The Reality of Justice

What is justice? 


This question is one we need to ask ourselves first to get a better idea of White Bear.  Another thing to think about is the difference between what we think justice should be and what justice is. 


Many people in class, myself included, feel that the way she was punished in White Bear was cruel and unusual.  Most of the arguments supporting this position were based on the idea that because they wipe her memory every night, she has no idea what is going on and is therefore a completely different person than the woman who committed the crime.  The other thought was that it is not a just punishment because instead of punishing her and making her realize that what she did was wrong, they just keep doing it over and over essentially turning her "punishment" into a game.  From what I heard during class, most people believe this to be true....but at the same time we are allowing the same type of punishment here in the U.S.


It shouldn't come as any surprise that in the United States the justice system is not set up for rehabilitation.  If you are an individual who gets sent to jail in the U.S. there is a high probability that if you get out, you will eventually end up back in jail.  Even if you don't end up back in jail, the crime that landed you in jail the first time will hang over you for the rest of your life.  Not only will people be hesitant to be around you, but you will have a difficult time getting a job or even finding a house to rent.  It's as if in the United States, we set people up to fail if they commit a crime.  We don't give them the tools to establish a life for themselves after prison. 


I bring up the justice system in the U.S. because everyone in class who thinks the idea of the White Bear park was so wrong is allowing the same type of justice here, just not to the extreme as in the film.  


I think that is one of the things that bothers a lot of people about the idea of White Bear is that there is a part of us that recognizes how close our society is to mirroring that same type of justice.  It bothers us because we don't like looking at ourselves and seeing that we are just as wrong.  It's easy for us to point fingers at other people and tell them what they are doing wrong, but when someone calls us out it bothers us, and that's what this film did.  It made us think about our own actions towards people who commit crimes and our own justice system.


I am not saying the idea of justice in White Bear is correct, but I am saying that we should take a look at ourselves and our society and realize that ours really isn't that far off.