Cradling Victims and Hanging Villains

This is the headline of our Millennium.

Is it not?

Is this... not the very black and white reality virulently upheld... here... there... everywhere...?

Which begs the question...

Is reality ever black and white?

and...

How does such a perception of reality serve Human kind...?

Indeed... what are the consequences of cradling victims... and hanging villains...?

In Pursuit of Justice

One man kills another.

It seems black and white... does it not?

Under Draconian Law, the punishment is certain.

The man alive is executed for murder.

But... 

Is this justice?

What if... the man alive is the owner of a small shop who killed a would be thief?

Not so black and white. Is it?

What if... the man alive is a known 'strong arm' of a known mobster who killed a rival? 

Now, it's a different black and white. Isn't it?

What if... the man alive is driving a vehicle when he suffers a stroke, which results in a collision with another vehicle, which kills the other driver, who was not wearing a seat belt, at the time?

Not so black and white. Is it?

In our system of law and order - these three events - receive three qualitatively different responses from our judicial system.

Why?

Because mitigating factors are importantly meaningful - (1) to the events themselves, (2) to the intents of each participant in the events, themselves, (3) to the individual responsibilities of each participant in the events, themselves, etc. - among many other factors.

Why?

If reality is not black and white...

Then... 

How could a just system of law and order... completely disregard such an inherent truth of reality?

Draconian Justice

On the other hand...

Perceptions of reality... as solely black and white... abnegate the value... the merit... the meaningfulness... of mitigating factors.

Whosiwhatsit?

When we decide that reality is solely black and white... 

When we decide that our system of law order should reflect this perception...

We demand... Draconian Justice.

That is - we demand a system of law and order - under the auspices that our current perception of reality is true, certain, unequivocal, and incontrovertible. Moreover - this perception of reality - is that every event that intersects with our system of law and order - is always - solely - black and white.

This system of law and order is one that we've long since implemented and abandoned - as tyrannical and despotic.

But this system of law and order - is the very system of law and order - that is being clamored for - by virulently vehement outcry -

couched within social media campaigns that swath 'victims' in untouchable sacrosanctity -

and persecute 'villains' with vicious conceit and righteousness.

Unjust Vigilantism

The consequences of such stark characterizations of human behavior and human intersections with each other -

are vast.

In fact... this stark characterization of human behavior and human intersections... is exactly why we have an extraordinarily overburdened system of law and order... (the complexities of which are beyond the scope of this post)... 

Because... we've forgotten one critical function of justice...

We've forgotten that justice without mercy and compassion is tyranny and despotism.

Moreover, when we as bystanders to the course of law and order, take it upon ourselves, to function as judges and juries... we ensure vigilante justice without mercy and compassion, by instituting virtual public stoning and virtual public persecution... without all the facts... much less knowledge of all the mitigating factors that scaffold a system of law and order by which we protect our selves and each other from the tyranny and despotism of Draconian Justice.

Case in point: public stoning is a vestige of a system of law and order that we've long since implemented and abandoned... as inhumane, vicious, barbaric, and cruel.

Yet, we've taken it upon ourselves to reinstitute it, via social media, to ensure that we execute our vigilante justice without mercy and compassion.

By our right... as judges, juries, and executioners -

Because we decide that our current perception of reality is true, certain, unequivocal, and incontrovertible -

Because we decide that this perception of reality ensures a more just system of law and order... than a perception of reality that acknowledges the complexity of context and nuance to every human behavior and every human intersection -

Because we decide that a system of law and order that permits mercy and compassion... is incontrovertibly unjust -

We demand... Draconian Justice.

For 'victims' whose humanity is elevated to sacrosanctity.

For 'villains' whose humanity is reduced to vitriol.

The Future of Justice

Human history cycles.

It is ever so.

Because dignity, integrity, and virtue don't make headlines for rags.

Because dignity, integrity, and virtue don't make money for the immoral.

Because dignity, integrity, and virtue don't make blind mindless mobs seethe and broil.

Because dignity, integrity, and virtue don't divert us from:

Corruption.

Greed.

The headlines that should be the headlines of our Millenium.

Instead.

We'll stir tempests in teapots.

Ever self-importantly.

Ever self-righteously.

We'll anoint ourselves warriors.

Ever sanctimoniously.

Ever conceitedly.

Because. It would never occur to us, as self ordained judges, juries, and executioners, that we could be wrong.

Because. It would never occur to us, that we could be ignorant of all the facts.

Because. It would never occur to us, that by elevating some of us to sacrosanctity and reducing some of us to vitriol... that by cradling some of us and hanging some of us...

... that... by our hands... we transform ourselves into tyrants and despots.

Because our judgment is incontrovertible.

Because our knowledge is unequivocal.

Because we are categorically certain - that we possess the absolute truth - by which to serve as judges, juries, and executioners of all human kind - without error or fault.

Because our tyranny is just and our despotism is just and our absolutism is infallible.

More

When judges, juries, and executioners of the court of public opinion... are set against us...

We are the first to decry ignorance of all the facts.

We are the first to demand mercy and compassion.

In vain.

For our clamor for justice falls upon deaf ears... when the pursuit of justice by the court of public opinion is nothing more than Draconian Justice in service to unjust vigilantism.

This...

... is the consequence of social media campaigns of persecution masquerading as justice.

The truth... has never in the history of human kind... ever been other than...

justice without mercy and compassion is tyranny and despotism.

- M.