I dunno... It's one thing to read about in fiction and I won't deny that I'm all into the Weiss Kreuz fanfic, which is nothing *but* vigilante justice (and pretty boys, sex with pretty boys, angst, florists that at night are assassins, and metahuman villians. But you know.) but in real life I'm considerably less for it. In the Wyoming case, I'm appalled that the woman didn't believe her daughter ten years ago, when she first spoke out. That she had to suffer for so long and was betrayed by both parents, not to mention the police, is nothing short of atrocious. There is no reason that she had to kill the man for what looks, to me at least, to be a need to assage her own guilt
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So totally with you. I'm--a vengeful person. I probably would kill someone who hurt a friend of mine like that, if I could catch them. But, and there always is one, what would make me an adequate judge? There's this book, Purity in Death, by J.D. Robb about a group of people who execute child molesters who were declared innocent by the courts. Sometimes the cops knew the people were guilty but couldn't prove it. Other times it was an instinct that "proved" they were guilty. And I dunno, I saw both sides. But something about being judge, jury, and executioner all in one seems wrong.
I think my worst fear would be that I killed or harmed an innocent person. That's one of the reasons I like WK, because the fandom doesn't shy away from delving into all the moral issues. But me personally? It would take a lot for me to want to take mortal action, and then I'd have to be convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that the person in question was guilty.
Yes, exactly. How would I know? With the Post story, having it on tape is pretty convincing. Anything else, well, might not be so sure. We're studying moral theology at my school, and there are three things that must be taken into account when judging a person: the what, the why, and the circumstances. I can't really know the why, so I can't judge the person, only the act.
To me, the worst thing is that she didn't believe her daughter in the past. And that the police didn't follow up. I mean, there are tests for these things.
Your class sounds really interesting. And one really does have to ask all three questions too, don't they? Otherwise you cannot make sense of a crime. Though I think one needs to also ask whether the circumstances allow for the degree of the crime. I mean, if a bully broke my little sister's arm, I'd be pissed beyond all belief. But that wouldn't excuse my going out with a shotgun and killing the kid. Some retribution would be expected, but it's dependent on the severity of the crime, as we're not so much up with the draconian laws anymore.
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I'm--a vengeful person. I probably would kill someone who hurt a friend of mine like that, if I could catch them. But, and there always is one, what would make me an adequate judge? There's this book, Purity in Death, by J.D. Robb about a group of people who execute child molesters who were declared innocent by the courts. Sometimes the cops knew the people were guilty but couldn't prove it. Other times it was an instinct that "proved" they were guilty. And I dunno, I saw both sides. But something about being judge, jury, and executioner all in one seems wrong.
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We're studying moral theology at my school, and there are three things that must be taken into account when judging a person: the what, the why, and the circumstances. I can't really know the why, so I can't judge the person, only the act.
Reply
Your class sounds really interesting. And one really does have to ask all three questions too, don't they? Otherwise you cannot make sense of a crime. Though I think one needs to also ask whether the circumstances allow for the degree of the crime. I mean, if a bully broke my little sister's arm, I'd be pissed beyond all belief. But that wouldn't excuse my going out with a shotgun and killing the kid. Some retribution would be expected, but it's dependent on the severity of the crime, as we're not so much up with the draconian laws anymore.
Reply
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