Would you rather...

have dropped the first atom bomb on Japan

have operated a gas chamber during the Holocaust

War Crimes

asked by AnonymousJan 11, 2012

VintageHistorical Violence

Community arguments

have dropped the first atom bomb on Japan

The bombing was a military act during an active war, carried out with a stated strategic purpose of forcing an enemy surrender.
Dropping a bomb from an aircraft provides psychological distance from individual victims in a way directly operating an execution facility never could.
Those who dropped the bomb were generally treated by subsequent history as war actors rather than perpetrators of genocide.

have operated a gas chamber during the Holocaust

The atomic bombs killed hundreds of thousands and caused radiation-linked illness across generations, far exceeding the scale of any single chamber operator.
Bombing densely populated civilian cities to force a political capitulation is at least as morally contested as being one functionary in an already-running system.

Last generated Jun 29, 2026.

Comments

Would you rather...

have dropped the first atom bomb on Japan

have operated a gas chamber during the Holocaust