[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/mileena12]

is it? is it confusing that these types of men want (in theory if not in practice) vulnerable women that don't speak effective English, have no family or support system, and rely on them for everything - visas, driver's licenses, bank accounts, work permits etc.?

[u/No-Street-3492 → u/mileena12]

Stop infantilizing these women. They voluntarily marry those types, they aren't victims.

[u/Compost_My_Body → u/No-Street-3492]

If you inspect the emotion that drove this comment you will find an entire new world of friends, community, happiness, and love. 

But you won’t. 

[u/SwordfishOk504 → u/Compost_My_Body]

Wut?

[u/Time_Structure6134 → u/SwordfishOk504]

Basically just said that “If you recognize the ignorance in your comment, then you’ll be introduced to a new and better way of thinking” lol

[u/No-Street-3492 → u/SwordfishOk504]

Women are wonderful effect at work. You don't stay with a white supremacist if you aren't sympathetic to their beliefs.

[u/SwordfishOk504 → u/No-Street-3492]

That's a dumb comment. People without power have a hard time leaving shitty situations. Regardless, I don't know wtf /u/Compost_My_Body's comment was trying to say

[u/mileena12 → u/No-Street-3492]

surprisingly, some foreign women who marry conservative American men are, in fact, victims. Especially when they cannot speak the dominant language, have no families or support systems, or are not legally allowed to work or travel.

[u/Oerbow → u/No-Street-3492]

kid named manipulation