With profound regret, we must admit that "I was only following orders" works just as well in America as it did in Nazi Germany. The military court rejected Calley's argument of obeying the order of his superiors. Evil grown so pervasive, so ordinary, no one notices it anymore. I was only following orders.. - Page 2 Gina Perry, author of Shock Machine: The Untold Story of the Notorious Milgram Psychology Experiments, found a litany of methodological problems with the study. I was only following orders.. Hum sounds like you dont agree with our current president and you have way to much time on your hands to live in the fever swamps. In a 1962 letter, as a last-ditch effort for clemency, Holocaust organizer Adolf Eichmann wrote that he and other low-level officers were forced to serve as mere instruments, shifting the responsibility for the deaths of millions of Jews to his superiors. They said that when an individual follows an order that is illegal under international law, he is responsible for that choice, except under certain circumstances. They envy China's forcible vaccinations. "I WAS ONLY FOLLOWING ORDERS" - Women In Green If someone asks you if you're a god, you say, "Yes! Although pleas from the unknown person could be heard, including mentions of a heart condition, Milgrams study said his volunteers continued to shock the learner when ordered to do so. However, when President John Adams wrote the authorization order, he wrote that U.S. Navy ships were authorized to seize any vessel bound for a French port, or traveling from a French port. Jacob's son just entered first grade and Jacob plans to join the rest of the crowd by helping himself to some good supplies. Reblogged this on Brightonredhots Weblog and commented: This page was last edited on 21 November 2021, at 01:42. A member of the military is at risk whether he obeys or disobeys an order, because the resulting court martial will eventually determine the legality of both the order and the subsequent military action or lack thereof. In his book The Abolition of Man, C. S. Lewis writes about universal moral principles he calls Tao or Natural Law. "I Was Only Following Orders" | Ars OpenForum Cookie Notice These have to be strong examples of a direct violation of the Constitution and the UCMJ and not the military members own opinion. The problem, really, is who are you ultimately accountable to. "I was only following orders," has been unsuccessfully used as a legal defense in hundreds of cases (probably most notably by Nazi leaders at the Nuremberg tribunals following World War II). Justice for 'Cupcake': Defendants sentenced to life in federal prison Starting in early September 2019, TheFebrezeWizard's post received viral spread online. pylon makes some interesting points about the excuses used by war criminals following the Second World War. To obey orders without thinking. That defense was first used in a 1799 naval blockade case and subsequently has been used in military cases related to the Vietnam War more often than in any other conflict. 'I don't want to quit': This student is the only cheerleader at her But these men with guns and authority tell you to do so, and if you oppose orders of an officer, you risk death even yourself! The duty and obligation to obey lawful orders creates no grey area for discussion. Private England said worse things than those shown in the photographs took place in Abu Ghraib prison. He didnt stand a chance. A platoon from 11th Brigade, led by First Lieutenant William Calley, herded 327 old men, women and children - even babies - from the Vietnamese hamlet of My Lai into a ditch and shot them all dead. The risk of obeying an unlawful order - MultiBriefs Image courtesy of Caspar et al., Current Biology (2016). If they attempt to force you to comply with an unconstitutional law, what action will you take? The Nuremburg Trials proved beyond any doubt that if the excuse of "I was only obeying orders" could have a consequence as horrifying as the Holocaust it was imperative that International Law must prevent such an excuse being used and accepted ever again. Haggard said they used moderately painful, but tolerable, shocks. Milgram feigned shocks up to 450 volts. Refusing to follow the illegal directive of the employer could fall into that public policy exception and the employee may also have some protection under certain whistleblower statutes that the employee can discuss with an employment attorney. Forward march. It appears Jacob is at the _________ of . You figure you are probably bound for battlefields of France or Russia or perhaps the Battle of Britain. What does following orders expression mean? An order that violates the Constitution or the laws of the United States is also unlawful, but interpretation of the Constitution can shift based on the composition of the Supreme Court. In a 1962 letter, as a last-ditch effort for clemency, Holocaust organizer Adolf Eichmann wrote that he and other low-level officers were "forced to serve as mere instruments," shifting the. Despite the Nuremburg Trials being primarily a dissection of the most horrific phase in recent history, and a trial for those held responsible, they became a massive influence military law throughout much of the developed world following the War, and as long as the Nuremburg Principle is upheld it is hoped that aberrations like the My Lai Massacre remain little more than that - aberrations, isolated yet terrible events. To obey orders without thinking. Period. In a second experiment, the team explored whether the loss of agency could also be seen in the brain activity of subjects. For instance, if the individual could prove that he was ignorant of the fact that the order was illegal, he would not be responsible. He also the senior editor and manager of newsletters. A December 5th, 2019, Cheems meme posted by Redditor[7] baconater419 received over 14,700 upvotes in /r/dogelore (shown below, right). As a consequence, both the United States and the United Kingdom enshrined in Service Law the "Nuremburg Principle" which states that although Service personnel have an obligation to obey lawful orders from their superiors, they have both a right and a duty to disobey illegal orders. I'm only following Hollywood's lead. When you are "following orders" regardless of your rank you are responsible for your actions and as such if instead of resisting your commanding officer you choose to kill an individual you are responsible for that choice. History teaches that "I was only following orders" is not a good defense. In other words, people actually feel disconnected from their actions when they comply with orders, even though theyre the ones committing the act. These articles require the obedience of LAWFUL orders. Scottish Civic Nationalism? You are under strict orders by the kommandant to shoot any prisoner who tries to escape, and conversely the kommandant is under strict orders to the same effect by Heinrich Himmler. The Nuremberg Trials of German war criminals after World war II determined that this is no defense, and that some orders are illegal and must not be followed. The post inspired similar edits featuring other popular characters, particularly in ironic meme communities. (LogOut/ UK Service Law is far more complicated than American Law. Ethical problems arise when the mechanisms of government are perverted to grant excessive authority and privilege to the ruling class, who then enrich themselves at the expense of everyone else. Since power seized is rarely relinquished, eventual totalitarian oppression of the population is inevitable. Generals and high ranking SS officers had the ability to resist or water down orders (even if just some) that were immoral. Unlike Milgrams classic research, Haggards team introduced a shocking element that was missing in the original 1960s experiments: actual shocks. An order to commit a crime such as abusing a prisoner of war is obviously unlawful. "I was only following orders," has been unsuccessfully used as a legal defense in hundreds of cases (probably most notably by Nazi leaders at the Nuremberg tribunals following World War II). . As the balance of power shifts away from the people, discord and anger lead to resistance. While Hitler himself and some of his inner circle committed suicide in Berlin, some of the Nazi leaders involved in the Holocaust and other crimes against humanity stood trial in Nuremberg after the end of World War II. (LogOut/ Pretty simple reasoning, if this person is in the military and ordered to do something the punishment for disobeying orders is/was often death. So, to obey, or not to obey? If a low ranking soldier or officer is told that the building is full of insurgents and is ordered to attack it, and later it turns out it's a school, and there are 30 dead kids before the mistake is realized, is following orders a valid defense? The owners of the ship sued the Navy captain in U.S. Maritime Court for trespass. Cycles of History Ignored - "I was only following orders" 'i was only following orders - Road To Somewhere Else Right shoulder arms. Researchers at University College London and Universit libre de Bruxelles in Belgium arrived at this conclusion by investigating how coercion could change someones sense of agency, a psychological phenomenon that refers to ones awareness of their actions causing some external outcome. This is modified by the fact that under QRs personnel are specifically forbidden to commit any war crimes under any circumstances.