended for enhanced
interrogation is flip-flopped and the opposite happens. Stress triggers the
release of the hormone cortisol which effects these parts of he brain and can
even cause tissue damage. Determining if the information extracted from a
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| Graphic: Lee Hulteng, Judy Treible |
person this way is
actually true would be near impossible. People can say anything under extreme
pressure with a brain that's not functioning properly. Another
interesting fact is that while under stress and pressure our brain will fill in
memory gaps with lies that we think are true. Science calls it confabulation.
Rich Gasaway said in an article he wrote; "Confabulation
may sound better than lying, but it’s no less dangerous. One of the most
amazing demonstrations I do during my situational awareness programs is to show
how a person, when placed under stress, will lie. Only in science we don’t call
it lying, we call it confabulation. You won’t do it on purpose but you may do
it, nonetheless, and if you do it can have a significant impact on your
situational awareness and the situational awareness of those you are telling
your untrue stories to."
In America the CIA has used enhanced
interrogation for a long time. It's been a debate for a while now, whether it
is ethical, legal or even effective. I read another interesting article
published on CNN stating that the CIA claimed that torture was a key to finding
Bin Laden. But according to senate review; “The CIA continues to claim that coercive interrogations were crucial to
capturing Osama bin-Laden, but the Senate report concludes that the most
"accurate' CIA information that led to bin Laden's capture came from a
detainee before the detainee was tortured.” There are also studies that say
humane interrogation is four times more productive. There are many very
effective interrogation techniques that work just fine.
Conclusion
In conclusion I have come to the
opinion that enhanced interrogation is not necessary for the US to use, even on
terrorist hostages, because, number one, it’s inhumane, but, number two, its
not as effective as we mistakenly believe. Mr. Donald Trump may be a successful
businessman but he does not have the good judgment we need in our commander and
chief. Before he arrogantly and ignorantly makes statements he deems to be true
he aught to do his homework. And as responsible Americans we to should do our homework
on the issues that plague our society.
Citations
http://www.cell.com/trends/cognitive-sciences/pdf/S1364-6613(09)00199-5.pdf http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/cia-torture-report/senate-report-finds-cia-interrogation-tactics-were-ineffective-n264621
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