So, it, of course, makes one wonder how many other people there might be who are completely innocent, who have been sent by the U.S. to countries where they've been interrogated, and in some instances it seems tortured.
Jane MayerRead
It was our view of the worst that could befall our people if they were taken captive. So, what was fascinating to me was that somehow it appears the techniques that we have feared most in the world would be used on our people, we are using on people in our custody.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the irony and moral implications of using feared techniques on others while expressing concern for one's own people.
Jane Mayer's quote addresses the unsettling reality that the same methods we dread being imposed upon us are often implemented on those in our control. It raises ethical questions about the treatment of individuals in custody and critiques the hypocrisy of abandoning principles of humanity in the face of fear.
Themes
EthicsHumanityCustodyPowerFear
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about human rights violations.
More from Jane Mayer
All quotes →Similar quotes
I believe in clear-cut positions. I think that the most arrogant position is this apparent, multidisciplinary modesty of "what I am saying now is not unconditional, it is just a hypothesis," and so on. It really is a most arrogant position. I think that the only way to be honest and expose yourself to criticism is to state clearly and dogmatically where you are. You must take the risk and have a position.
Slavoj IekRead
Trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.
Teresa Of AvilaRead
I think perhaps the most important problem is that we are trying to understand the fundamental workings of the universe via a language devised for telling one another when the best fruit is.
Terry PratchettRead
You cannot observe people through an ideology. Your ideology observes for you.
Philip RothRead
Fashion is what one wears oneself. What is unfashionable is what other people wear. Just as vulgarity is simply the conduct of other people. And falsehoods the truths of other people. Other people are quite dreadful. The only possible society is oneself. To love oneself is the beginning of a life-long romance.
Oscar WildeRead
Men imagine that they communicate their virtue or vice only by overt actions, and do not see that virtue or vice emit a breath every moment.
Ralph Waldo EmersonRead