U.S. Soldiers Told to Ignore Afghan Allies’ Abuse of Boys

Re:U.S. Soldiers Told to Ignore Afghan Allies’ Abuse of Boys by adrianN on Monday September 21, 2015 @02:54AM (#10250765)

So were does cultural acceptance stop? If it were common not to rape boys but to eat babies after torturing them to tenderize the meat, should we also be accepting of that? There has to be a point where we draw the line. Most people here I think would agree that rape is on the other side of that line.

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Re:U.S. Soldiers Told to Ignore Afghan Allies’ Abuse of Boys by rgbrenner on Monday September 21, 2015 @03:16AM (#10250830)

Just to be completely impartial, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was agreed to by Afghanistan and the US in 1948. http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/

Rape violates several of those rights.. while eating pork violates none of those rights.

So there is a line that was already drawn years ago.. and rape is clearly on the other side of it.

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Re:U.S. Soldiers Told to Ignore Afghan Allies’ Abuse of Boys by JupiterMoon on Monday September 21, 2015 @05:40AM (#10251244)

I start with the principle, "your freedom ends where my face begins" following this acts that involve harming another human are unacceptable. I.e. rape, genital mutilation, forced marriage etc can never be cultural issues to me. In my opinion they are always wrong no exceptions.

I consider myself lucky to live in a country where the laws (mainly) reflect my own stance on many of these issues.

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Re:U.S. Soldiers Told to Ignore Afghan Allies’ Abuse of Boys by erikb on Monday September 21, 2015 @05:04AM (#10251149)

I love your first question.

How many lives can be saved right now and in the next X years just because you achieve this cooperation? How many things the other side has to accept from you that they consider really bad? Do you help the boys by not agreeing to cooperate and going home or do you help them more by accepting what happens and providing medical/psychological help afterwards? How many of them are even like that? Maybe most of them also disagree with raping boys but somehow can't enforce it? Can you even choose to not cooperate or will the people above you not allow it? It is very complex and should not be answered in general. Sometimes even every decision is bad. How many of them are even like that? Maybe most of them also disagree with raping boys but somehow can't enforce it?

I'm happy that you open up for that question, because that's really the point. When should we stop? Thanks!

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