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Da: iskoric@igc.apc.org

Inviato: giovedø, 05 giugno, 1997 16:27

In the U.S. Timothy McVeigh might get a pay-per-view execution prime time

In middle ages executions were popular spectacles: it was a way for powerful

(nobles, kings, church, etc.) to show their power in most flagrant way to the

peasants and just ordinary plebs. It was also a way for the public to participate

in the punishment of the perceived evil - whether it was a real Jeffrey Dahmer

like psycho, or a woman accused for witchcraft. Watching the criminal die for

his/hers crimes or sins works cathartic on people. It also reinforces the public

belief in justice, order and the state. Only later in our development as humans

did we decide that an execution is actually a state sponsored murder, and no

murder is justified under the rule of God, so, therefore, while many

governments did not dispense off death penalty, they usually restrained

themselves from televising executions and instead showing them just to the

close range of relatives of victims. To make an execution public like in the

case of Tim McVeigh, would be like returning to the 15th century. Arguably,

in the case of Oklahoma City bombing, the victims were random Americans,

and by extension each resident of the U.S. can be considered their relative,

proponents of the televised execution may say. However, public was never in

the entire history CHARGED to view an execution. How many people would

actually pay to watch Timothy die? Imagine after a day of hard work, you

relax on your couch, pop up a beer can and order a nice pay-per-view

execution. Watch him die in privacy and convenience of your own apartment.

How much should it cost? How much would people be willing to pay?

Should the victims and their relatives be paid royalties - I mean, their suffering

brought down the sentence and the execution, but they did not actively

participate in the business. Will cable companies let them watch execution for

free, or at some discount at least? Bizarre as it is - introduction of pay-per-view executions may reduce the backlog on the death row: now, when there is

money to be made, maybe there will be state licensed lethal injection private

practitioners (Kevorkian, as a person with immense experience, should apply),

and the process of "delivering justice" may speed up considerably.