Monday, April 10, 2017
What Makes Us Human?
When watching Black Mirror's second episode of the second season our definition of humanity is questioned. "White Bear" is another stunning yet frightening episode in the Netflix original. At the beginning of the episode I felt sorry for Victoria because she had no short term memory and therefore she is frantic. She then walks out of the unfamiliar house into what I thought to be some sort of zoo. This is the point where her humanity is questioned. She is treated like an animal in a zoo exhibit by the onlookers with their phone cameras. Once we realize that she is a horrible criminal who filmed and assisted in a murder of a young child, I lost all sympathy for Victoria. Is she human though? She has been wiped of all memory of her crimes. She is essentially a different being than when she committed her crimes. Victoria is in fact a slave within the White Bear Farm where they are trying to get revenge rather than rehabilitate. When you are wiped of your memories you a different being.
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It seems like the people who participate and support this type of punishment justify endorsing this “justice park” because they believe justice is being served. In my opinion, the people participating in the act of punishing the criminal are no better than Victoria. If we compare both Victoria and the onlookers, it is obvious both enjoyed watching someone else suffer.
Victoria is still a human being, but yes, I agree that she is a different person than the one that committed the heinous act. However, was the first time that she was punished in this way just? Or, was it wrong every single time? Also, if Victoria was rehabilitated after her first day of punishment, should she have been allowed to go back into society a changed woman, or should she continue to be detained even after she has been rehabilitated and is no longer the person that she used to be? It seems like letting her back out into society after a relatively brief time period of punishment would anger the family of the little girl that she was an accomplice in the murder of, but then again, who is to say that the family would ever feel like it would be time to stop punishing Victoria.
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