ThePlayDrive
DP Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 3, 2011
- Messages
- 19,610
- Reaction score
- 7,647
- Gender
- Undisclosed
- Political Leaning
- Undisclosed
Mercy: compassionate or kindly forbearance shown toward an offender, an enemy, or other person in one's power;compassion, pity, or benevolence
Mercy | Define Mercy at Dictionary.com
I don't think anyone deserves mercy, but I do think those who are merciful to everyone and anyone are the most honorable of society. And when I say "mercy", I do not mean simply letting criminals out of jail to harm others again. Mercy can simply mean showing compassion rather than condemnation or choosing to inflict a lesser, but still effective, punishment for a criminal. For example, rather than calling a murderer a monster and wishing him a cruel end, one would still have compassion for him as human being and only wish for the punishment that would protect society from him.not everybody deserves mercy ,in my opinion...
WHen it comes to the legal or penal system, I think mercy should play a role and revenge should have no place in the legal system. But as was said above, that doesn't mean, of course, that criminals should get away with their crimes, or be allowed to continously pose a threat to society.
But I believe in second chances (or third chances, for that matter) even for horrible criminals. Punishment should first of all serve the goal of protecting society, second the goal of rehabilitation of the criminal, third as deterrence for others -- it should not be a means to force revenge on the perpetrator, IMO.
Some claim we need this revenge to make victims feel comfortable again. I don't believe it does. On the contrary, revenge consumes the soul of the victim, takes his or her humanity away from the victim and allows the crime to win.
Well, mercy, as I see it, does not necessarily mean letting someone continue to hurt people. It's simply the definition in the OP which can be given to someone at many levels. One of the most remarkable examples of mercy I can think of is when several Amish girls were killed by a man in Pennsylvania who then killed himself. Rather than condemning him and calling him a monster and doing all of the things that are common in such cases, several of the families of those who were killed attended the killer's funeral and visited his family to show their forgiveness. That is mercy as well and I think there is value in that.Seems to me it would be foolish to express mercy towards somebody who is likely to continue their destructive pattern of behavior. So without some level of contrition and rehabilitation I see no reason to introduce any act of mercy into the discussion. Some guy going on a killing rampage shouldn't be shown mercy as long as he's actively trying to keep killing. And if it's determined that he's unable to succeed in rehabilitation efforts, what level of mercy is even safe to offer up to him?
The "noble criminal" perhaps deserves mercy...the man who steals to feed his family, the woman who attacks her husband to stop him from beating their children, the crazed father who beats the living hell out of the man who raped his daughter and "got away with it"....but to have mercy upon somebody who is repetitively and intentionally destructive to society of their own will and volition? I see no need.
But now you're telling him what he can and cannot think is valid.Sorry German Guy, you don't get to decide what feelings crime victims have are valid and which aren't. Some surviving members of a murder victim's family may well forgive and not want to see a harsh penalty for the killer. I dare say though, that most loved ones feel worse if the killer (or molester or whatever) is treated too lightly. You may not agree with the death penalty (as an example) but victim's families have a right to their anger.
Retribution is a perfectly valid part of punishing criminals.
I don't think anyone deserves mercy, but I do think those who are merciful to everyone and anyone are the most honorable of society. And when I say "mercy", I do not mean simply letting criminals out of jail to harm others again. Mercy can simply mean showing compassion rather than condemnation or choosing to inflict a lesser, but still effective, punishment for a criminal. For example, rather than calling a murderer a monster and wishing him a cruel end, one would still have compassion for him as human being and only wish for the punishment that would protect society from him.
Sorry German Guy, you don't get to decide what feelings crime victims have are valid and which aren't. Some surviving members of a murder victim's family may well forgive and not want to see a harsh penalty for the killer. I dare say though, that most loved ones feel worse if the killer (or molester or whatever) is treated too lightly. You may not agree with the death penalty (as an example) but victim's families have a right to their anger.
Retribution is a perfectly valid part of punishing criminals.
I don't think anyone deserves mercy, but I do think those who are merciful to everyone and anyone are the most honorable of society. And when I say "mercy", I do not mean simply letting criminals out of jail to harm others again. Mercy can simply mean showing compassion rather than condemnation or choosing to inflict a lesser, but still effective, punishment for a criminal. For example, rather than calling a murderer a monster and wishing him a cruel end, one would still have compassion for him as human being and only wish for the punishment that would protect society from him.
Well, mercy doesn't require that you let people continue to hurt others. It requires compassion to varying degrees. And yes, one can be merciful while also allowing someone to continue harmful behavior.If one acts merciful towards a transgressor who brutalizes others in such a way as to allow a pattern of continued brutalization, is one actually acting mercifully?
The notion of mercy is similar to the notion of tolerance in that it shouldn't demand the suspension of the sort of moral reasoning required in order to evaluate the big picture.
I think when it comes to the death penalty, it's pretty simple: Either you like the thought of killing people, then you support it. Or you dislike that thought, then you are against it.
But I'm not saying that to them. If you believe that my showing mercy means that I don't think the death of your loved one means anything, then that is your interpretation of my behavior that I am not and cannot be responsible for.It's not being very merciful to crime victims or their families to essentially say to them that the death of their loved one doesn't mean anything and isn't worthy of punishment.
It isn't that simple at all, actually. But if you want to simplify it and ignore the complex dynamics that's definitely your perogative....it's just mildly dishonest, is all.
It isn't that simple at all, actually. But if you want to simplify it and ignore the complex dynamics that's definitely your perogative....it's just mildly dishonest, is all.
But now you're telling him what he can and cannot think is valid.
No matter if you are a common murderer or just taking joy out of executions -- there are always reasons, legal or illegal. But they are just excuses for not being civilized. Apparently, you simply love the idea of killing other people. It's really that simple.
See, but you're still saying what we should think. If you believe that it's not okay for GG to say, "this is how it is", then why is it okay for you to reply, "no, this is how it is." (FTR, I don't have a problem with either one of you saying "this is how it is", but I don't understand why he can't say it, but you can.)No, I'm countering his suggestion that there should be no consideration for the crime and how it's impacted the victims or their families itself in determining punishment. Even if we could be 100% sure that we could keep someone from repeating their crimes, the crime itself deserves punishment.
That statement, GG, is not only completely based on ignorance and your own prejudice, it's also absolutely untrue. If you want to have a legitimate discussion on the complexities of the death pentality I welcome it. But if you want to parade around on a sanctimonious high horse spewing ignorancing and generalizations then any respect I had for will continue to diminish rapidly. You know nothing about my stance or opinions on the death penality.
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?