MovieChat Forums > Dead Man Walking (1996) Discussion > So how DO we eradicate all evil from thi...

So how DO we eradicate all evil from this world, without falling to THEIR level?

posted a month ago by TheMan18 (13015)
2 replies | jump to latest

Death penalty and for that matter "A Clockwork Orange" (1971) style "Ludovico" aversion therapy technique, even if applied to guilty individuals of stuff like the r worded deed (sorry, I don't feel comfortable typing that word out loud) or even the m worded matter against innocents who didn't deserve it, is seen as de-facto WRONG and also barbaric and inhumane.

Having empathy and love is all good except its not enough and not everyone have it and there are plenty of ruthless and even sociopathic people sadly in our world. Laws alone may punish and somewhat help, but don't alone stop everyone even NON crazy individuals from performing serious and severe rights violating crap.

And we are often told that not only are some methods fail and are ineffective but that it makes us "as bad as them".

Given all of this in mind, how do we handle evil and ultimately try and also - is it even possible to completely eradicate it in humanity like that? No matter how much "animals" we are - also, how does us being animals explain the heinous crimes we also may do? Alone, like that?

And is there one right answer to all of this, thanks.

P.S. OK maybe death penalty is not the answer and its serious opponents have a point. And it probably is hypocritical to answer killing with killing. But then, in self defence or wars when you're under attack, sometimes no choice but to kill. And can we be even certain that some guilty criminals if released will NEVER kill again, for example? Can they be fixed and cured? Also, do we view them as evil villains or just severely mentally flawed individuals who did the serious wrong - and should we, thanks.

[–] liscarkat (18367) 2 days ago

Executing a murderer is not falling to the same level as the criminal, who has murdered the innocent. Many murders are committed by recidivists. If they had been executed in the first place, innocent people's lives would have been spared. Also, capital punishment may not be as much of a deterrent as we would like it to be, but it definitely deters some from committing murder. If just one innocent life is saved, it's worth it.

Capital punishment is easy to avoid: just don't murder people. Ending up in the chair or on the gurney is the result of making the wrong decision. Nobody is responsible for a murderer's execution except the murderer himself.

[–] TheMan18 (13015) 2 days ago

But then why does this movie and many people speak against the death penalty even if the culprit was guilty, and how come in some cases (yes, I know they shouldn't do it anyways but still...) they may get life imprisonment and in others death penalty, and again, why do many people say it IS falling to their level and makes us monsters if it isn't so?

Although there are also debates if mistakes happen in such a system and it isn't perfect anyway.

P.S. The reason I DON'T murder others goes WAY beyond me wanting to avoid punishments of a legal variety INCLUDING in (some places and cases) death penalty as such. And others, well, including like shown here, they do it because (although many say disturbed individuals may not also think clearly INCLUDING legal consequences, also, he may or may not for instance have even known death penalty would come to him or even that it exists, internet for instance wasn't available in 1989 etc). Of course no excuses for it all, but you can see, capital punishment does come under fire even when guilty ones as such get executed, and people question if it really IS THE "right" thing to do, with many openly saying "its wrong" (even if you don't agree liscarat, just scroll through MANY of the comments here.)