Tuesday, May 16, 2006
As a society we should be angered by double standards but we accept them without hesitation. Some of us even condone double standards and insist they are necessary. Double standards are blatant prejudice at work in a society where the people are mostly hypocrites.
Case in point, I was watching a recent Dateline where a 14 year old boy shot and killed his mother, father and sister. We would all agree this is probably the worse crime you could possible commit. The prosecution wanted this boy charged as an adult and sentenced either to death or life in prison. I don’t even want to get into the particulars of the case, it is only important to know that the prosecution wanted this child to stand trial as an adult because they believe a child at 14 can make a decision as an adult.
Do you believe a child of 14 can make a decision or choice as an adult? Would you agree if someone were to have sex with this child it would be child molestation? The basis for the child molestation charge is a child of 14 years is too young to make the choice to have sex. We all believe in this. We have all been taught this. So why the double standard? You cannot put a 14 year old child on trial as an adult and with the same breathe claim he or she is not old enough to have sex.
A 14 year old child is a 14 year old child. They are not adults and they cannot make a decision as an adult. Therefore, even if they commit a heinous act like murder we must all remember they are children and should be treated as children. Our society is so hell bent on revenge we actually kill our kids when they do something wrong. What does that say about us?
The following are more examples of hypocrisy at its finest:
The Christian CEO who goes to church every Sunday but on Monday lays off thousands of people even though profits are high. He just wants to squeeze out a little bigger bonus for himself at the expense of thousands of families.
Companies that employ workers with families that make life miserable for pregnant women by not allowing them to have adequate time off for birth or complications during pregnancy. The ironic thing about this is many of the supervisors that make like difficult for these women are female.
Pro-lifers that believe in the death penalty or that support the war in Iraq. Murder is murder regardless of who is killed. But murder has always been one of those negotiable sins in our society. If the person doing the killing is well-liked or wealthy it’s not really murder. If a poor person kills somebody they have almost no chance of getting any sentence other than death. I am not saying that all rich people get away with murder but you have a much better chance if you have money.
People almost never consider the hidden meanings their opinions reveal about them as there are many hypocrites in this world. I wondered as I watched the trial with the 14 year old boy if the prosecutor used her brain before she opened her mouth. But as I said earlier, these prosecutors are so hell bent on revenge and winning they can never see the big picture.
Case in point, I was watching a recent Dateline where a 14 year old boy shot and killed his mother, father and sister. We would all agree this is probably the worse crime you could possible commit. The prosecution wanted this boy charged as an adult and sentenced either to death or life in prison. I don’t even want to get into the particulars of the case, it is only important to know that the prosecution wanted this child to stand trial as an adult because they believe a child at 14 can make a decision as an adult.
Do you believe a child of 14 can make a decision or choice as an adult? Would you agree if someone were to have sex with this child it would be child molestation? The basis for the child molestation charge is a child of 14 years is too young to make the choice to have sex. We all believe in this. We have all been taught this. So why the double standard? You cannot put a 14 year old child on trial as an adult and with the same breathe claim he or she is not old enough to have sex.
A 14 year old child is a 14 year old child. They are not adults and they cannot make a decision as an adult. Therefore, even if they commit a heinous act like murder we must all remember they are children and should be treated as children. Our society is so hell bent on revenge we actually kill our kids when they do something wrong. What does that say about us?
The following are more examples of hypocrisy at its finest:
The Christian CEO who goes to church every Sunday but on Monday lays off thousands of people even though profits are high. He just wants to squeeze out a little bigger bonus for himself at the expense of thousands of families.
Companies that employ workers with families that make life miserable for pregnant women by not allowing them to have adequate time off for birth or complications during pregnancy. The ironic thing about this is many of the supervisors that make like difficult for these women are female.
Pro-lifers that believe in the death penalty or that support the war in Iraq. Murder is murder regardless of who is killed. But murder has always been one of those negotiable sins in our society. If the person doing the killing is well-liked or wealthy it’s not really murder. If a poor person kills somebody they have almost no chance of getting any sentence other than death. I am not saying that all rich people get away with murder but you have a much better chance if you have money.
People almost never consider the hidden meanings their opinions reveal about them as there are many hypocrites in this world. I wondered as I watched the trial with the 14 year old boy if the prosecutor used her brain before she opened her mouth. But as I said earlier, these prosecutors are so hell bent on revenge and winning they can never see the big picture.
posted by DarthImmortal at 9:22 AM
6 Comments:
Mimi,
This kid was obviously troubled but I don't think society should give up on its troubled children. We need to have programs where help is possible. Maybe even help before things get to this level. However, if the programs cannot help these troubled minds adapt to society then they should be kept someplace where society can be safe and they cannot do any more damage.
In this case the kid was supposedly abused and the abuse led to these murders. Abuse is not a justification for murder and, as an adult, I realize this; but we do not know what went through the delicate brain of this kid.
I do think the parents are the ones ultimately responsible for the actions of kids like these. If parents cannot control the kids then they should seek help before heinous acts like these are committed. I am sure there were warning signs but the parents probably choose to ignore them.
Thanks for your comment.
darth, I am with you but I think I lose some credibility since I'm against the death penalty except as an absolute last resort :) I agree, though, it is ridiculous to treat kids like adults when we're mad at them, but treat them like children when we're trying to impose our morals on them. That's the kind of emotionally and physically abusive parents do. Hmmm...
Law Fairy,
You will never lose credibility with me. I am also against the death penality except for extreme cases like serial killers, terrorists and such.
Thanks for the comment.
I agree with your points; our society is far too short-sighted in its haste to cast the same thing in different lights. Another thing about the death penalty -- it seems to me that the death penalty is itself a bit hypocritical in that our punishment for murder is for the government to commit murder itself.
Not to say that I am opposed to the death penalty -- I think it is merited in some circumstances -- but we are so quick to decide what is right and wrong that we never seem really to stop and consider our paths to those decisions.
Your comment about pregnancy is right on! One of my best friends is due next week, and she had some serious issues with her boss, who is female, about working up until she was almost due. She's a pet groomer, and is on her feet 8-9 hours per day. Her boss came just short of firing her because of it.
About the death penalty, I've yet to make up my mind on it. I certainly think that it's a very serious thing to consider. I don't condone it for anyone who has mitigating circumstances related to the crime like drug use, abuse, or the like, but as for serial killers, spree killers, or mass murders, I don't know. I CERTAINLY don't think that anyone under the age of 18 should be considered an adult at trials. That's the legal age that we, as a society, have decided the age at which someone is an adult, and that's what we should stick to. No one should be allowed to change the legal age of adulthood for any reason including sexual molestation and things like this where a 14 year old commits murder.
Great post!
Thanks everybody for your comments. It really helps to have a better blog when intelligent people read and leave commnets.
Post a Comment
<< Home