"To be, or not to be..."
Apr. 22nd, 2002 12:24 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dolphins_logOne of the interesting things that has come out of this story I'm righting is my take on the subject of revenge, or "getting back .
I'll react. Take, for example, my reaction to the guy who flipped me off on our property some weeks ago. I reacted with anger, with a fight response. There are a number of mental and physical insults that I received in my school days that caused me to have that fight or flight response. The story I'm writing deals with children of jr. and sr. high age, so I've been reaching back into my memory.
As I recall, the moment someone apologized then instantly that fight or flight response faded. I mean instantly. Gone. Poof. I never was comfortable fantasizing about me getting a physical upper hand, or mental revenge, because in my imagination I would always feel bad for my victim.
I thought many times about my reaction to the death penalty and weather I'm for or against it. For me, it's not a matter of "for or against". My worst dilemma in the death penalty fantasy is a scenario where the convicted defendant pleads for his life just before I have to deliberate on the penalty. At the same time the family of the victim pleads for closure.
I'd have to vote against the death penalty. It wouldn't matter that the criminal may have perpetrated a terrible crime and pictures that may cause nightmares were paraded in front of me. All that I would see is the pleading individual. If I voted for death then that would hunt me the rest of my days. If I didn't, then the family's pleadings would haunt me.
Interesting. I wonder if I would be dismissed from such a jury?
I'll react. Take, for example, my reaction to the guy who flipped me off on our property some weeks ago. I reacted with anger, with a fight response. There are a number of mental and physical insults that I received in my school days that caused me to have that fight or flight response. The story I'm writing deals with children of jr. and sr. high age, so I've been reaching back into my memory.
As I recall, the moment someone apologized then instantly that fight or flight response faded. I mean instantly. Gone. Poof. I never was comfortable fantasizing about me getting a physical upper hand, or mental revenge, because in my imagination I would always feel bad for my victim.
I thought many times about my reaction to the death penalty and weather I'm for or against it. For me, it's not a matter of "for or against". My worst dilemma in the death penalty fantasy is a scenario where the convicted defendant pleads for his life just before I have to deliberate on the penalty. At the same time the family of the victim pleads for closure.
I'd have to vote against the death penalty. It wouldn't matter that the criminal may have perpetrated a terrible crime and pictures that may cause nightmares were paraded in front of me. All that I would see is the pleading individual. If I voted for death then that would hunt me the rest of my days. If I didn't, then the family's pleadings would haunt me.
Interesting. I wonder if I would be dismissed from such a jury?
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
Death penalty and middle school revenge.
Date: 2002-04-22 12:50 pm (UTC)Almost certainly you would be. In cases like that both lawers would probably end up finding you unfit for the sort of jury they want. One or the other would pull you off that jury and you'd end up in another case.
As for the middle school revenge thing, I remember quite well all the... extremely irrational feelings of anger and whatnot at that age. It'll be interesting to see what you do with it, and I'll be happy to offer suggestions based on my rather turbulant experiances. You may or may not want me on that jury of course, and that's up to you. : ) In any case, I'm interested to hear more!
Re: Death penalty and middle school revenge.
I think we all have public school stories of one sort or another, with a multitude of reactions. I think I've set the reactions of the trio. Juli wants Katherine to be a bitch. I'm afraid I may have to disappoint her.
... oh wait! I think she meant that as a joke. d'OH!