Zero Dark Thirty: The Use Of Rat Torture In America

In the opening scenes of Zero Dark Thirty, you watch as an al-Qaeda affiliate writhes, kicks, and attempts to scream while he is water boarded. You watch as the detainee is kept awake for 96 hours; is placed into a tiny, cramped box; and is forced to wear a dog collar as he is walked around a windowless room like a Golden Retriever (Zero Dark Thirty). You watch this from the comfort of your couch, enjoying a bowl of popcorn and a glass of wine, and you squirm each time a bucket of water is poured over the detainee’s covered face. You wonder why the detainee would subject himself to such pain by not giving up the desired information. You wonder why he doesn’t make his own life in “prison” easier and succumb to the pain by answering a few questions. You wonder whether his devotion to his “brothers” outweighs the pain he is experiencing. You wonder whether these techniques, torture, actually work. …show more content…
You don’t hear the term “rat torture” because even in the 21st century there are standards and letting a diseased and hungry rat tear through flesh and organs of a (suspected) criminal is ludicrous and unimaginable. Instead, you hear terms such as “water-boarding” and “sleep-deprivation dominate today’s conversations regarding torture. These techniques seem uncomfortable, but still do not elicit the same squeamish response as simply the names of medieval torture methods would. This is because, overtime, torture methods have evolved. But even with the evolution of torture techniques themselves, the justification of such methods and distinctions of who can be tortured eerily resemble the same justifications from the days of draw and quartering, public hangings, and rat