This is topic So.. this is the only forum I could think of asking (That means your really smart) in forum Books, Films, Food and Culture at Hatrack River Forum.
I remember reading some philosophy about murder and maybe it had to do with news as well.
It was the idea that all murder was the same, all rape was the same. So why do we subject ourselves to seeing it over and over again in the media and news.
It was fascinating, and the topic came up with a friend, and I can't remember who talked about it..
Any help would be greatly appreciated. And your ideas on the concept itself!
Posted by JonHecht (Member # 9712) on :
Because we're sadists? Or masochists, maybe.
Posted by Dan_raven (Member # 3383) on :
All Murders may be the same, but all murdered are different unique people. This is the ending of thier lives, their stories.
All Rapes may be the same. All victims are not. How they react, and how we would react, makes them different.
All stories in gereral are the same dozen stories. Yet we read them over and over again.
Posted by Samprimary (Member # 8561) on :
Murder is defined as unlawful killing, so to say that all murder is the same is to straightjacket the morality of murder to a legal definition.
In doing so, it completely discounts intent on the part of the murderer, as well as all circumstances surrounding the murder. So I'd have a hard time giving such a theory much credibility, as presented on the surface.
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
quote:It was the idea that all murder was the same, all rape was the same.
That's a silly idea.
Posted by pooka (Member # 5003) on :
Agreed (with porter)
Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
There are six or more grades of homicide crimes in most states; there are generally three grades of murder. Within each grade, sentences can vary enormously. In Virginia, for example, second degree murder carries a sentence of 5 to 40 years.
The factors taken into consideration:
1) the state of mind of the murderer 2) the means used 3) the suffering of the victim beyond the mere fact of death 4) the type of victim (child, officer in the line of duty, etc.) 5) the motive
This represents accumulated study and analysis of several hundred years (from the time when manslaughter was distinguished from murder). That's not to say that the consensus conclusion that murders are, in fact, quite different is correct. It does provide a background for saying that someone making the opposite case needs to provide some reasoning and analysis. Given just the general proposition "all murders are the same," the only real response I can make is to refer you to thousands of pages of texts that disagree. If you provide some specific analysis, I might be able to refer you to a more specific response.
Posted by Jeorge (Member # 11524) on :
quote:Originally posted by Dan_raven: All Murders may be the same, but all murdered are different unique people. This is the ending of thier lives, their stories.
All Rapes may be the same. All victims are not. How they react, and how we would react, makes them different.
All stories in gereral are the same dozen stories. Yet we read them over and over again.
Thank you, oh wise and fractal-memoried Oversoul...
Posted by Lanfear (Member # 7776) on :
Does anyone know the source of the idea though? I'm guessing not.
I don't have all the fancy words you guys have or anything, but I think it kind of makes sense. I no longer wince when someone dies in a movie or in a news clip. All of my friends that are girls still do. They retain some sort of innocence. So why do we feel the need to keep watching.
Posted by advice for robots (Member # 2544) on :
BTW, it's "you're." Posted by pooka (Member # 5003) on :
Thanks, AFR, I was trying to resist.
So you're just looking for the source on that idea? It might be the kind of thing floated, and ultimately shot down, in Crime and Punishment. There was also the Lerner and Loeb murder. I read about that on wikipedia one night.
I will say that while murders come in many degrees of severity, I don't believe in continually exposing myself to the bleeding leads in news stories. But it's not that I look and do not wince, I just make an effort not to look in the first place.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
quote:Originally posted by Lanfear: I no longer wince when someone dies in a movie or in a news clip. All of my friends that are girls still do. They retain some sort of innocence.
Or it's socially expected/acceptable for girls to and not for guys.
As for "why do we feel the need to keep watching?" -- some of us don't.
Posted by Stormie (Member # 11545) on :
IMO, saying that all murders and rapes are the same is being overly simplistic. Still, I don't understand why people want to watch these acts, no matter the variety of means and circumstances, over and over again on television. It's not healthy.
Posted by Chris Bridges (Member # 1138) on :
To add conflict to fiction. To force the characters out of their usual routines and become, therefore, more interesting. To see how the survivors deal, or how the murderers/rapists are brought to justice, or how the crime is solved, or how society is changed.
I don't think many people want to watch the acts themselves -- or at least I hope not. But many people want to watch the situations surrounding them.
Posted by scholarette (Member # 11540) on :
I think that there is also a desire to understand. Thinking about past horrific events, and watching the news for hours on end, I was looking for the reason. Why did the crazy man kill those people? How could he be so heartless? I didn't care about seeing footage from the crime or hearing about the crime, I wanted to know why it happened.
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