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I am absolutely shocked by this 'They knew that the methods inflicted on terrorism suspects would be painful, shocking and far beyond what the country had ever

I am absolutely shocked by this 'They knew that the methods inflicted on terrorism suspects would be painful, shocking and far beyond what the country had ever accepted. But none of it, they concluded, would cause long lasting psychological harm.' How could one reasonably think that torture such as leaving someone suffocating at the bottom of a well would not leave lasting effects?

kafkaesq 10y ago
It's one of the signature features of the totalitarian apparatus -- cognitive dissonance. It's what enabled, for example, members of the Einsatzgruppen to believe that it was OK to shoot young children at the front of the ravines and pits, because they'd be "better off" without their mothers to raise them. Not exactly congruent to what the CIA's operatives have been doing. But still, there's that mechanism of the brain saying, "This isn't really hurting them, so it's OK if I participate in it."