One of the great American tragedies is to have participated in a just war. It's been possible for politicians and movie-makers to encourage us we're always good guys. The Second World War absolutely had to be fought. I wouldn't have missed it for the world. But we never talk about the people we kill. This is never spoken of.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Vonnegut argues that even justified wars involve killing people we rarely acknowledge.
- In plain terms
- Just wars still involve killing people we don't talk about.
- What can you take from it?
- Acknowledge the human cost of war even if it is justified.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Do we remember the enemy dead?
- Can a war be fully just?
Another view
Some may argue focusing on enemy deaths distracts from victory.
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