Modernization and the Loss of Humanity (Hyatt Hammad, Blog 3)

One of the negatives of modernization is the mechanization of human interaction (such as texting as a main form of communication as opposed to speaking to someone face to face) and the ultimate loss of humanity in our everyday lives; however, when it comes to the modernization of war, humans often become more like animals rather than robots. We see some of the effects of the modernization of war in Maaza Mengiste’s novel Beneath the Lion’s Gaze. Hailu, a prominent Ethiopian doctor, is forced to care for a tortured girl and restore her health so that she can undergo more interrogation by the military. Hailu is furious when he realizes just how badly she was beaten: ‘“Did Russians train you how to do this to people?’ he asked, his chest so full of anger he was sure his voice was tight. ‘I heard these Eastern Europeans have been teaching you how to interrogate your own people’” (Mengiste 121). Even though the military promised new lives for Ethiopians without blood-shed, they have become an even worse enemy to the people with their executions and strict dictatorship, and the military is often more worried about their communist allies than the welfare of the Ethiopian people. In this case, acquiring more military supplies and modernizing warfare and torture techniques doesn’t lead to war being more civilized, but more savage instead. This modernization over the years has only led to higher death and destruction rates, such as the atomic bombs used in World War II. In times of war and revolution, people can become more barbaric and lose all sense of compassion and solidarity towards others, putting themselves and their families first. This is no different from how most solitary animals behave on a daily basis. While one could argue that while modernization usually makes people more robotic, the modernization of war, killing, and torture techniques actually makes people more animal-like, merciless, and brutal to the point where we are neither human nor animal but monsters covered in our own blood.