One aspect of this episode of Black Mirror that I think is
highly overlooked is the use of the symbol. Symbols are very powerful. They
show the significance of a movement such as the one in White Bear. The symbol
for White Bear was representative of the new wave of how criminals should be
punished. The punishments however, I believe, did not fit the crime. Was the
kidnapping, murder, and torturing of a child a cruel and despicable act? Yes.
But, from my perspective, an eye for an eye makes the whole world go blind. I
believe that the proper punishment should have been just removing her from
society into isolation. People who are willing to commit such hanus acts do not
deserve to be a part of society. Torturing this woman did not even allow her to
feel remorse on her own terms for what she had done. It did not guilt her into
wishing she had not done those things because they were awful to do. Her regret
stemmed from the consequences. If there were not consequences, I’m sure she would
not feel any shame for an act such as that, because that is how murders are.
Most murderers who kill in cold blood have an antisocial behavior in which they
do not feel remorse or a need to ask and plead for forgiveness. These people
are about having a feeling of power. They crave having the power over someone’s
life. The power to make them do whatever they want and the most ultimate
control of choosing to end their life. It is a thrill and a quench that can
never be fulfilled and that is why most killer who do acts like this, will go
on to do it again. This is why I do not think that giving shocking her brain
and forcing her to experience this horrible event over and over in the end has
no real effect. It just puts her in perpetually in a state of fear. I do
understand the argument that this was a way to put her in the shoes of the
young girl who was murdered, but she does not understand this parallel until
the very end. The true purpose of a punishment is to know the reason for the
punishment on the front end so that the person being punished never does it
again. In this scenario, that was not true.
2 comments:
You make a very good point about what the correct punishment for this crime should be. I agree. Victoria should have been taken out of society and allowed to come to terms with what she did of her own accord, only then can she feel remorse and really think about what she did. Torturing her as a form of punishment only makes her hate her torturer and not regret what she did to Jemima.
I agree with your point, but I also feel that releasing her into society alone might not help her come to terms with what she has done. I agree with the fact that constantly torturing without her having any memory will also not help her come to terms with what she has done. I believe that if you combine both of these punishments a better outcome will come from the situation. For example, if you put her into the situation and make her experience what the girl was experiencing and then release her into society alone then it will allow her to fully reflect on her actions.
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