Photographing Saddam

When I first heard about the pictures of Saddam Hussein that had been published, my reaction was one of disapproval - it just felt slimy.

Then I thought, 'This guy was a brutal dictator that tortured people and committed genocide. Why should I care if he's embarrassed? This is the least of what should happen to him.'

Aside from the fact that we have international agreements that prisoners of war are not to be photographed and put on display as such, there are more character-based reasons why this is a bad idea.

I imagined for a moment that I were another type of person. I pictured myself as the type of person that would take such photos. Then I pictured myself as the type of person that would publish them. Then I pictured myself as the type of person that would chuckle with glee at seeing them. In each case, I couldn't help but think that this version of myself was somehow worse off. Given that, I'm drawn to the inescapable conclusion that this sort of behavior harms us. I'm happy that my initial reaction seemed to be the right one after all.

Those who did this, as well as those who buy it and enjoy it, are engaging in self destructive and irresponsible behavior. Our principles have nothing to do with the type of person Saddam Hussein was - they have to do with the type of person that we choose to be.