Since emotionless androids and cyborgs from Skynet are not yet an option for the US military, the Pentagon is trying to develop the next best thing: a pill that allows troops to purge PTSD-related fear and anxiety.
Yes, the push for an even more dehumanized and immoral military through medical technology has begun. Because why let human nature get in the way of all the wars we supposedly need to fight?
According to Wired, the Pentagon is spending up to $11 million at three medical research institutions with the hope that D-Cycloserine (DCS) can be used to get rid of fearful and horrific memories.
Of course, the pill is not an everyday drug like most pharmaceutical creations. Rather, DCS is only taken before exposure therapy – a process during which patients recall traumatic events to try and neutralize the mental trauma associated with a specific event.
The goal is to “rewrite” these memories so they are less stressful when the patient recalls them. Sure, the pill may have its uses with depression, schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive disorder and PTSD. Let’s be honest, though: the Pentagon is clearly interested because world class researchers believe it could eventually be used to eliminate fear from the brain.
Don’t you just love how the Pentagon’s method of helping military personnel with PTSD relies on big pharma’s pills? They already give military personnel who are in combat zones antidepressants, sleeping pills, and painkillers. They do this just to be able to keep these people fighting. Without them, warfighters might be too troubled to continue carrying out their duties in combat.
And now the Pentagon’s reliance on drugs to keep us in the fight is escalating.
Many people believe “illegal” drugs like marijuana and ecstasy offer more hope for PTSD cases, but the government is so dedicated to pushing the war on drugs fable they won’t ever consider giving a poor, broken war vet a doobie or a club drug. They don’t want to give them the drugs that may make them happy, only drugs that make them more programmable.
The Pentagon claims the research grant is geared towards developing a method to help PTSD with the fear and panic soldiers feel when they recall a brutal memory, but anyone who knows the military industrial complex knows they are aiming for emotionless soldiers. Drones are good for the sky, but they need something they can completely control on the ground. Getting rid of the fear that gets in the way of fighting is a crucial step, wouldn’t you say?
There is also the question of whether or not it’s immoral to strip people to strip people of their ability to feel fear. I happen to think that taking away a part of someone’s humanity is a little cruel. Quick fixes for complex problems usually come with several flaws.
Do we really want a military that feels little or no emotion? Because if they are ever successful at removing fear, I bet it wouldn’t be all that difficult to purge other crucial emotional impulses that people feel. Bad idea.
