What makes killing justified? I see shows, movies and real things that happen on the news and it drives me to think about this. 2 instances that have happened recently come to mind.
We've all seen the violence that has been flooding the news as of late. Even though this has been happening for a long time, the big rush of media springs from the #blacklivesmatter movement. The killing that has happened has been horrible. Innocent lives were taken, I feel on both sides. When the cops got shot by snipers and I started seeing the comments praising what happened, I questioned the motives and thought process of those who praised it. Were those cops not innocent? I think so. Not all cops are bad, just like not all Muslims are bad, just like not all of the Gay community are Democrats, just like not all White people are bigots and racists.
I've been reading an excellent book written by William T. Vollmann called "Rising Up and Rising Down". The premise behind the book that has been combined from a series of 7 volumes resides around all types of violence. He tells stories from the past or personal stories of his travels to extremely violent places and talks about whether or not each instance was justified. This book has helped develop my sense of critical thinking on these subjects. After reading through suicide, which was a very powerful chapter that solidified some beliefs that I had, I've reached the chapter on killing for a cause. I feel this chapter reflects on a plethora of events that are happening today.
Now, back to the previous paragraph, I don't feel it was justified on the premise that the lives were innocent. Those cops were not the ones who did the horrible deed. The killings on both sides were spurned from hate, not from justice.
The second instance is not based in reality, but still makes me think about it. On the show "Bloodline", spoiler alert sorry, John kills Danny to protect his family and his name. Danny has been trying to bring down the whole family due to a childhood event that happened and putting his family in danger from the illegal and criminal acts he caused. Even with all of that, was killing Danny justifiable? Gandhi and MLK would probably say no, but Malcom X and Socrates would probably say yes. It makes you think though. What would you do if you were in that situation? It's easy to choose from just an immediate emotion reaction sitting in your chair, but if you really place yourself in that situation...What would you do?
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