In the film "White Bear", the main character Victoria wakes up in a world where everyone is against her. She wakes up with no memory and no friends. In the end, we find out that she and her fiancé kidnapped, tortured, and killed a little girl. Her fiancé ultimately killed himself in prison and the people of the community thought that he had escaped justice and they did not want Victoria to have the same fate.
I believe that the people of the community did take it too far. I believe that there is a point where punishment blurs the line between acceptable and cruel. To me it is cruel and beyond humane to do be chased and filmed every day with no memory of what she had done. I don't think that Victoria was allowed to be sorry for her crime and ask for forgiveness. Yes the crime was terrible and no one should ever do that to a child, but for her to live that torture every day with no memory of her crime, she is not allowed to repent.
I firmly believe that people can change and truly feel sorry for what they have done. Even though they have changed, I think that they should stay in prison because they did commit the crime. I think that Victoria is not the same person who committed the crime because 1. she has endured this torture for such a long time that she understands what she has done (but can't because they erase her memory every time) and 2. she is not the same person under John Locke's beliefs. He states that someone is not the same person if they don't have a constant stream of consciousness. Victoria does not experience a constant stream of consciousness because they erase her memory every day.
Lastly, I believe that this form of punishment is wrong because it glorifies torturing people and it becomes entertainment to the community. The people of the community actually pay to watch someone mentally break down every day and mock her at the end of the day. I know in today's society we have shows that are inside prisons, but they are not glorifying the prison and the punishments that come with it. Also, the viewers are not contributing to the pain of the people in prison.
All in all I believe that the justice system in "White Bear" takes the punishment of Victoria to the extreme and literally dehumanizes her every day. It also promotes hypocrisy within the community by doing to her what she and her fiancé did to the little girl. I completely disagree with the actions of the community and I feel that there was a better way to handle it.
3 comments:
I agree with you, it was absurd to make her go through that because when she actually felt remorse her memories were erased. What do you suggest should of been done in place?
Princess, I believe that she should have just endured life in prison without parole, like in today's society. I think that would have allowed her to reflect on what she had done wrong.
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