Twilight of the Psychopaths
The title of the present chapter derives from an article in the March 2008 edition of the Idaho Observer by Keith Barrett This piece, whilst occasionally rather literalist in its interpretations, is nevertheless energetic and thought-provoking.
It was also the first time that I came across references to a book by Lt. Col. Dave Grossman called On Killing. This neglected masterpiece of analysis and original research does to the subject of killing what Freud a hundred years ago did to the subject of sex. Grossman’s book is based on a remarkable piece of research conducted by the American military in the 1940s by Brigadier Gen. S L A Marshall, relating to firing rates. To their surprise they found that only fifteen to twenty per cent of World War II soldiers along the line of fire would actually use their weapons. As Grossman summarises it: