Sympathy for Criminals (drugs, death, crime, dollars)
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I watched the movie 'Capote' online last night. It was the movie that covered the period of time when Truman Capote was writing his best selling novel 'In Cold Blood'.
History applauds this book as the first time when a sympathetic identity was given to criminals.....especially those who murdered innocent people. In this case it was a whole family in Kansas back in the 50's. I really wanted to feel sorry for the criminals who were eventually put to death by hanging....but it never trumped my outrage for what they did to this family.
Do you think, as a society, that it is healthy or unhealthy for us to see criminals in a sympathetic eye? Is this fair to their innocent victims?
Again, I'm not referring to someone who got locked up due to selling pot or writing a bad check (neither of which I think should BE in jail), but true criminals with no real remorse for terrorizing and killing innocent people. This isn't about the death penalty either.....it's about our own hearts and how we see these people.....and why?
It is my personal opinion that Capote was the end of one era and the beginning of another.
I don't think there is much sympathy but a romanticism due to a repeated gray area in history.
Once a crime becomes high profile we want to identify one way or another. Why do they do it? What makes them tick? What could bring someone else to do that? What could make me do that? Are they remorseful?
We can't fathom sociopaths. We want to understand but we can't. It is so hard to view another as having no conscious. We can't quite wrap around it. We can't fathom 50,000 people killed-yes, stolen from Eddie Izzard.
True sympathy is non-existent for the majority of criminals. If that were true then we would give a dang about what is going on with the kids that are progressing towards the criminal adult.
I watched the movie 'Capote' online last night. It was the movie that covered the period of time when Truman Capote was writing his best selling novel 'In Cold Blood'.
It doesn't help your overall argument when you pick one of the greatest crime novels and crime writers who ever lived. I think that given the right material Capote, when on his game could have made you sympathetic to just about anyone.
It doesn't help your overall argument when you pick one of the greatest crime novels and crime writers who ever lived. I think that given the right material Capote, when on his game could have made you sympathetic to just about anyone.
You are so right. He is an incredible author with the capacity of pulling you over to his way of thinking by the beautiful strength of his words. What a talented author!
I just happened to see the movie last night which is why the topic was on my mind. Maybe another author would not have produced the same impact.
Edited to add: Off Topic - The surprising point to me is why he didn't write more about the gay community....since he was gay. He could have made such a monumental impact early on. Even before it was socially acceptable to discuss it.
I watched the movie 'Capote' online last night. It was the movie that covered the period of time when Truman Capote was writing his best selling novel 'In Cold Blood'.
History applauds this book as the first time when a sympathetic identity was given to criminals.....especially those who murdered innocent people. In this case it was a whole family in Kansas back in the 50's. I really wanted to feel sorry for the criminals who were eventually put to death by hanging....but it never trumped my outrage for what they did to this family.
Do you think, as a society, that it is healthy or unhealthy for us to see criminals in a sympathetic eye? Is this fair to their innocent victims?
Again, I'm not referring to someone who got locked up due to selling pot or writing a bad check (neither of which I think should BE in jail), but true criminals with no real remorse for terrorizing and killing innocent people. This isn't about the death penalty either.....it's about our own hearts and how we see these people.....and why?
Psyopaths are very commonthese days IMO. hey can knock a old lady in the head for a few dollars in her purse. I thnik taht drug depoendence makes many physopaths alos as they will sell form their own parents and write hot checks that break them besides be a danger to them.But I saw no feeling sorry for the murders in the Capote movie. Certainly none for Capote who was shown to be a vulture basically; ands some comparison of him and the criminals was evident.
I have some sympathy for those who screw up, but there are people who abuse it to the limits that should be even remotely tolerated....or those who have no opportunity to say they messed up. The problem is it seems to be all or nothing for many.
There is a guy who has been riding the commuter bus I do exclaims loudly how he gets into drug treatment programs every time they catch him for drugs, and he just pretends to go along with it will they finally kick him out (since they feed him and have a place for him to stay). He's one reason I hate giving people (like drug abusers) thrid and above chances, been doing it for years. Or those who do especially heinous crimes, like those who throw acid in peoples faces or torture...even the recent event in California where some one was running people over and laughing with his friends.
There needs to be discretion IMHO with those who can be recovered, but at some point sympathy needs to end.
I really don't think feelings, one way or another, should come into it. We have laws to get justice for the victim. We don't have laws to make better people out of criminals or to right every wrong in their lives. The only issue juries/judges should consider is "did they do it?"
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