Horrific and True

     "White Bear" is a shocking and quite frankly disturbing look at the concept of human punishment. One's first reaction to the Black Mirror episode is one of horror. The idea being stuck in an almost constant loop, being essentially emotionally and physically tortured for a crime that one cannot remember, is one that disturbs a person. Victoria is found guilty over and over and over, just for the amusement and the satisfying macabre of the audience at the White Bear facility.
    Our modern minds shy away from that idea, the idea of watching someone being punished for a crime. Today the execution of criminals may not be public, but their trials certainly are. We would like to think that we are better than the people of the White Bear facility, but perhaps we are not. The satisfaction that people seek from feeling superior to those that are convicted of crimes, is obvious through the means of social media. We are not far from the open jeering and verbal abuse that we see in "White Bear." We see this fact demonstrated especially throughout human history. Certain events in history such as the Reign of Terror during the French Revolution when nobles were openly beheaded on the guillotine, or when people went to watch the First Battle of Bull Run to see the opposing sides crush one another, demonstrate this fact. For centuries, people have sought delight in watching the righteous crush the wrong, the criminal, the people who perpetrate heinous crimes.
    Sadly, "White Bear" is more truthful than one would like to think. The way that people cast opinions on those in high profile cases shows how much people seek out these sorts of dramatic events. People enjoy observing those that have done wrong in society, especially when it concerns children, much like Victoria. She may not have actually killed Jemima, but the public views that she might as well have, judging by the way she is punished. Although people as a whole are more cruel than we would think, that does not mean that what happens in "White Bear" is not cruel and unfair. It is still horrific to see the way that Victoria is treated. She might as well be an animal in a zoo, considering the nature of her punishment. She has been completely stripped of her humanity. She is not even entitled to her mind, to her memories; they have been stripped away from her each time she gets them back.