While I embrace Scott Stein's freedom to be engage in cutting-edge sarcasm (for what else could be involved in such an outrageous title for his series), I nevertheless feel somewhat squeamish about the strength and tone of his premise--i.e., certain people deserve to be killed because of their affronts to society and civilization. Perhaps I value life too much to even joke about killing someone.
I know Scott, and he is a great believer in individual freedom and also that one genuine purpose of government is to protect us (more or less)law-abiding folk from sociopathic scumbags. In my wild years, I met some these people (one, I believe, is still doing time for statutory rape - I had the privilege of telling him to his face that he was an evil bastard). They know how to scope out victims. They are ghastly creatures. Scott is engaging in hyperbole. But if you met the people I'm talking about, you would realize that what he is saying isn't that so far over the top after all. Really evil people do exist.
I do not criticize Scott Stein but the style of the satire. As much as I admire Swift's "A Modest Proposal," for example, which means I can embrace extreme satire, I remain uncomfortable with the tongue-in-cheek premise of Stein's commentary. I understand the premise. Yes, there are evil people. I reject the notion that killing those people--even figuratively within commentary--is the appropriate remedy. Christian doctrine, to my mind, suggests a different mindset. As much as I dislike the trite question, "What would Jesus do?" I think it remains instructive in this context. Perhaps we can agree to disagree on this one.
My principal reservation about capital punishment, as a Christian, is that Jesus was Himself a victim of it. I suppose I could go along with a friend of mine, a judge - and a self-described liberal - who believes in genuine life sentences without parole. Still, the murderer lives while his victim is forever deprived of life. But you are probably right, R.T. We must be merciful and leave the really hard decisions up to God.
While I embrace Scott Stein's freedom to be engage in cutting-edge sarcasm (for what else could be involved in such an outrageous title for his series), I nevertheless feel somewhat squeamish about the strength and tone of his premise--i.e., certain people deserve to be killed because of their affronts to society and civilization. Perhaps I value life too much to even joke about killing someone.
ReplyDeleteSee Debating PWSBKTW for a discussion of the nature of Scott's column.
ReplyDeleteI know Scott, and he is a great believer in individual freedom and also that one genuine purpose of government is to protect us (more or less)law-abiding folk from sociopathic scumbags. In my wild years, I met some these people (one, I believe, is still doing time for statutory rape - I had the privilege of telling him to his face that he was an evil bastard). They know how to scope out victims. They are ghastly creatures. Scott is engaging in hyperbole. But if you met the people I'm talking about, you would realize that what he is saying isn't that so far over the top after all. Really evil people do exist.
ReplyDeleteI do not criticize Scott Stein but the style of the satire. As much as I admire Swift's "A Modest Proposal," for example, which means I can embrace extreme satire, I remain uncomfortable with the tongue-in-cheek premise of Stein's commentary. I understand the premise. Yes, there are evil people. I reject the notion that killing those people--even figuratively within commentary--is the appropriate remedy. Christian doctrine, to my mind, suggests a different mindset. As much as I dislike the trite question, "What would Jesus do?" I think it remains instructive in this context. Perhaps we can agree to disagree on this one.
ReplyDeleteMy principal reservation about capital punishment, as a Christian, is that Jesus was Himself a victim of it. I suppose I could go along with a friend of mine, a judge - and a self-described liberal - who believes in genuine life sentences without parole. Still, the murderer lives while his victim is forever deprived of life. But you are probably right, R.T. We must be merciful and leave the really hard decisions up to God.
ReplyDelete