The White Bear facility in the “Black Mirror” episode, “White Bear,” is a disturbing “theme park,” where visitors pay to watch the torturing Victoria, a child kidnapper and assistant in the child's murder. The visitors’ role is to record Victoria and chase her throughout her “town.” Although the visitors are only observing her and not physically harming her, they are taking part in her torture. They are bystanders, and by being bystanders, they are still inadvertently allowing her “punishment” to happen, just like in real life.
These bystanders and punishers are also hypocritical. According to Victoria before she was tortured, she was put “under a spell” by her fiancé to kidnap the child. She did not kill the child, her fiancé did. Victoria only recorded the murder the same way the visitors are recording her. They are helping punish her the same way, Victoria stood by and watched a little girl die. Sure, Victoria is a grown woman and she should take responsibility for her actions, but aren’t the visitors doing the same thing Victoria did?
Unfortunately, I think there are sick people in this world who would watch Victoria suffer. They would be bringing Victoria to justice. Victoria did, after all, assist in the murder of a little girl, one of the worst crimes imaginable. Throughout history, people watched public executions. The media publicizes murder trials, like Casey Anthony, O.J. Simpson, and George Zimmerman. People become emotionally involved in the cases and some would stand outside of courthouses to await the verdict. Watching a prisoner suffer in an amusement park-like facility is, sadly, not as far-fetched as it seems.
In regards to Victoria’s punishment, it is cruel and unusual. Having people act like they are controlled by technology and actual actors pretend to attack and murder someone is strange. Victoria is living out the same day over and over again with no memory of her life. Since she cannot remember anything about herself and the crime she committed, does she deserve this punishment?
Personally, I do not think anyone should experience the torture Victoria experiences everyday, even if they are the worst person to ever walk the earth. It does not rehabilitate Victoria. It does not make the person she was before better. By wiping her memory at the end of each day, she is not the same person as the child kidnapper. I hope we never reach this point where we think it is acceptable to allow anyone to help torture inmates or even think it is acceptable to witness the torture.
3 comments:
I agree that the punishment inflicted upon Victoria is both cruel and unusual. I wouldn't want to live in a society where White Bear amusement park is considered acceptable, and is even as popular as it is in the film. It isn't fair that Victoria is so repeatedly punished for a crime she can't remember.
I agree with your analysis of "White Bear." Punishment should try to rehabilitate a person and not just simply cause them harm. There are those who would say that punishment is for those outside the crime, to teach a lesson to all other people in society. I do not hold that belief.
I completely agree with the cruel and unusual part. With the courthouse scenario and people murdering, it made me realize that we sometimes dehumanize the murderers. I don't think that makes us as bad as the murderers themselves, but it can lead to a slippey slope. Punishment should be for the purpose of rehabilitation, not entertainment.
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