We're playing a video game based in Japan, and shit, it's true that those scary masks are intimidating. After you break the mask, they just seem normal and easier to defeat. Our brains are weird.
this post was submitted on 02 Mar 2026
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Like I completely understand how Aztek Death Whistles were terrifying and impossible to ignore. But you'd think a scary visual would be easier to rationally think around.
BUT we're most likely atheists. Shits logically gonna be scarier if your worldview included demons etc
I feel more like they just dehumanize them and make it easier to treat them as monsters.
Hell, it'll dehumanize yourself and make you into a monster. A man becomes different when he's behind a mask. Having your best soldiers mantle the demons and discard their inhibitions makes for a terrifying fighting force.
That and it generally was only the rich guys that could afford the bad ass armor that didn't just look cooler, it offered better protection. You'd definitely feel stronger if you thought nothing could hurt you.
Yeah, but if they're a monster, then they won't have any qualms about fucking your shit up, so it loops back around to being scary.
Explanation: In Early Modern Europe, elite units often wore large headgear that would be noticeable on the battlefield to make their presence more apparent and intimidating. They were also often picked for size and strength - in part, again, for the intimidation factor - but also because they were expected to engage in hand-to-hand combat with the enemy, in which size and strength are very useful. Also, sometimes they were expected to throw 'grenades' resembling the classic cartoon bomb, which were pretty damn heavy.
Also, sometimes they were expected to throw 'grenades' resembling the classic cartoon bomb, which were pretty damn heavy.
Which is why they were called Grenadier.
Ha, I remember this unit type in Cossacks :D
C&C: Red Alert, had them, modern. Pretty good units.
What a game that was! I totally forgot about it