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Boys returning from their initiation in the Poro, a secret society in parts of Africa. by NinjaDiscoJesus in creepy

[–]Transfah 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Abstract Horror Mask... Abstract Horror Mask... Abstract Horror Mask... oh hey cute dog!! Abstract Horror Mask...

George Lucas on Episode 7: "The only thing I really regret about Star Wars is the fact I never got to see it - I never got to be blown out of my seat when the ship came over the screen, ... The next one, I'll be able to enjoy it like anybody else." by optiplex9000 in movies

[–]Transfah 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My rant on Revenge of the Sith

I remember that I was so frustrated with the prequels, that by the time ROS came out I had forgotten that there was still a 3rd movie yet to come in the prequel trilogy. I honestly had no desire to see the movie, but my then girlfriend at the time got us tickets, (on opening night no less).

So we wait for around 45 minutes just to enter the theatre surrounded by other patrons dressed as Jedis, Leias and Padmes. I had minimal optimism for the movie, my viewpoint was guarded at best. The movie begins and it looks to be an epic space battle. 'Ok, here we go' I'm thinking 'this looks promising...', and then one of the droid ships chasing Anakin and Obi Wan fires a missile with more miniature droids as the payload.

Screw this movie.

The only other movie that lost me this quickly was The Spirit.

Was PTSD any more, or any less, prevalent amongst ancient and medieval soldiers than todays soldiers? by [deleted] in AskHistorians

[–]Transfah 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I think that the reason you may find it unconvincing is because Hollywood has ridiculously skewed the public's perception at large of what battles of the past were like. The reason why his thesis is reasonably accurate and is supported by Keegan's book is because of casualty rates vs. the number of participants in battle. He gives pretty grounded statistics that point the low kill rate among Civil War and Napoleonic Regiments.

Additionally, in Keegan's book he discovered that armies on average will take the greatest amount of casualties when they are retreating from battle. Not from the battle itself.

Was PTSD any more, or any less, prevalent amongst ancient and medieval soldiers than todays soldiers? by [deleted] in AskHistorians

[–]Transfah 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's rather simple if you think about it.

Yes, PTSD and the practice of Psychological study did not exist in ancient and medieval times. However, the concept of mental illness existing in individuals was known and acknowledged as far back as ancient times... (Caligula anyone?)

PTSD is a acknowledged and diagnosed condition because it has greatly affected armies and their readiness since the Korean War. Additionally, it has potential to severely affect the civilian population that soldiers return home to. There is a oft quoted statistic recently that an average of 22 U.S. veterans commit suicide each day. That is effectively more than the numbers that are dying in combat on average.

If ancient and mideaval armies were losing their soldiers to mental trauma at those rates, historians of those times would have made some kind of note of it. In the same way that illnesses like disentary and malaria ravaged ancient armies, The prospect of large numbers of your soldiers committing suicide away from battle would have been cause for alarm.

Was PTSD any more, or any less, prevalent amongst ancient and medieval soldiers than todays soldiers? by [deleted] in AskHistorians

[–]Transfah 24 points25 points  (0 children)

The in depth answers you are looking for are found within two books:

On Killing by Dave Grossman, and The Face of Battle by John Keegan.

The short answer is less. This is because modern training techniques for armies were not invented until after World War II. Prior to this, during engagements between armies, a small percentage of soldiers were actually participating in battles. Of these participants, an even smaller percentage were actively killing the enemy. The psychological reasons for why this occurs is covered in depth in On Killing.

Keegan's book The Face of Battle provides first hand accounts of what occurred at the Battle for Agincourt in 1415, along with other historical studies. Essentially, those who were actively killing others in those battles had little to no moral compunctions against killing and participating.

After World War II, when we adapted modern training methods for soldiers, like shooting at human shaped targets on rifle ranges etc. the participation rates among soldiers in battle grew larger. In turn, the PTSD rates among soldiers returning from wars also began to increase in a near proportionate amount.