A human-flesh search... what a great idea. Especially in a situation like the one where the woman committed suicide by jumping from an apartment. She killed herself because her husband cheated on her. Even though it is not illegal to have an affair it is immoral. Since he could not be punished by the police he was disciplined by local citizens. However, this does pose a few problems. The man's parents and potential employers should not be included in the punishment at all. They had nothing to do with his misdeed.
There is one thing that really bothers me about the human-flesh search. What if the person is misidentified? In the case of the woman stomping the kitten to death someone asked for a clearer photo. If her face was not clearly visible in the photo how can they be sure that they located the right person? The nice thing about it is that the attention span of the public isn't that long. In a couple of months or less the people will probably forget about her and move on to the newest offender.
Group social norms are one of the biggest influences of human behavior. So I think that these websites are overall a good idea. They are sort of like peer pressure encouraging people to do the right thing, or at least to not do the wrong thing. Although it is unlikely, it would be nice if they also had a website that featured people doing positive things. When I worked at Target there was an area where you could post a little card of thanks when a coworker went out of their way to help you. At the end of the month they put the cards in a bin and drew one. That person received a small prize. It would be nice if people were rewarded for doing good as often as they were punished for bad behavior.
Here is a link to the video of the woman crushing the kitten. I couldn't watch it, but I thought it might help people understand just how horrible it was. http://cuthut.com/wC0
I think you are right when saying it would be nice if people were recognized for doing good things. All over the news, its just focused on the negative and the crime in the world. It isn't very often when there is a story that touches our heart while we are watching the news. I agree with the point about how can people be sure that they have the right person in custody when they may not have a clear photo. I think that it may happen more times than we realize that the wrong person may be convicted of a crime that they didn't commit. I also couldn't even watch that video.
ReplyDeleteI liked what you said when you said that there is one thing that bothers you about the human-flesh search. I didn't think about a person being misidentified. If they target the wrong person than it could cause great harm to a numerous amount of people. I do agree with you that the public span is very short and once another intriguing story arises in the news or throughout the public, then people will jump all over the new story and it can lead to rumors and other negative results.
ReplyDeleteI would agree with what you said about when you worked at Target. At Potbelly when I worked there we had the same. I think we think too much of evil when the ways of the good samartian are gone. Great point why cant we help others?
ReplyDeleteIt is really curious about the mis-identification issue. That could be a huge deal in the sense of this vigilante justice. Reporters, and mainstream media are taught to check facts (in terms of identification) to nausea. Some group not trained in journalism can jump to accuse and that could be a huge problem. How many times have you been told, "Man you look like______." Especially if the evidence is some grainy image or video. Good thinking, I never even thought of mistaken identity.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry but I disagree with you. People are quick to say that someone should be punished vigilante style for their mistakes (i.e. adultery)until they are on the recieving end of the punishment. Every one makes their fair share of mistakes, myself included. If these mistakes are punishable by law that is how they should be handled(i.e. the lady stomping the kitten to death). Thats why laws are in place. If they are of a "less severe" nature, as most are, then I do not feel they should be hunted down and punished. Thats life. Its messy and full of mistakes. You learn from them and move on. To be pursued for your every mistake in this manner seems rather harsh.
ReplyDeleteI'm so torn! Part of me agrees with the "eye for an eye" statement, but @LaRie, I agree with you too! Mistakes happen! Move on!
ReplyDeleteIn the case of the woman committing suicide, I think that the Netizens took it too far, ruining that man's life forever. It's bad enough that he was publicly exposed and will have to live with that regret for the rest of his life. (At least, I hope he does. And if he doesn't, let him be punished in whatever way your religion/beliefs see fit.)
Also, another great point brought up that I hadn't thought of! Mistaken identity! We see it happen in "real life" justice too, with people being put to death, only to find out later (with DNA now available) that they were innocent.