Jboring wrote:
The demonization of the enemy is an important compartmentalization that a soldier performs in order to justify the taking of a life. This may be done wholly, or at the moment you pull the trigger. The concept of honor amongst soldiers shifted as time progressed. You'll see this concept displayed vividly during WWI when you have English posters of Germans bayoneting babies. This concept was embraced by states to great effect. What made a sharpshooter's job so distasteful is that it didn't require this view of the enemy, matter of fact, there need not be any strong emotional response at all and the enemy you are shooting may not even be a direct threat to you. It is this that perpetuated the "cold blooded" view of sharpshooters. In a way this is still true, but the view isn't by their comrades, but rather the enemy hunted.
This brings us back to the demonization, portion of the post. This sharpshooter's craft is accepted because it get results, and is inflicted against an enemy who is considered less than human. This view began to take root in Vietnam, as nothing speaks louder than results. The animosity that modern sharpshooters have to deal with his mostly a result of them being viewed as "hot dogs" or considering themselves better than their fellow soldiers. This may be true in some, I've certainly met them. But for the most part, it is the reaction of a uniform organization to something that doesn't quite fit.
Interesting insight. It's one of the reasons why the Civil War was such a hard war...can't really rationalize demonizing somebody who is essentially "you" if geography and chance hadn't been slightly different...
Glad for the views of a Real Life veteran, glad to have you.