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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/16445
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/16445
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Let's call them Monty the Moderate and Larry the Left-Winger for the sake of discussion...

I think both your charaters are less left-wing and anti-war than you think they are.

If Monty is willing to train soldiers to be better assassins, that's not being _anti_ war. That's being practical, or perhaps utilitarian: This war is ongoing; let's minimize the damage and finish it as quickly and efficiently as possible. "Finish the war" will sometimes involve "killing the enemy."

That will be the crux of your argument: that Monty thinks of himself as being a left-wing anti-war person, when actually he has strayed over the political center line on a few issues. Not everything; you should probably keep him left-wing on other issues — maybe he's vegan, tries to buy local, checks his plastics for BPA, donates to Planned Parenthood, etc. But once he got this job, he made certain rationalizations which allowed him to justify his actions.

Larry might be brainwashed into wanting to kill indiscriminately, or trying to topple a government, smuggle arms to Sandinistas or whatever the equivalent is these days, write a letter to Iran insisting that negotiations with the sitting president are futile, etc. He's gone so far 'round the bend into extremism that he's come out the other side on the far _right_. Monty needs to talk him back down to sanity.

Original score: 2