Ghosts of Abu Ghraib exposes how authority, obedience, conformity, and power found in human nature can have a detrimental impact on society. It is these social concepts that allowed U.S. military members to go against their values and commit awful crimes towards Iraqis. As mentioned in this documentary, the former guards felt as though they had no choice but to participate in the horrors of Abu Ghraib. A majority of the prison guards had no experience in the position, but were assigned to that job without any other option. This is one of the many instances that this documentary demonstrates how authority figures have power over their subordinates, and how subordinates obey the commands of authority. The prison guards were told that the torture was an interrogation technique that was required to get information out of the inmates, information that would save American lives. Although many of the guards felt hesitant, knowing that what they were doing was morally and ethically wrong, they felt like they had no other choice but to obey their orders.…show more content… If they did not conform, they likely would experience severe feelings of guilt and sorrow. One does not simply brush off the sight of nudity, torture, and great pain unless everyone around them is brushing it off as well. One of the former prison guards describes becoming numb to the situation. The torture and nudity became an everyday thing, so it began to feel normal and was easy to zone out. It should also be recognized that most people would be incapable of performing awful acts that go against everything they stand for if they were not surrounded with people that were also performing these