mounting CIVILIAN death toll
Xiao Zen
2014/07/30 06:48
There have been 2 stories recently that have been making headlines for ever mounting civilian casualties in military conflicts. Ukraine and Israel.
Now I'm sure everyone has their opinions for or against whatever parties are involved in either conflict, either way politics is not my focus, I'm not interested in who is "right".
"Civilian casualty ratio" is the ratio of combatants to civilians that are killed or injured directly as consequence of military conflict. Throughout most of recorded western history that has been 1:1 (meaning half of deaths and injuries in a conflict zone are that that of civilians). This figure rose to 2:1 during World war 2 (2 civilians dead or injured for every 1 combatant), 4:1 in the 1999 war in the Yugoslavia (4 civilians for every combatant).
In the recent fighting in Gaza the UN estimates (unconfirmed) the ratio is possibly as high as 5:1 meaning of the 1130 odd deaths recorded on both sides since the start of fighting over 800 could be civilians and that does not even take into account the 7000+ that have been injured.
It just seems like Hamas has its supporters, the Israelis have theirs but no one is really standing up for the primary victims, the ordinary civilians being killed in large numbers on a daily basis in a conflict not of their making. I do not have the numbers for the conflict in Ukraine but I do not think they will be any better -sigh- ...
Now I'm sure everyone has their opinions for or against whatever parties are involved in either conflict, either way politics is not my focus, I'm not interested in who is "right".
"Civilian casualty ratio" is the ratio of combatants to civilians that are killed or injured directly as consequence of military conflict. Throughout most of recorded western history that has been 1:1 (meaning half of deaths and injuries in a conflict zone are that that of civilians). This figure rose to 2:1 during World war 2 (2 civilians dead or injured for every 1 combatant), 4:1 in the 1999 war in the Yugoslavia (4 civilians for every combatant).
In the recent fighting in Gaza the UN estimates (unconfirmed) the ratio is possibly as high as 5:1 meaning of the 1130 odd deaths recorded on both sides since the start of fighting over 800 could be civilians and that does not even take into account the 7000+ that have been injured.
It just seems like Hamas has its supporters, the Israelis have theirs but no one is really standing up for the primary victims, the ordinary civilians being killed in large numbers on a daily basis in a conflict not of their making. I do not have the numbers for the conflict in Ukraine but I do not think they will be any better -sigh- ...
Wale22
2014/07/31 05:18
Why the killing everywhere?
Wale22
2014/07/31 05:18
Why the killing everywhere?!
detrimentum
2014/08/01 07:56
There's civilian casualties every single day, all over the world. Whether its war or a car jacking. Or a 4 year old being dragged by a car for 10km's because the fuckers didn't have the patience to allow the mother to help her son free from the seatbelt. . . People enjoy killing. It has become the most played sport. No one cares about the victims. Not goverments, not warheads and not those who prefer to remain ignorant because taking the time out of their daily channel hopping is just to painful to bare. Pfft. . . The human race is a vile thing. Bleeding hearts for canned hunting yet those same people walk past hungry children. How backwards is that!? If its not Ebola spreading through west africa its HIV . . If its not disease its war. . If not war its psychotic urges to hang children from trees after raping them. . . Then people go all ape shxt because people medicate themselves into total numbness. They shoot statistics regarding alcoholism and how problematic it is. Do you actually blame people for choosing intoxication over this? I'm way to sober way to often, its extremely annoying. Unfortunatly i have a child, so i need all my senses all the time, including my brain, which is being forced to process this all the time. Newspapers. T.V. Internet. Radio. Poster. 24/7 of death and brutality! The cover of the Die Son the other day was covered in the tragic news that a dude decided to eat his grandmother. . . How the hell are people suppose to live functionally? Society wants us to live decent and normal, yet that same society bombards us with the eating of grandmothers 8 in the morning when i'm out buying milk for my 2 year old who i am suppose to teach how to survive in this world. All in the name of money! The more brutal the more papers sell. . What must i teach him? That he might get eaten on his way to work? Do i put emphasis on carry a gun incase you get attacked and raped in the mall? Really. . . Are we breeding paranoid stressed out little people? Can you tell that i'm a tad stressed out myself? . . . I'm tired of this, and i'm not exactly the most ignorant person out there. I would like to be. But that would make me a selfish person, who cares only about myself. Who turns a blind eye to the pain, suffering and the essence of what people should be. I can't do that. I'm not wired together like that. . . .then again if i allow myself to become consumed i turn into the perfect brainwashed candidate. You know, those people who are easily convinced to take up arms and shoot. . . Keep the balance, and try to stay sane while the world falls rapidly into insanity. . Anyway.. I feel better now. 
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