We admit it. Waterboarding doesn’t sound like torture – at least not when you’ve had it described to you in the way that many media personalities talk about it. They say that it’s just having water poured on your face – and who hasn’t been splashed with water?
One of those media personalities, radio host Erich Muller (nicknamed Mancow on the air), had just that sort of reaction to waterboarding. He didn’t think it was torture – not even close. So, when Muller was challenged to experience waterboarding himself to see what he thought of it, he agreed.
The waterboarding was held today, and 8:40 in the morning, with Muller rested and well-prepared to deal with whatever the procedure could do to him. Unlike prisoners who endure the procedure at the hands of the U.S. government, Muller could stop it at any time, just by signaling the people pouring the water. Muller wasn’t tied down, and he knew exactly what was going to happen to him.
Yet, even with that amount of control and preparation, Muller lasted less than seven seconds before he panicked and demanded that the waterboarding stop. He had thought he could handle it, but the experience was, he said afterwards, “absolutely torture”.
If you’re one of those people who thinks that waterboarding is no big deal, are you willing to do what Erich Muller did, and submit to the procedure yourself?
Here’s a video of Muller’s reaction, right after breaking down under his own waterboarding:
