Does evil hold your attention?
Why do you watch them?
You know, the type of evil violence your parents always warned you
might happen if you didn't get home before dark!
might happen if you didn't get home before dark!
I leave those to Kristen Stewart!
Instead, real blood, gore, and mayhem that real life crazies provide. True life tales of surviving the maniacal assaults of desperate madmen who kill for either the twisted, psychological thrill of holding the power of death in their hands, or because they think it necessary for them to escape possible imprisonment.
Sound like someone you know?
Charles Manson had an army of sorts. They called it the "family". We all know the story. His reason wasn't money ... it was power.
Is there an internal desire inside of you that lingers ... holding a deep grudge for someone that inflicted either tremendous physical or mental injury to you in times passed? Would you like to see them suffer under the hands of a professional torture expert? Would their screams of agony satisfy your desires, or would you want them to suffer the affects of a razor slicing layer after layer of skin off of every limb of their body, with death as a final result?
No, I'm not advertising for business.
That's not my line of work.
I'm only curious how far you would really go? (It's always nice to know one's friends, lol.) Would anger and desperation allow you to proceed beyond the realm of social conditioning, or would you recognize your actions and allow guilt to cease them prior to completion?
Could you kill for money?
Just think ... life in the Bahamas ... daily sunbathing on the beautiful white sand beaches ... tropical drinks in hand ... living the life of luxury. Why, there's even cabana boys and girls to service your personal needs exactly the way you like them serviced.
Yet, in the actions of a sane person, he:
Many that would like to be on the jury in this person's trial. Most feel as though he planned this act as a personal power challenge to see if he could outsmart the system and get away with it. Many have stated they would love to give him the death penalty.
That’s right ... the lady in the grocery store that keeps stopping in front of you could be ready to snap and attack you with a can of creamed corn. Or, how about the convenience store clerk that has gone off the deep end and is ready to drown you in artificial coffee creamer? Maybe, that guy tailgating you the black Honda CR-Z has a vendetta against Prius drivers and is searching for his next victim. Perhaps, even the school principal is awaiting the next parent / teachers conference to get back at all the idiots that can't raise children properly! (I might join them if that were the case, lol.)
Could the fear you feel while watching the movies and documentaries be tempting you to become one of the players instead of the watchers? Could your quest for adrenalin drive you closer and closer to the edge? Is the video game you're playing be the conditioning tool you need to see life only as a 500 point score? Could you be the next one we’re watching the documentary about?
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| U.S. Army Sniper. Public Domain Photo |
Since the dawn of time, people have been killed for many reasons. Wealth, power and religion have ended the lives of millions. Wars have been fought to justify the insane greed of rulers who wanted to own it all. Of course, most of the rulers had armies do the majority of the killing for them. Does that make it right?
If so, how big does the army
have to be?
have to be?
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| CHARLES MANSON https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User: Flickr_upload_bot |
How far would you go
to become Top Dog?
No, I'm not advertising for business.
That's not my line of work.
I’d prefer you not answer that question. One never knows who may be watching.
Especially with tags like this blog is going to have. (lol)
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| Sunbathing in the Bahamas ...
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Not the convenience store clerk for $36 type of money, but the huge amounts we only dream of. Five, ten, twenty million dollar type of amounts. Could you do it? Would you do it? How desperate would you have to be?
I sense your breathing is getting shallow and faster just thinking about it.
Easy now! Slow down!
Could you do it?
Would you be able to plan it out like the Colorado assassin did in the theater last year? Could you simply burst inside and start shooting like he did? Something like 22 people were killed. Now, because of his careful, advance planning, an insanity plea has been filed on behalf of the accused.
- intricately planned out the crime,
- ordered and purchased all the weapons,
- preceded the act by requesting mind doctor assistance (minimally, I might add),
- meticulously set complicated booby traps in his apartment,
- costumed himself to project an image of insanity,
- hid his insanity so well that his "mind doctor" mother couldn't detect it, and
- timed his entrance perfectly for the first action scene in the movie.
Could you do it as well?
Could you play the Norman Bates role as convincingly as Anthony Perkins?
Or, will you become the Janet Leigh character in the next hotel you stay?
In a way, isn't that killing?
Or, is it the religious philosophy of an eye for an eye?
Nothing like religion to bring abouta peaceful solution, is there?
So, how about you? What would it take to get you to kill? Think about it for a second. Don't think you could do it?
Well, what if:
- your children were being attacked?
- you were experiencing a violent home invasion?
- you were walking home and were attacked by a maniac or a gang?
- you were bullied without mercy for years?
- you were watching a shooter fire round after round at a playground?
Still don't think you do it?
Maybe you ought to think about it.
Given the right circumstances, we all could.
Are you getting closer to going over the edge, too?
Do you even know how close you really are?
What would it take?
*** Disclaimer: This is a post to simply make you think a little. I had originally intended to make this blog post much more humorous. However, in attempting to do so, I found it either not fitting well, sounding somewhat too lighthearted, and less meaningful. The sarcasm added is to allow some of the tension a chance to escape, but still, the final question, "What would it take?" is one that does require much internal soul searching. The answer isn't easy, nor one that we wish to find. Yet, in today's world, may be a necessary evil to discover. Peace!
Wow, Rich. Quite a heavy post for Thursday! And so fitting actually. It's Human Rights Day here in South Africa. It's scary that there are so many of these people out there. Those who would kill for nothing...as if it were nothing, and those who kill for hundreds, thousands, and millions. I can barely hurt a fly (well flies yes...especially in summer, but you know what I mean), BUT, given circumstances which threatened myself or anyone or thing I loved, or some of what you mentioned above, I would have second thoughts. I don't agree with taking a life, but if it's in self defense then I think that's a whole different story altogether. In SA today, crime is pretty bad. Most home burglaries end in the owners being killed so as not to identify the burglar. It's sick. Very interesting post today, definitely got the wheels turning this morning!
ReplyDeleteMelanie - Good to see you at this one. I have a feeling comments may be few today. I worked on this one for a longer period than I would ever normally do. It's a topic that I've wondered about for many years. How many state they would or could never commit the ultimate sin, but given the circumstances, would actually find their actions different than their thoughts? Is the "survival of the fittest" concept still alive today, or has it gone away in the human spirit. Could a person save another if the circumstances required it, or would they stand by and watch? Again, it's a question we'd have to search within to answer. Sometimes honesty can be frightening. Many Thanks!
DeleteThere is noooo way I would kill in theory. As I ruminate in the thought...If someone did anything to my family that was really heinous....I would/may have to retaliate. It is scary to even think about it! You got my attention this morning!
ReplyDeleteAudra - I appreciate your honesty. Do we consider ourselves innocent, or do we look at ourselves and see what's really there? What could drive us to go over the edge? And, do we want to really face up to what we could be and do? Just some thoughts. lol Many Thanks!
DeleteYes...a very serious, thought-provoking post. We are human. We ALL have it in us. It's the instinct to survive and/or to protect our own. As much as we'd all like to not think about the fact that we are animals, we ARE animals. We erect civilizations and societies to dictate how we should act under normal circumstances. But when something goes awry...
ReplyDeleteYou know, a freakin wasp stung me when I got in the shower on Sunday night. At first, I didn't see it because I was looking through my dark hair at my feet but then I was like, oh my GOD! Plus about twenty other "choice" words. I nearly fell out of the shower and almost ripped off the shower curtain trying to get away.
But I didn't kill it. I kept thinking how I'd feel if a giant nearly stepped on me and was running a heinous amount of hot water over me as well. I'd do the same thing: fight for my survival.
My husband caught it and let it outside...because really, under normal circumstances, every creature is better alive than dead. Emphasis on NORMAL. If a hive of killer bees was after me, you bet I'd be acting differently. You bet I'd use any tool at my disposal to ensure my survival.
As for mentally ill people... You know, you have to have some sort of brain short-circuit to manipulate and carry out the actions that the Colorado Theature dude did. That's not to say he didn't know exactly what he was doing. In fact, it sounds like he was perfectly sane and my first instinct would be that he should be released into the prison population and let THEM have their way with him, because you know they would. That said, I think about all the mentally ill people who deserve to get help for much lesser crimes, but end up in prison only to come out worse. :\ You know...a coke addict whose life was so despairing she turned to coke to escape her depression...I dunno. That's just an example off the top of my head. It's easy to categorize and relate my opinions...and I won't pretend to know all the facts...it's just that the bottom line is that, yes, when we're backed into a corner, we humans will find a way to defend ourselves and survive. That's how we beat out the neanderthals and we're extinguishing other plant and animal species every day. We're a violent species...there's no doubt about that. IMHO
Cyndi - Good of you to stop in on this different type of piece. I really think you've touched on something most have forgotten ... we are animals. Sad thing is, even though we have the greatest level of intelligence, we abuse and misuse it constantly. Our emotions outweigh our sanity in most cases. Sad but true.
DeleteI, too, tend to have strong feelings about killing animals. However, a wasp in the shower would not have been spared in my abode. I have to really give you credit for that.
It's a Catch 22, as I've mentioned before. You have to be crazy to kill a person for no reason, but pleading insanity is ridiculous. There's too many that have used that as an escape. A person such as the Colorado shooter will never be a productive member of society. I agree with you, let him go the way of Jeffrey Dahlmer. At least he'll be with his own when he goes. Great comments!!! Many Thanks!
I don't think I could ever physically harm another person. Quite possibly the only way would be if someone murdered one of my children, but even that I am not sure if I have the capacity to do this kind of harm to another person. Very heavy post and really very thought provoking Rich.
ReplyDeleteJanine - Thanks for stopping by this piece. You're a very kind and loving person, but you're also pretty emotional at times. Even though you question this within yourself, you might be amazed at what could grow inside of you. Many times, those that are the most loving can also turn the fastest, especially if what they love is endangered. I'm not saying there wouldn't be guilt to deal with later, but when you think about it, don't most animals risk their lives to protect their young, regardless of the danger? I'm sure you'd be no different. I knew it was a heavy topic as I wrote it, but I went ahead and published. Perhaps, I just wanted people to look at themselves in a true sense for a change, instead of the safe world they think they live in. If anyone is capable, then perhaps we need to keep our eyes open a little bit more to protect ourselves. Just some thoughts! I appreciate you stopping by and commenting as always. Hope I didn't offend. Many thanks!
DeleteThought provoking Post.
ReplyDeleteThe thing is, when you consider the culture, it is simple (but not easy) to imagine the context in which these horrible killings can occur.
...to paraphrase an old joke, 'we've established that, now we are just discussing justification'.
And this is not to say there is any (sane) justification, it *is* to say that the means (killing violently) in this culture is not considered a bad thing per se...just think of how many movies are built on the theme of righteous vengeance all that is necessary (to be acceptable) is that the audience will accept the definition of 'the bad guy that needs killin'
I wouldn't be surprised at the number of movies that are top grossing that include the act of killing wholesale as an plot element.
And no, it is not reasonable to say, "...they should censor movies".
The (unfortunate) fact is that violence is not considered a bad thing... in many modern cultures/societies.
A horrible way to look at recent mass killings is, 'it is not the killing of people that is wrong, rather it is the killing of the wrong people'
Violence, as an accepted behavior is probably the root cause, not simply a person 'being insane'. That is too limited a view.
But what do I know?
PS I almost killed my computer this morning cause it wouldn't let me Post a Comment... kept refusing to accept my incredibly insightful observations ....
PPS hey it's my site or something, I still couldn't leave a Comment, I had to get here via google...wth! will look into it.
Clark - Good to see you here. As you can see, my ESP has been correct in guessing this one wouldn't get many comments. lol Really is a dark topic that many would rather not face.
DeleteYou've hit the nail on the head ... justification. Do two wrongs make a right, or do they just create million dollar salaries for movie stars?
We all can, and some have, taken another's life in the realm of justification. It happens mostly on command of one's government, religion, or social standards. Yet, is it ever right?
Many consider my feelings of vengeance against the Colorado shooter to be beyond the arena of good taste. I don't want this individual to make a fool of the system by planning his defense prior to the crime. No, his death won't bring back the lives he took. Yet, would his death prove to someone else that is considering a like act that the end result is death?
That's why the old West performed hangings. To a young lad, bodies hanging and rotting on a rope was a reminder that they'd better obey the law. It didn't always work, but still proved itself to be somewhat effective.
Still, I have to repeat myself ... "Do two wrongs make a right?" As long as we recognize that man is an animal that uses his brain in as many wrong ways as right, justification remains. Scary ... but true.
Great comments, my friend! Many Thanks!