And, on a somewhat similar topic to my last post, is there such a thing as collective guilt? Is it acceptable to mete out suffering and death to people, simply because they belong to the same nation, or the same ethnic group, as people who have done wrong to you and yours?
Plenty of people think it is acceptable, and all nations act as if they think it is when they go to war, since all wars involve death and suffering for non-combatants who could have had nothing to do with whatever offence their compatriots have committed.
What makes no sense is to condemn the ‘killing of innocents’ by the other side, but defend and condone it when it’s done by your own.
(No logical sense, I should say. It certainly serves a psychological and sociological purpose.)
