Patrick MacFarlane's 'Why Can't Johnny Kill? 11th Hour Conscientious Objection and Moral Injury'
and why you should watch it now.
Update: (I apologize for the delays in my posts, I am still working on a few different articles I hope to have up at least one by the end of the month, thank you for being patient.)
In August of 2021, Patrick MacFarlane of The Libertarian Institute and AntiWar.com produced the documentary ‘Why Can't Johnny Kill? 11th Hour Conscientious Objection and Moral Injury’ on his YouTube channel, Vital Dissent with Patrick MacFarlane (formerly Liberty Weekly).
The documentary promotes an indispensable revision to the commonly held belief among many laymen, anthropologists, evolutionary biologists, and philosophers alike that hold that man’s fundamental nature is one of warfare and brutality (Thank you Hobbes, very cool).
This documentary is fantastic in my opinion and is a great primer for people who may be questioning the narratives of some who try to paint human nature as inherently grim. If you only watched the news, you may be inclined to agree with the grimness, but the truth is often beyond the surface of what is presented openly.
Mr. MacFarlane lists citations from Lt. Col. Dave Grossman to psychologist Peter Martin (among many others) on human beings’ resistance to killing their fellow man throughout history, even in times of war. The documentary cites military testimonials from the Greco-Roman period to the American Civil War, to World War 2, to the modern day on soldiers having to be psychologically manipulated into killing other human beings, something that would not be necessary if human nature was inherently brutal and warlike as some would have you believe.
All in all, this documentary is fantastic and serves as a necessary tool to understand just how morally depraved war is, and the moral injury that is sustained by the soldiers who are manipulated into engaging in it. Everyone owes it to themselves to watch it at least once, and share it as much as they can.
I would implore you to give it a watch and give Mr. MacFarlane a follow on his social media accounts.
Watch it here:
Where you can find Patrick MacFarlane:
Twitter
The Libertarian Institute
Liberty Weekly
Vital Dissent
Tik Tok
YouTube
Spotify