RE: Dieppe

Hi Mikko!

At the risk of opening up a can of worms I'll reply to this.  It may be
an uncomfortable question but it is by no means absurd and it's one that
wargamers (including myself) are often asked. I have no interest in
fighting a real war where people get hurt but I do enjoy playing them
and have an academic interest in certain periods and also it provides a
harmless outlet for aggressive tendencies.  Usually those periods are
where someone is defending an area against invaders.

The reason I asked it of you was you stated that wars cannot be
justified which sounded like a pretty definite moral decision against
war...period and, I wanted to understand your position.  I personally
can justify some wars (they are in the minority) and
I enjoy playing the games. I agree that academic interest in it doesn't
necessarily indicate practical interest but from my experience with
people it is usually there to a certain extent (even if it is very
small).  You say you don't have lead guys killing "commie bastards" but
you do have lead lead guys killing other lead guys.
As for adorable excuses, if someone comes to where I live and kills and
rapes or tries to exterminate a whole people then I'm sorry but that
makes it "right" in my book to stop them.

Anyway this was not meant to be an attack on you or your beliefs but any
wargamer must be prepared for questions like this simply because we play
at making war.	I would be happy to hear from you on this either by list
if other people want to discuss it or by private mail.

David Best

>----------
>From:	Mikko Kurki-Suonio[SMTP:maxxon@swob.dna.fi]
>Sent:	Thursday, April 09, 1998 12:28 PM
>To:	FTGZG-L@bolton.ac.uk
>Subject:	RE: Dieppe
>
>On Thu, 9 Apr 1998, BEST, David wrote:
>
>> I hope this doesn't come across as being rude but why are you playing
>> wargames?  
>
>I find the question absurd. Academic interest in a subject doesn't 
>necessarily indicate any practical interest. I certainly don't have my 
>lead guys killing "commie bastards" (or any other dehumanizing 
>description of a foreign Joe Avegare) in anticipation of the real
thing.
>
>> Also, if you see that some wars are necessary that by
>> definition justifies them.  Many wars have been unjustifiable but
then
>> some have been - eg. WWII.
>
>I meant that at a personal level, where war is essentially about
killing 
>people for the crime of being of a certain nationality. We've yet to
see 
>a war against machines or thoroughly corrupted Evil Empire
Stormtroopers. 
>Most people dying in wars are average guys like you and me, who did 
>nothing to deserve it.
>
>Yes, it was necessary to fight the invading Russians in 1939. But it 
>wasn't right to put a bullet through Oleg Average's head.
>
>This may seem like splitting hairs, but once something is "justified"
it 
>is soon "right" and the adorable excuses are right behind the next 
>corner. 
>
>I think it is important to make the disctinction that some actions may 
>regrettably be necessary, but never right.
>
>-- 
>maxxon@swob.dna.fi (Mikko Kurki-Suonio)	    | A pig who doesn't
fly
>+358 50 5596411 GSM +358 9 80926 78/FAX 81/Voice   | is just an
ordinary pig.
>Maininkitie 3C14 02320 ESPOO FINLAND | Hate me?    |	       - Porco
Rosso
>http://www.swob.dna.fi/~maxxon/      | hateme.html |
>
>