"The idea is that if we can put our own people through something almost as bad as what they might have to go through if they were taken captive, they will inoculate themselves"
- Jane Mayer
About this Quote
This quote by Jane Mayer recommends that if individuals are executed a circumstance that resembles what they would experience if they were captured, they will be much better prepared to manage the scenario if it were to in fact happen. This idea of "inoculation" suggests that if people are exposed to a scenario that resembles a distressing event, they will be better geared up to handle the real event if it were to happen. This concept of "inoculating" oneself is typically utilized in the military, where soldiers are executed simulations of what they might experience in a fight scenario. By doing this, they are better prepared to manage the actual situation if it were to happen. This quote by Jane Mayer recommends that this exact same concept can be applied to people who may be captured, and that if they are put through a comparable circumstance, they will be much better prepared to manage the actual event if it were to happen.