Gransnet forums

Chat

What woud you have said?

(128 Posts)
Luckygirl Sun 29-Jan-17 17:08:23

In the village shop when owner - lovely lady, kindness itself - makes a remark to you about how she cannot understand why people are up in arms about Trump being happy to use torture, as "those people" are blowing the heads off others with no conscience. I did venture the comment that you cannot be sure you are torturing the right person, and we cannot be a party to torturing innocent people. She laughed and said that the authorities know who these people are. Are we all now to stoop to that level?

Iam64 Tue 31-Jan-17 09:02:58

I must be listening to different military people then. I've only heard comments suggesting torture doesn't work.
It's also not something any state should condone.
If there was a referendum on the death penalty, I fear the public may vote for it to be re-instated. Thankfully, that won't happen. I've read recently that many hangmen took to drink because of their work. i'm not just thinking about those who'd be tortured but those tasked with torturing other human beings. It's dehumanising. At a slight tangent but relevant imo, is the case of Marine A, who was convicted of killing a taliban fighter who was (probably) dying. Marine A's current legal team identified the trauma he and his troop had experienced in several tours of Afghanistan. We shouldn't forget that if we condone torture, we have to train people to do it and then support them as they live with the horror they inflicted.

Zorro21 Tue 31-Jan-17 01:19:49

Grannylyn65

"Those people" means terrorists in that context. I don't think you really mean that your local shop is run by terrorists.

Zorro21 Tue 31-Jan-17 00:19:17

Chewbacca, I think amt101 means that if a terrorist blew up people, as in a 9/11 scenario, an imaginary case would be if your own family were missing or presumed blown to pieces - would we, the victims' family want torture to be used on any known perpetrators - I know I would be in favour of this method as it is known to work. I don't see why we continue to pussyfoot around terrorists. Finally finally Trump is doing something about the problem.

Chewbacca Mon 30-Jan-17 23:54:17

Eh?

amt101 Mon 30-Jan-17 23:32:41

If you listen to any of the military that have been on the radio recently you will hear that torture does work however abhorrent it seems. As you are all on gransnet I assume you are all grandparents. Just imagine it was your family you were searching for, wouldn't you do anything to find them?

merlotgran Mon 30-Jan-17 23:24:19

I couldn't possibly count the number of times I've swallowed a retort in either our village shop or the pub. We've lived here since 1975 and have seen the comings and goings of various owners, landlords, managers and staff. They don't see their opinions as being a political comment - it's just chat and as it's their shop they're not going to give two hoots whether or not what they say is going to upset anyone.

They have the trump card. Like it or drive miles to find another shop lump it!!

Jalima Mon 30-Jan-17 23:04:19

Lucky villages that still have a shop
Marianne grin
that about sums it all up

Rigby46 Mon 30-Jan-17 23:01:11

I agree with allule. I think it's really not on for someone running a village shop to make political comments to customers. I don't live in a village but if my hairdresser or the staff at my local restsurant made political comments I'd be shock.

Marianne1953 Mon 30-Jan-17 22:09:17

Lucky villages that still have a shop.

MissAdventure Mon 30-Jan-17 22:08:22

I should imagine they're quite pleased? It was always on the cards that he would that he would be, well, Donald Trump.

Diddy1 Mon 30-Jan-17 22:01:00

Trump again, he certainly knows how to get attention in all the wrong ways. He reminds me of another horror in the 1930,s when THAT man was against Jews, this is turning out to be the same, but against Muslims, why do Dictators get into power, this one was actually voted for, I wonder what the voters think now?

Chewbacca Mon 30-Jan-17 21:11:53

I'm struggling to understand why anyone would be so het up by the views expressed by a local shop keeper to be honest. If I didn't agree with what was said, I'd just shrug, pay up and leave. I seem to have struggled through life not getting too offended by the the viewpoints of random people unless they're really outrageous . Are people looking to be offended more these days?

rosesarered Mon 30-Jan-17 21:03:24

Jalima....... it's morphing into another Trump thread, who knew he would prove so popular on Gransnet.grin

pollyperkins Mon 30-Jan-17 19:43:30

I can only get 'top threads' now!

pollyperkins Mon 30-Jan-17 19:42:20

Sorry i know rhis has nothing to do withbthe tghread but why cant i access other threads any more ? The button has gone (on my phone)

joannewton46 Mon 30-Jan-17 19:24:03

One suggestion (can't remember which paper) was that HM did not want to meet him so HRH got the job. I doubt he's upset at not doing so.

Jalima Mon 30-Jan-17 19:19:15

Crikey, this is about a shopkeeper with different views to the OP and, I think, to the majority of us.

She sells milk, veg, bread, eggs etc etc. She's not involved in the State Visit, presumably isn't American so didn't get a vote. Admittedly, I think she should keep her opinions to herself as some customers may be offended, but so many people don't in a village, in a queue or wherever people gossip (or even on Gransnet for that matter hmm).

NfkDumpling Mon 30-Jan-17 18:56:07

Not torture as such perhaps Sky, I was thinking more of an eye for an eye, the odd bit of genocide, etc. There is an argument that ISIS uses torture so it should be used against them since that's all they understand. By not being tough, using torture, raping women, killing children, they see us as weak.

MissAdventure Mon 30-Jan-17 18:32:48

Yes, I guess that's true.
So many factors though. It's wrong to kill, but a mercy killing? Is that wrong?
Most situations aren't just black or white..

Skyandblossom Mon 30-Jan-17 18:27:50

nfkdumpling, I can't remember any torture in the Old Testament.

MissAdventure, it does seem possible that a view could be 100% right or wrong. (We might not always be able to know whether it was though.) Say if I believed that someone had been wrongly convicted of a crime, and they had been. Or that it's wrong to rape people.

quizqueen Mon 30-Jan-17 17:53:15

How quaint, a politician doing what he promised he would do in his election campaign rather than conveniently forgetting all his promises once elected. Perhaps it will catch on.

mcem Mon 30-Jan-17 17:38:29

I'm with Lucky. Saudi is a despotic state but 'a friend'. Hypocritical! More terrorists have come from Saudi than from the banned countries but it doesn't suit DT or TM to admit it!!

Penstemmon Mon 30-Jan-17 17:11:54

I agree that state visits should not be extended to any regime that has national policies that are fundamentally opposed to the underpinning values that British society stands for: equality, tolerance, fair and just laws, innocent until proven guilty, courtesy, welcoming to those in need, caring: all based on the Christian teachings which have become a huge part of British cultural heritage even if we , individually, are Christian or not.

grannypiper Mon 30-Jan-17 17:04:01

radicalnan well said. jaycee5 you are right, torture is not good but what i cant understand is why the backlash is only aimed at the U.S. No doubt those shouting the loudest against the U.S have household electrical goods and cars made by Japan and also forgot to sign the petition against the Japanese emporers state visit to the U.K

allule Mon 30-Jan-17 16:44:05

I'd think it was part of the role of village shopkeeper to keep their politics and religion apart from their job. I've never heard our local shop lady offer views on anything contentious, though she must sometimes have to bite her tongue. She's very popular and successful.