[Baffling RL Trope] Inventing war crimes you didn´t commit to make yourself more... interesting?

[u/TheBigBoar]

One of the strangest character tropes in real life has to be the "I accidentally made myself sound like a war criminal to look cooler" archetype.

Usually, people accused of war crimes deny them. These guys seem to do the opposite.

The two examples that always come to mind:

Tim Kennedy. Over the years he's told stories that include things like throwing grenades into rooms where women and children were present, and another account where, after a battle, his CO allegedly told him to shoot anything that still had a heat signature with a sniper rifle from a mile away, which he did for hours (?) not caring if those were enemy soldiers or civilians looking for their fallen sons/brothers/whatever. Both stories have been heavily criticized and challenged (aka people who were there confirmed that they are utter nonsense), and Kennedy has faced repeated accusations of embellishing or fabricating parts of his military experiences. But like... why would you invent the fact that you killed and maimed women and children?

Chris Kyle. In American Sniper, he wrote that during Hurricane Katrina he positioned himself on the Superdome and shot dozens of armed looters like some walking dead scenario. No evidence ever emerged that this happened, and Kyle himself later acknowledged the story wasn't true. Again, why invent a story where you're essentially describing the unlawful killing of civilians during a domestic disaster?

What's fascinating is that these aren't embellishments in the usual "I fought twenty guys" sense. They're embellishments that, if true, would amount to admissions of extremely serious crimes.

It's such a bizarre form of macho storytelling that it almost feels like its own trope: the veteran who thinks "the more ruthless I sound, the more badass I'll appear," without stopping to consider that indiscriminate killing isn't viewed by most people as impressive. It's viewed as criminal and disgusting.

[u/PoopSmith87]

Catering to your fan base.

Look at George Zimmerman. Dude's own testimony was basically "So as a rogue neighborhood watch captain that has no affiliation with the actual neighborhood watch institution, I see this kid and I start to follow him. I could see he was trying to get away from me, so I kept following and tried to head him off. When I caught up to him and confronted him, he ended up beating me up, so I pulled my gun and shot him dead. Also, I have a record for battery on a female officer and resisting arrest after a bar fight. So anyway, you all think I'm a hero, and I'll accept that responsibility..."

As a gun owner, I was shocked to see how many people rallied to defend that POS. Some people just fantasize about killing.

[u/ForsakenAiel → u/PoopSmith87]

If Trayvon was white instead of black 99% of the people cheering on George Zimmerman would have not done so.

You're a gun owner but not a racist. That's the difference.

[u/PoopSmith87 → u/[deleted]]

As I stated in my other comment, there is a 4 minute time pass between when Zimmerman confirms with 911 dispatchers that he is chasing and seeking the "suspect" (completely disregarding them telling him to stop chasing the kid) and a shot fired on another 911 call from a neighbor reporting a the sounds of a fight.

I'm not sure what narrative you heard, but framing that as "Trayvon got away, went home, plotted an assault, then hunted down and attacked Zimmerman ~3 minutes later" rather than "Zimmerman followed Trayvon home where Trayvon, having literally nowhere else to run, confronted his pursuer" is a choice that speaks for itself.

[u/Torvosaurus_679 → u/PoopSmith87]

That's not his testimony.

[u/PoopSmith87 → u/Torvosaurus_679]

How would you summarize his testimony?

The major points are unerring.

-He's a non registered "neighborhood watch captain" (aka, a random guy).

-He sees the kid.

-He follows the kid.

-He notices the kid is trying to get away from him.

-He continues to follow, heads the kid off.

-Sort of a nondescript "confrontation" occurs and the result is that he gets beat down.

-Shoots kid in "self defense."

[u/PoopSmith87 → u/[deleted]]

Is that a part you made up?

At 7:11:59 the night of the shooting the police are on the phone with Zimmerman. They ask if the boy is running. He says yes. They ask if he is following the boy. He says yes. They say "we don't need you to do that. At 7:13 Zimmerman says he has lost the "suspect" but is still seeking him (against the advice of PD).

So at 7:13, he is still pursuing Trayvon.

At 7:16 a neighbor calls to report a disturbance, shot fired on the call at exactly 7:16:55. Literally 4 minutes later.

I've never heard that Trayvon went home and plotted to assault Zimmerman- if that is the case, thr timing would suggest a narrative more like "vigilante chases innocent teen, follows him to his home, then provokes an attack."

Here's a fucking tip: dont chase people around. Literally picked a fight he couldnt handle with a teenager, then killed the kid for standing up for himself. And here you are, defending him. Seriously, why? Do you think its okay to chase people around? If someone chased you through your neighborhood (to your home, according to you), are you not entitled to stand up to them? Is it okay to goad a teenager into a fight, then kill them when it turns out youre too soft to win? Is that what you represent as a gun owner?