Liberty and Justice for All?

Technology not only modifies the way in which we look at reality, but it, also, influences certain ideas or insights about the way we, as people, evaluate reality on an everyday basis. This episode allows us to see how technology modifies our perception of abstract concepts such as justice, guilt, and punishment. It takes the malicious attitude of society and critiques it by showing how when something, such as retributive justice and the desire to punish criminals, is taken to the extremes, it could easily spiral out of control, as a means of critiquing things that are happening right now in the world in less extreme ways. With that being said, the most horrifying aspect of White Bear, in my opinion, was not the punishment itself, but that the daily punishment became such a spectacle amongst the people. Not to downplay what the protagonist did, but it just goes to show what kind of world we live in like what is the difference between her and all of those "onlookers"? What is the difference between her and the good majority of us, who like to watch that kind of craziness on YouTube, TV, etc. What is the difference between us and medieval people centuries ago who liked to watch public executions on the town's main square in their Sunday’s best? People used to be lynched for a lot of crimes back in the day, and the regular folk of the community or what not would go to these punishments as forms of enjoyment. I won’t even bring up the guillotine, but I wonder if I knew what she had did from the start, would I view the situation differently because the way the episode is set up, it somewhat forces you to empathize and see her as human being, something most people suspected or convicted of crimes are denied. They’re often viewed by the public as monsters and scum of the earth before any given a chance to be seen as a human. However, I do believe the punishment given to the protagonist is justifiable regardless of the situation because it removes the ability for her to cope with the heinous act. Just think, with prisons and, even, everyday life, no matter how harsh the situation, one can grow accustom to it and learn how to cope and survive under those conditions, so, for example, one can get assaulted every day and suffer. They’re either going to learn to enjoy it, fight, or commit suicide, escaping reality all together. The punishment in this episode removed any sort of coping mechanism all together.