OFF-TOPIC Ben's sig monster quote [was Re: Parametrized Unit Tests]

[Marko Rauhamaa]

Ben Finney <ben+python at benfinney.id.au>:

> Steven D'Aprano <steve at pearwood.info> writes:
>> Many people over the ages have thought that if only war was more
>> terrible, we would stop making it. Alas, that appears to be false: no
>> matter how terrible war is, there is always someone who thinks that
>> it is better than peace.
>
> Those who benefit from a continuance of war have tended to exert
> significant effort to reduce the awfulness of war for their own,
> non-combatant, civilians: either by making war at a greater remove
> (the latest iteration being remote-piloted drone attacks), or by
> ensuring civilians don't get to see reports of the awfulness of war.

There are people around us who see no downsides to war, violence and
killing. Many of them must feel terribly frustrated during periods of
peace. That's why it is extremely difficult to put the genie back in the
bottle when the supposed root cause of the war has been removed (see the
IRA, ETA or the Tamil Tigers, for example).

Would you rather be an powerful, armed war hero admired and feared by
your nation or a foresaken unemployed drunkard who rots in jail?

Communities and unscrupulous leaders have regularly put these berserkers
to good use (<URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berserker>). Eastern
Ukraine is a recent example, but the example is by no means isolated. No
general dares to punish a foot soldier that has taken liberties with
civilians.


Marko